Hammamet

Nightlife & Entertainment

Cafe Espace Abid, 36 Avenue Ali Behoueu. Modern interior with clean lines, wood furniture and lights hanging from the ceiling in blue triangular shapes, this air-conditioned cafe has a young funky feel with a trendy crowd. Cakes, omelettes, freshly squeezed juices, ice creams and light snacks are served throughout the day until late at night.

Brauhaus, Hammamet Centre, facing the Medina. A German style pub with a wooden topped bar highlighted by red and yellow fairy lights during the evenings, wooden stools and huge copper making vats of beer. Quieter during the day but gets crowded at night when open until 1am. Meals also available consisting of spaghetti and pizza.

Cafe Sidi Bou Hdid, on the beach outside the medina walls. One of the most beautiful cafes with a touch of decadence looking out over the beach. Seats or carpets with cushions to lounge on, on the first level with steps leading down to a second terrace facing directly on to the beach. Smoke chichi, drink coffee or mint tea and watch the world go by. There's also an indoors part with a mini alcove altar and lit with soft lights. An absolute must.

Canare Tutti Fruttiti, 16 Avenue Ali Behouen. A fresh juice and ice cream cafe with an eye catching splash of colour during the day and evening with pyramids of oranges and colour matching parasols over the tables. It hums at night with a fashionable crowd posing on the raised terrace looking out over the busy road.

Manhattan, four kilometres in Hammamet South, near to the Regency Hotel. One of the biggest disco/nightclubs in the Med. Small entrance fee. Drinks more expensive than hotel bars.

El Guitoun, Avenue Moncef Bay. An open air club that operates during the Summer months from June-September with podium dancers and a lively crowd that shake their stuff until the small hours.

La Pacha, Avenue Moncef Bay, close to Fabiland. Snake charmers, belly dancers and scantily attired club dancers add to the spectacle at this popular club, which likes to put on various spectacles to raise the theatrical heat on the dance floor.

EuroPub, Moncef Bay, western end facing Fabiland, next door to the Saphir Hotel. A big, lively pub with pool tables, satellite TV, music and food where they serve pints. Live music acts, karaoke and a disco operate most nights during the peak season months of June-September.

Cotton Club, Avenue Moncef Bay. Popular with the locals, an air-conditioned disco that has more the feeling of a club with a regular crowd. Pretty good light show, two bars, gallery and the usual favoured mix of music that lurches from disco to techno and plunges into upbeat traditional Tunisian rhythms as the night wears on.

Cleopatra Casino, Hotel Occidental complex. The newest and swishiest casino. Your passport is required and you need to be a minimum of 20 years old to gain entrance to play at the tables. All games played with hard currency (not Tunisian Dinars).

Grand Casino, Hotel Sol Azur, Avenue Assad Ibn el Fourat. Again your passport is required and you need to be a minimum of 20 years old to gain entrance to play at the tables.

Nirvana Nightclub, Route Touristique. No admission charge but drinks are slightly more expensive than those served in hotels. DJs spin a variety of disco chart hits aimed at a slightly older crowd on a decent sized dance floor.

Top Tip The club scene in Hammamet moves at a faster pace than many other resorts so you need to ask around to find out what's considered the hottest place of the moment. Avenue Moncef Bay has the highest concentration of discos and bars. If you're not so bothered about checking out the latest hip venues, the hotel discos all are open to the public and rarely charge admission. Cinema Centre Commercial, Avenue Bourguiba. The cinema screens a lot of mainstream releases from the West but they're mostly dubbed into French with only the occasional one being subtitled.

International Cultural Centre, in the grounds of Villa Sebastian, Avenue des Nations Unies. In the grounds is a mock Greek theatre with a number of shows aimed at tourists and many events during the Festival de Hammamet in July and August but mostly in French or Arabic. For a programme of the scheduled events ask at the tourist office.