Tabarka
A small port with a Genoese fortress on a rocky islet, a wide bay, golf course, and the Coraline reefs offshore. The Tabarka Jazz Festival in July is one of Tunisia's best music events.
North-West · Tunisia
Jendouba
Cork-oak forests, Tabarka coast and the Roman ruins of Bulla Regia.
Jendouba is the green corner of Tunisia. The Khroumirie mountains here are covered in cork-oak forest — wild boar, fennec foxes, even rare Barbary deer still roam.
Its coast is dominated by Tabarka, a small port with a Genoese fort on a rocky islet, famous for its annual jazz festival and excellent diving on the Coraline reefs.
Inland, Bulla Regia is unique in the Roman world for its underground villas — built half-buried to escape the summer heat, with mosaic floors still in place.
What to see in Jendouba
Bulla Regia
Unique Roman site where the wealthy lived in semi-underground villas to escape summer heat. Mosaic floors are in situ — you walk on 1,800-year-old art. 30 minutes north of Jendouba.
Aïn Draham
A mountain town at 800 m with red-tile roofs and cork-oak forest — looks more like the Vosges than North Africa. Wild boar hunting in winter, walking trails year-round.
Chemtou
Roman quarries that produced the prized yellow-pink giallo antico marble used across the empire. An excellent on-site museum tells the story.
Getting there
160 km west of Tunis (2h by car). SNCFT trains link Tunis to Jendouba and Ghardimaou daily. Tabarka has a small airport (TBJ) with limited seasonal flights — most visitors arrive by road from Tunis.
Where to stay
Tabarka: La Cigale Tabarka (golf resort), Mehari Tabarka. Aïn Draham: Hôtel Les Chênes (a 1950s mountain lodge with character), Royal Rihana. Bulla Regia is a day trip from either base.
Food & culture
The northwest has Tunisia's most distinctive forest cuisine: wild boar in red wine, grilled trout, pine-honey desserts. Cork oak honey and chestnuts are the local souvenirs. Aïn Draham's annual cherry festival in May is a sweet little event.
Practical tips
Aïn Draham can be cold and snowy in January–February — bring proper layers. Tabarka's reefs need calm seas; check forecasts before booking a dive. The Algerian border is close: don't approach unmarked tracks west of Ghardimaou.
Frequently asked questions about Jendouba
Is Tabarka worth visiting?+
Yes — for a weekend mixing fortress, beach, jazz (in July) and excellent diving. As a week-long destination it's quieter than Hammamet but more characterful.
Can I see Bulla Regia and Dougga on the same day?+
Yes if you have a car. They are 90 minutes apart by road; budget a full day with an early start.
What's the weather like in Aïn Draham?+
Mild Mediterranean in summer (22–28 °C), but properly cold and occasionally snowy in winter — pack a warm jacket November–March.