What's on in Hammamet, Tunisia through the year

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Holiday

  Ramadan

  19 Feb – 20 MarClosures

  Resort hotels serve as normal but the town keeps the fast, and the medina cafes only reopen at sunset. It falls in the quiet season anyway, so the beach is empty either way. Source ↗

Still on: Resorts shut for the winter (15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Busy — Ramadan, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Ramadan (19 Feb – 20 Mar), Resorts shut for the winter (15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Peak crowds — Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr

• Holiday

  Eid al-Fitr

  20–22 MarRamadan & EidCrowdedClosures

  Tunis empties towards the coast for the holiday and the beachfront is busy for the first time since autumn, even when the water is still too cold to be in for long. Source ↗

Still on: Ramadan (19 Feb – 20 Mar), Resorts shut for the winter (15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Eid al-Fitr (20–22 Mar)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Nature

  Jasmine season

  1 Jun – 15 Sep · usuallyWildflowers & blooms

  Machmoum sellers appear on every corner from early summer: small bunches of jasmine sold by the piece, worn behind the ear, and the reason the whole coast smells the way it does.

• Season

  Sea warm enough to swim

  15 Jun – 15 Oct · usually

  The gulf takes until midsummer to warm properly and then holds it into October, which is the best trade in the Tunisian calendar: warm water, thinner crowds, cheaper rooms.

Peak crowds — European and Tunisian peak, Hammamet International Festival

• Season

  European and Tunisian peak

  1 Jul – 31 Aug · usuallySchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Charter season at full stretch and Tunisian families on top of it. The beach is busy, the medina is busier, and prices are at their annual high for the whole eight weeks.

• Festival

  Hammamet International Festival

  11 Jul – 13 AugMajor festivalCrowded

  Five weeks of theatre, dance and Arab music at the open-air amphitheatre in the cypress gardens, running from early July into August. Late starts, and the sea breeze does the cooling. Source ↗

Still on: Jasmine season (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Peak crowds — European and Tunisian peak, Hammamet International Festival

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Jasmine season (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually)), European and Tunisian peak (1 Jul – 31 Aug (usually)), Hammamet International Festival (11 Jul – 13 Aug)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Jasmine season (1 Jun – 15 Sep (usually)), Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in October.

Still on: Sea warm enough to swim (15 Jun – 15 Oct (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

• Season

  Resorts shut for the winter

  15 Nov – 15 Mar · usuallyOff-season shutdownClosures

  A good share of the beachfront hotels close between seasons and the ones that stay open run half their restaurants. Quiet, cheap and with the medina to yourself.

Quiet — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Resorts shut for the winter (15 Nov – 15 Mar (usually))