Golf guide • Tunisia • Sahel

Golf in Monastir: olive trees, salt lagoons and a ribat by the sea

Monastir, on the coast of the Tunisian Sahel, has two 18-hole courses a quarter of an hour from town: Flamingo, designed by Ronald Fream on an olive-covered hill above the sebkha, and Palm Links, a flat Chris Pitman layout facing the hotels of Skanès. The two courses at El Kantaoui, in Sousse, are half an hour away. The best seasons run from March to May and from October to November.

Plan this tripUpdated 7 October 2026

Monastir occupies a peninsula at the southern end of the Gulf of Hammamet, some twenty kilometres from Sousse. It is the ancient Punic and Roman Ruspina, the first town in Africa to side with Julius Caesar in 46 BC, and the birthplace of Habib Bourguiba, whose gold-domed mausoleum overlooks the Sidi El Mezeri cemetery. By the water, the ribat founded in 796 gives the town its silhouette of honey-coloured stone, between the medina and the marina.

For golfers, the great advantage is proximity. Habib Bourguiba airport is a quarter of an hour from the centre, and Monastir's two courses lie a few minutes from the runways: Flamingo on its olive-clad hill, Palm Links opposite the hotels of the Skanès tourist zone. You land in the morning and play in the afternoon. The two layouts have nothing in common, which makes a two-course stay a genuine programme.

In practice Monastir and Sousse form a single golf destination: the two courses at El Kantaoui, in Port El Kantaoui north of Sousse, are half an hour's drive away and are covered in our Sousse guide. A stay of four to seven nights lets you play all four courses without hurrying, with a morning at the ribat and a fish supper at the harbour.

The courses

Red-flagged green and a large white-sand bunker between two rows of palms, white houses and sea beyond

Flamingo Golf Course

Architect: Ronald Fream
Opened 1992
18 holes
Par 72

Opened in 1992, Flamingo is the work of Ronald Fream, the architect who shaped much of Tunisian golf. The course stretches across a hill overlooking the sebkha of Monastir, the salt lagoons you fly over as you land, and hundreds of ancient olive trees line the fairways. A par 72 of 6,402 metres from the back tees: a few water holes, natural ravines crossing several fairways and sloping greens demand precise play, especially on the front nine, where the rough narrows the corridors. The course and clubhouse were fully renovated, with the work completed at the end of 2012.

Signature hole. The 6th, a par 5 with water on both sides and out of bounds on the left, is the hardest hole on the card. Further on, the 16th is a short par 4 where a large front bunker defends the green against those who try to drive it.

Golf Palm Links

Architect: Chris Pitman
18 holes
Par 72

Designed by the Englishman Chris Pitman on 72 hectares of the Skanès tourist zone, between Sousse and Monastir, Palm Links is the region's most accessible course: five minutes from the airport and right opposite the seafront hotels. A par 72 of 6,076 metres, it is played over flat ground planted with palms, pleasant for a loosening-up round on arrival day. The club adds a 9-hole par 27 executive course, an academy with a driving range, putting and pitching greens, and a Mediterranean restaurant for the nineteenth hole.

Official website

Where to stay

Dar Benti

A guesthouse set in restored houses in the medina, a few streets from the ribat. Carved wooden doors, arches, colourful ceramic tiles: the decoration is careful, the scale intimate, with only a handful of rooms and suites. There is a rooftop pool and a hammam, and the home-made breakfast is one of the pleasures of the place. For those who prefer the old town to a resort.

Iberostar Selection Kuriat Palace

A large five-star hotel on Skanès beach, a quarter of an hour from the airport and a few minutes from Palm Links. Its 382 rooms, two outdoor pools, spa with hammam and sandy beach make it a comfortable base for a group or a family in which not everyone plays. You will need a car or taxi for Flamingo, Monastir and El Kantaoui.

Courtyard with white arches, blue doors and colourful ceramic tiles, potted orange trees around a fountain

Where to dine

Restaurant Le Pirate

At Monastir's fishing harbour, a set-menu fish restaurant: fish soup, mussels, squid, then the grilled catch of the day, served as a succession of courses. No alcohol is served. Closed on Mondays; booking is advisable for dinner.

Marina The Captain

On the Cap Monastir marina, facing the yachts, a lively address mixing Tunisian cooking with an international repertoire. Regulars come for the fish and seafood, or for beef fillet served on a hot stone. A handy table after a visit to the ribat, a few minutes' walk away.

Beyond golf

The ribat and the Bourguiba mausoleum

Founded in 796 by the Abbasid governor Harthama ibn A'yan, the ribat of Monastir is considered the oldest and most important in the Maghreb. Climb the spiral staircase of the watchtower for the view over the harbour; the south wing houses a museum of Islamic art. Its ramparts served as a set for Monty Python's "Life of Brian". Close by stands the mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba, with its two 25-metre minarets.

The Kuriat Islands

Some twenty kilometres offshore, the two Kuriat Islands form one of Tunisia's four marine protected areas and one of the main loggerhead turtle nesting sites in the southern Mediterranean. Boats leave Monastir for a day of beach and swimming. Avoid weekends in July and August, when visitor numbers peak.

The medina and the marina

Monastir's medina is compact and can be explored in an hour, between the Bourguiba mosque, whitewashed lanes and small cafés. It opens onto the Cap Monastir marina and its terraces, where the day ends facing the boats. To the south, a cliff runs along the coast for nearly six kilometres, between sandy beaches and rocky coves.

Crenellated ramparts of honey-coloured stone and a round tower by turquoise water, rocks and palms under a stormy sky

When to go

Spring, from March to May, and autumn, from October to November, are the best seasons: mild temperatures and courses in good condition. Winter remains playable, with cool mornings, lows around 7°C in January and a few rainy days. Summer is hot, around 32°C in August, and the coast fills up: play only the first tee time of the day.

Getting there

Monastir Habib Bourguiba airport (MIR) is a quarter of an hour from the centre and a few minutes from both courses. It is served mainly by Nouvelair and Tunisair, with direct links from several French cities; many flights are seasonal. Enfidha-Hammamet airport, about an hour's drive away, is an alternative. A taxi or hire car is needed to get between the courses.

Frequently asked questions

What golf courses are there in Monastir?

Two 18-hole courses: Flamingo, designed by Ronald Fream on an olive-covered hill, and Palm Links, designed by Chris Pitman in the Skanès zone, which adds a 9-hole executive course. The two courses at El Kantaoui, in Sousse, are half an hour away.

What is the best golf course in Monastir?

Flamingo, a par 72 of 6,402 metres, is the most demanding and the most spectacular, with its ancient olive trees, ravines and view over the sebkha. Palm Links, flat and lined with palms, is easier.

Can you combine Monastir and Sousse on a golf trip?

Yes. The two towns are about twenty kilometres apart and the El Kantaoui courses are half an hour from Monastir, so you can play four courses without changing hotel.

When is the best time to play golf in Monastir?

From March to May and from October to November. Winter is mild but cool in the mornings; summer, around 32°C in August, means playing at dawn.

Which airport is best for a golf trip to Monastir?

Monastir Habib Bourguiba airport (MIR), a quarter of an hour from the centre and a few minutes from both courses. Enfidha-Hammamet, about an hour's drive away, is an alternative.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Monastir

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Fairway and stone-edged pond, a row of date palms, low dunes and a turquoise sea in the distance

Medenine, southern Tunisia