The Sahara Desert awaits you right outside the well-known touristic spots on the shore
North Africa's smallest country is a frequent destination of European tourists, who gracefully stay in a small number of resort ghettos along the coast near the capital city of Tunis and the well-trodden coastal town of Sousse. Outside of these high-traffic areas are the beginnings of the Sahara Desert in the south and a good beginner's point for dune-crashing, sand surfing, and hanging out with Berber families. Tataouine, Tozeur, and Kairouan are picturesque towns on the edge of the desert. Tunis is a pleasant town, neither too big nor too sprawling, that is reasonably safe. Near Tunis, suburbs such as Sidi Bou Said and Carthage offer sites worth visiting. Other big cities near the coast are Djerba, near the Libyan border, and Bizerte, near the northernmost tip of the country, which have well-maintained central markets (called medinas) and a few forts nearby. Both retain a pleasant North African charm and are easy to get around in. Train connections are excellent, but if that's not fast enough there are plenty of "louage" minibuses that run between towns in half the time.
