Monastir is the perfect blend of ancient and modern aspects of Tunisia. Formerly a fishing port, the town is now one of the country’s leading tourist resorts.
Three Monastir beach resorts are worthy of mention because of their innate beauty: the Houda Golf and Beach Club, Abou Nawas Cap Mahdia, and Town Beach. The Houda Golf and Beach Club, situated between Monastir and Sousse, is a hotel with a family-friendly beach resort. There, travelers can enjoy several watersports and play golf. The Abou Nawas Cap Mahdia, one of the finest beaches in Tunisia, is a long stretch of beautiful golden sand. It is perfect for tourists who want to enjoy both sunbathing and playing beach sports. Lastly, the Town Beach is overflowing with local businesses, making it too crowded. However, the Town Beach attracts a lot of beachgoers because of its crystal-clear water and lovely afternoon sights.
Aside from the beaches, a top attraction in Monastir is an ancient fortress or monastery established by an Islamic religious order thousands of years ago to shield the town from Byzantine warships and nomadic tribes. Named by the French after the monastery, Monastir houses numerous museums of Islamic artifacts and artworks. And these museums are the main tourist attractions at the central shore of Tunisia.
If hopping from one museum to another is the name of your game, Monastir definitely won’t disappoint you. The two museums worth visiting in this lovely Tunisian town are the Uthina Museum and the Monastir Museum. Once you set foot in Uthina Museum, you surely can’t help admiring its centuries-old huge amphitheater and fine mosaic floors. The Monastir Museum, on the other hand, is a wide citadel and one of the biggest military structures in Tunisia. Like the Uthina Museum, the Monastir Museum was built many centuries ago.