The elite resort suburb of Sousse Port El Kantaoui begins 8 km north of the city center. PEK has the best hotels with modern thalassotherapy centers, golf courses and equestrian clubs. The port of pleasure craft – the marina – can simultaneously accommodate up to 300 yachts and boats, so life is in full swing here: fish restaurants and souvenir shops are open, boat trips and diving tours are offered, and the smallest splash in the water park with pleasure. Local beaches are in no way inferior in quality to the coasts of Hammamet or Mahdia: fine sand, wide coastline and a complete cocktail, snack and dance infrastructure. From the nearest attractions “on the road” – the Caliph’s Tower in Sousse, the Colosseum in El Jemand a fortress-ribat in Monastir. Check localcollegeexplorer for other cities and countries as well as education in Africa.
How to get to Port El Kantaoui
To begin with, tourists land at one of the three airports in Tunisia connected by air with Russia – in Monastir, Enfid or the city of Tunis. From there you have a direct road to Sousse – by train, luage, taxi or bus (more details on the Sousse page).
A huge amount of public transport runs between Sousse and Port el-Kantaoui – from purely popular buses – “accordions” of the municipal company STS (white in multi-colored doves) to yellow taxis, yellow with a blue stripe minibuses – “luages”, tourist trains, “tuk -tukov” and tarantassov-“kalesh”. The fare for buses and luages from the center of Sousse to the PEC zone is about 2.50 TND. In a taxi, payment by meter; the trip will cost about 12-15 TND between Port and Sousse and 3-5 TND within the PEK. Taxi in tourist trains, “tuk-tuks” and “kalesh” need to be negotiated in advance, in general, they take 35 TND for a ride on a train and “tuk-tuk”, a horse-drawn carriage will cost more due to the exotic nature of transport (and the rising price of oats) – 10-15 TND “per circle”.
Prices on the page are for July 2021.
Sea and sun
The beaches of Port el Kantaoui are definitely better than those within the borders of Sousse: cleaner, wider and less crowded. The best parts of the coast stretch from the marina to the north, towards the end of the resort area. The sea in PEK is more transparent than in Sousse, local accumulations of algae are rare. Unrest of the water surface occurs no more and no less than in other resorts on the east coast (as opposed to the more restless north). On the beaches of hotels, tourists are provided with everything necessary for a comfortable stay – umbrellas, sun loungers, mattresses and towels (sometimes on bail).
The hotel beaches of Port El Kantaoui are protected from encroachments by the local population much more carefully than in Sousse – the opportunity to find yourself next door to a Tunisian large family is reduced to zero.
Lovers of splashes and happy screams are invited to the Aqua Palace water park, located near the entrance to the marina. In July-August in the afternoon it can be very crowded, the rest of the time it is quite acceptable. Activities include several toboggans, a wave and countercurrent pool, and several water attractions for the little ones.
5 things to do in Port El Kantaoui
- Relax in one of the five-star thalassotherapy centers.
- Wave a mug or two of beer at the Golf Brau restaurant.
- Ride the tourist train to Sousse and back.
- Visit the yacht port in order to have a delicious lunch with fish and buy souvenirs.
- Drink a glass of green tea on the outdoor terrace of the Sidi El Kantaoui cafe.
Cuisine and restaurants of Port El Kantaoui
Most restaurants in the resort area are concentrated in the marina area – on the promenade along the piers and near the entrance to the port. All of them offer a fairly standard list of dishes: fish and seafood, national cuisine, plus several options for French and Italian dishes. The price list is also more or less the same everywhere: 5-12 TND appetizers, 7-10 TND for 100 grams of fish cooked according to your desire on the grill, under a salt coat or sauté, 18-25 TND main dishes.
You can also refresh yourself during the day in “folk” establishments that serve sandwiches, shawarma, pizza and other “snacks”. Such a democratic meal will cost 5-10 TND. Alcohol is only served in tourist restaurants; in public eating places you will have to be content with mineral water and soda.
Beer lovers are invited to visit the Golf Brau restaurant – they offer several varieties of this malt drink, moreover, of their own production. According to the reviews of those who understand the beer is very good!
To taste Tunisian green tea with pine nuts or Arabic coffee, go to a cafe (even the whole “cafe” complex “Sidi El Kantaoui, which is located on the street perpendicular to the entrance to the marina, a little uphill). There are several stepped open terraces, an indoor hall with cozy pillows, a large selection of hookahs and a laid-back cordial atmosphere.
Directly in Port El Kantaoui there are no historical and architectural sights – the resort area was built only in the 90s and did not have time to acquire evidence of human presence.
Shopping and shops
Port El Kantaoui is an entirely huge shopping area. You can stock up on souvenirs from Tunisia both in local shops at the exit of hotels and along the main road, and in separate multi-storey shopping centers. Another option is to go to Sousse, where the impressive Soula shopping center is bursting with all kinds of tourist goods (located at the entrance to the medina).
Attractions and attractions of Port El Kantaoui
Directly in Port El Kantaoui there are no historical and architectural sights – the resort area was built only in the 90s and did not have time to acquire evidence of human presence. For those, go to Sousse, where you will find a colorful medina, the Grand Mosque and the Caliph’s Tower, the house-museum of the Tunisian family Dar Essid and many other monuments.
In PEK itself, it is worth dividing leisure time between walks around the well-groomed territory of the resort area with a stop at the marina and field trips – both near ones, for example, to the Medinat Elzahra laser show or Monastir and El Jem, and distant ones – to admire the city of Tunis, Carthage and Sidi Bou Said, or drive 1,200 km across the country on a two-day trip to the Sahara.
Several sea excursions are offered in the yacht port: a three-hour walk on a “pirate” ship, a walk on a boat with a transparent bottom, or diving tours in the surroundings. Mabrouka Ranch is a 15-minute taxi ride and offers an equestrian school and horse rentals.
Golf fans are invited by Golf Club El Kantaoui. At your service 130 hectares of well-groomed territory and 36 holes – 2 sites of 18 holes with different terrain. Training is offered, equipment rental is available, there are bars and restaurants.
Port El Kantaoui Hotels
The hotel base of PEK is mostly high-quality “fours” and “fives”, as a rule, with their own thalassotherapy centers. The hotels are mostly new, built since the 90s. A few three-star hotels in Port El Kantaoui can boast a higher level of service and a larger area compared to similar hotels in Sousse.
Among the best local hotels are the “five” Diar Andalous, Hannibal Palace, Imperial Marhaba, “four” Hasdrubal Thalassa & Spa, Abou Sofiane, Bellevue Park and Green Park.
