Les Grottes

Cap Bon


El Haouaria's dramatic, rocky coast was quarried by the Carthaginians and the Romans, who sought the highly prized, easily worked yellow sandstone for their massive construction projects, such as the Colosseum in Rome and the amphitheatre at El Jem. Because the quality of the stone was much better at the base of the rock face than at the surface, workers tunnelled into the cliffs, and the result after almost 1000 years of digging is a series of caves stretching along the coast.

Almost all of the caves are now fenced off and cannot be entered, but it's still a beautiful spot where you can wander through mini-ravines spotting ancient chisel indentations as crashing waves provide a peaceful soundtrack.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cap Bon attractions

1. Plage Menzel Salem

2.86 MILES

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…

2. Djebel Sidi Abiod

2.89 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

3.92 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

9.57 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 de Sidi Mansour

15.3 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…

6. Plage de la Mansoura

16.04 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…

7. Petit Paris

16.23 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…

8. Al Fatha

16.42 MILES

Surrounded by villas for hire, Al Fatha beach feels like a hidden-away private residential cove, at least until the weekend when the whole neighbourhood…

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