Where to stay in Hammamet
Old Hammamet keeps the kasbah and the quay on your doorstep, Yasmine Hammamet keeps a pool and a marina ten kilometres south. There isn't a third option.
- Old Hammamet
- The kasbah
- Yasmine Hammamet
- A marina
- Hostel
- none
In Hammamet you choose between the old town and Yasmine, ten kilometres apart and a different rhythm of day entirely. Old Hammamet is the real town, with the kasbah, the medina and a quay where fishing boats come in at dusk. Yasmine Hammamet is a development from the 2000s ten kilometres south, with a marina, pools and a 'medina' that's actually a shopping centre in costume. Hostels: none; a 3* hotel is €18–44 per person a night.
For whoever wants a town on the doorstep
Outside the door are the medina's narrow streets, the kasbah on the corner and a quay where you sit in the evening over fish from a boat that came in that same night. Hotels are mixed in among residential buildings, so it feels like a town taking in guests. The beach below the walls is a couple of minutes on foot; any day trip to Cap Bon or Tunis is a short taxi to the station or the main road.
It suits anyone who wants to walk to the kasbah in the evening without booking a taxi, and anyone travelling outside July and August, when Yasmine is half-empty. It doesn't suit anyone looking for a pool with entertainment and all-inclusive — the old town has almost none of that.
For whoever wants a pool and a marina
Outside the door is a development from the 2000s: a marina with yachts, hotels in a row and a 'medina' that's a shopping centre built to look like an old one, with walls and a souk where sellers push harder than in the real thing. All-inclusive package deals mostly go here, and it's a holiday by the pool, not around a town. A taxi to old Hammamet is a short, regular ride, worth taking at least twice a week.
It suits families with children for whom the pool matters more than the kasbah, and anyone not planning to leave the hotel complex. It doesn't suit anyone for whom the old town is the main reason to come — from here that part of Hammamet is only visited, as a day out.
For a short stay
For three or four nights, pick old Hammamet: walking to the kasbah and the quay without booking a taxi makes up for what Yasmine has more of in pools. For a week with children, Yasmine keeps the plan simpler — the pool every day, the town as one or two outings.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Old Hammamet or Yasmine Hammamet?
The old town for the kasbah, the medina and the quay on your doorstep; Yasmine for a pool, a marina and all-inclusive ten kilometres south.
Are there hostels in Hammamet?
none — no dorm beds, only hotels.
What does a 3* hotel cost?
€18–44 per person a night, depending on the hotel and the season.
Ready for Hammamet?
Where to next
What Hammamet costs
→In Hammamet the biggest item isn't a ticket but the hotel and the airport taxi — the town itself costs little.
Sidi Bou Said · 58 km
→A blue-and-white village on a cliff above the bay and, two stops before it, what is left of the city that was bigger than Rome
How well does Hammamet suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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