An air of faded glamour gives Dar Sebastién in Hammamet its mystique. This cool and elegant villa is one of the town's true treasures. And you'll visit the magnificent medieval medina. Aziz, one of our expert local guides, says, ‘The old town dates back to the 15th century, and it's one of the best-preserved examples of a traditional North African medina. It's still inhabited by many local families which gives it an authentic air, and life here is mostly unchanged across the centuries - apart from motorised scooters, which have replaced the donkeys of yesteryear.'
You'll be picked up and taken to the leafy suburbs of southern Hammamet. Here, hidden behind trees, is the whitewashed Dar Sebastién. Built by Romanian playboy George Sebastian in the Roaring Twenties, the airy marble halls and the colonnaded swimming pool were the epicentres of parties attended by the likes of Paul Klee, Wallis Simpson and Coco Chanel. In later years, Erwin Rommel and Winston Churchill also lived it up here – if only the walls could talk.
The gardens boast views over the town's medina. Next, you'll enter the walled town to wander its alleys of tightly packed whitewashed homes dominated by the Kabir Mosque minaret – made famous by Klee in a painting. The whole medina is enclosed by high walls with gates leading into the narrow streets of the ancient city. As you stroll the maze of lanes, you can't miss the colourful tiles, beautiful old doors and ornate woodwork. To round off the day, you'll have free time at the Hammamet Fortress.
Transport
