Plage Menzel Salem

Cap Bon


Down a shockingly pothole-free paved road are a few tiny slithers of sand, some shielded by low cliffs of golden rock. The water here is zebra striped in dark and light blue bands, with picture-perfect views out to the mysterious island of Zembra and the mountainous end of this part of Africa, backed by a field full of silent wind turbines.

If you're coming from the south, there's a brown plage (beach) sign indicating the turn-off from the C26 that speeds into El Haouaria.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cap Bon attractions

1. Les Grottes

2.86 MILES

El Haouaria's dramatic, rocky coast was quarried by the Carthaginians and the Romans, who sought the highly prized, easily worked yellow sandstone for…

2. Djebel Sidi Abiod

5.74 MILES

This 390m peak is the northeastern tip of the Tunisian Dorsale – and feels like the edge of the world. A paved road winds to the top, where you can revel…

3. Ras Ed Drek

6.55 MILES

This lovely, long, white-sand beach, also known as El Haouaria plage, is a local favourite, backed by clusters of villas and a couple of restaurants. To…

4. Kerkouane

11.09 MILES

Set on a turquoise curve of prime coastal real estate, the Unesco-listed Punic settlement of Kerkouane is the world’s best-preserved example of a…

5. Plage Rtiba

16.18 MILES

Hidden 2.5km down a rough, unmarked dirt track, the coast around Plage Rtiba appears to be a secret to all except local fishermen and shepherds ushering…

6. Plage de Sidi Mansour

16.41 MILES

The road to get here from Kelibia is rough, narrow and militantly guarded by herds of goats, but if you have your own set of wheels, this is one of Cap…

7. Plage de la Mansoura

17.01 MILES

Plage de la Mansoura's soft white sand tapers gently into blissfully clear-as-glass sea. This is Kelibia's favourite beach, and it gets packed at the…

8. Petit Paris

17.16 MILES

Around the coast from Plage de la Mansoura, Petit Paris is a smaller beach but still clean and loved by locals. A number of restaurants vie for space a…