Mahdia: the town of enchanting sunsets
Mahdia is a charming coastal town in eastern Tunisia, located about 200 kilometers from Tunis.
Founded in the 10th century as the capital of the Fatimid dynasty, Mahdia has a fascinating history. The town is home to several historical attractions such as the Great Mosque, the Skifa al- Khala (the citadel), and the Ottoman Fort.
Mahdia is also famous for its fishing industry, silk weaving, and olive production.
The town’s picturesque setting, with white houses lining the little peninsula, encircled by a charming promenade that rests as an advantage point when it comes to sunsets.
The Medina is also very nice, quaint and picturesque with plenty of eateries and shopping.
Mahdia surprised us and disappointed us at the same time.
We loved its relaxed, dreamy vibe of the old town and coastal views, the Medina is charming and clean, the pace is slow and there are plenty of cafes and restaurants.
However, we went there for the beaches, those little coves you see in photos and we were quite horrified when we realised they were overrun by mountains of dried, stinky sea weed.
Not what we expected. It seems likely that they were never cleaned after Covid hit.
If you are craving sandy beaches, however, just take a short taxi towards the northern part of the town and the beaches there are reasonably clean.
Cafes and restaurants
Vitamin Sea
On a small square, facing the promenade and the sea, this café became our to-go place for breakfast and snack time (and evening).
It gets quite busy, but usually there are enough tables whether outside or inside.
They have a good menu for breakfast, desserts and drinks.
Bouji pasta food
A humble restaurant that serves delicious food, from pasta to traditional pizza to a Tunisian speciality pizza-like. Super cheap.
Famiglia
As I mentioned before, Tunisian food choices for vegetarians disappointed us a lot. So, to escape the ubiquitous veg couscous, we plunged into Italian restaurants whenever we could.
This restaurant is good, the choice is excellent for both pastas and pizzas and it offers several choices for vegetarians.
Approved by an Italian!
Overall, we liked Mahdia. We just had the wrong expectations and had booked for 3 nights.
On hindsight, I would probably have stayed one night less and add one more night in Djerba.
For more Tunisia blog posts: https://blog.worldswithout.net/tunisia/
