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Carthage & Roman Tunisia

Carthage & Roman Tunisia

10 days from $5,690

Departing: March 2027 - October 2027

There’s still time to discover in 2026. Selected departures are still available – simply call 1-800-759-7715 to find out more.

A land where dramatic events shaped ancient history – the superpowers of Carthage and Rome clashed in three Punic Wars, which determined the course of Western history. Lasting over 100 years, this conflict resulted in the destruction of Carthage and assured Roman ascendancy. Join us to explore the ruins of the Roman era in the beautiful, verdant North African countryside. Travel from the ruins of Carthage itself to the magnificent Roman cities and monuments of Roman Tunisia: the amphitheatre at El Djem, the beautiful, remote site of Dougga and vast intricate mosaics. These all bring the world of Roman Africa vividly to life.

Included

  • Explore  El Djem Amphitheatre & Dougga, with entrance fees included
  • All other visits as outlined in the itinerary
  • Expert Guide Lecturer & professional Tour Manager
  • 3 nights at Hotel Residence, Tunis, 2 nights at Hotel Thugga, Teboursouk, 2 nights at Hotel Kasbah, Kairouan & 2 nights at the Sindbad Hotel, Hammamet (or similar)
  • 9 breakfasts, 8 lunches & 9 dinners
  • Wine & tea or coffee with dinner
  • Private air-conditioned coach travel
  • Field notes, taxes & gratuities for local staff

Highlights

  • Visit the incredible El Djem amphitheatre, Africa’s largest and best preserved
  • Admire some of the world’s most impressive mosaics at the Bardo, Sousse and El Dijen museums
  • Discover a selection of little-known sites, including Neapolis and Bulla Regia
  • Explore the UNESCO-listed sites of Dougga and Kairouan, and the beautifully preserved site of Kerkouane

Tony O'Connor

Graduated in Ancient History and Archaeology, specialising in the Roman Empire and the Phoenicians. He spent several years excavating as a field archaeologist in the Mediterranean, UK and North Africa before becoming a Museum Curator and subsequently Museum Service Director.

Dr Fares Moussa

Researched and published on Phoenician, Carthaginian, Roman and Ancient Amazigh Cultures in North Africa and the Central Mediterranean; and on Rock Art in North Africa and Saudi-Arabia. He is especially interested in Religious Art, Spectacle and the History of Thought.

Tour Itinerary

Arrive into Tunis and meet your expert Guide Lecturer and fellow travellers at your hotel.

Meals: Dinner

Day 1 Tunis
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Today is devoted to Carthage, now a wealthy suburb of Tunis, but scattered with the remains of this once great Phoenician city. We start our day at Byrsa Hill, once the citadel and a central feature of the Punic settlement. There are fantastic views over the modern city from here. Next, we continue to the disquieting Salambo Tophet, a cemetery which contained the remains of children who were sacrificed to Tanit after they were already dead, or more likely as live victims. We also visit the Cothon, or harbour, a testament to Carthage’s famous maritime might, and the Roman Antonine Baths, one of the largest in the entire Roman Empire.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2 Byrsa Hill
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This morning, we begin with a visit to the famous Bardo Museum, situated in an old Beylical palace. It houses one of the most important collections of mosaics anywhere in the world. Highlights include the Virgil Mosaic and the Odysseus Mosaic, as well as many depicting beast hunts. There is a wonderful collection of Carthaginian artefacts and Paleo-Christian baptisteries. In the afternoon, we drive south of Tunis and study a section of the Carthage aqueduct at Jebel Oust, before exploring nearby Oudna (Uthina) a city established by Emperor Augustus for retired soldiers of the Third Legion. The remains of substantial public buildings and wealthy houses with mosaics provide material evidence for this high-status settlement, spread over an area of some 32 hectares. Early excavations caused much damage to mosaics and frescoes, and some objects ended up in museums outside Tunisia, including Algiers and Nantes. Recently, there has been a lot of excavation and survey work here, and the importance of the city is being revealed.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3 Bardo Museum
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We drive west this morning through the hills and some of the most beautiful countryside in Tunisia to Chemtou. Here we see the quarries which were worked extensively from the 2nd century BCE to the 6th century AD. They produced the famous Numidian or North African marble – now known as giallo antico. The stone was so important that its extraction was an imperial monopoly. Later, we drive to Bulla Regia, where we have lunch at the small site café before exploring this extraordinary site which contains complete, superbly preserved, subterranean Roman houses, including the House of the Hunt and the House of Amphritrite. Most of the mosaics remain in situ and therefore can be viewed in their original context. In antiquity, the city acquired a notorious reputation and in the 4th century, St Augustine preached a famous sermon here, berating the citizens for their loose and immoral ways.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Bulla Regia
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Today is dedicated to the magnificent site of Dougga, perched high on the hill above fertile olive groves. Dougga is one of the oldest towns in Tunisia, beginning life as a Numidian walled citadel which was later built over by the Romans. Its native ancestry and hillside location resulted in a winding street plan, rather than a typical Roman grid. Here, we visit the theatre and famous Capitolium. We also explore bath complexes, houses and sanctuaries, all in the kind of peace no longer found at European sites.
 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 Dougga
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We journey southwest this morning, stopping en route to admire the small town of Testour, established in the 17th century by Jewish and Muslim communities who came here from Andalucía to escape the Spanish Inquisition. The town is characterised by its unique blend of Spanish and local influences. We arrive at the delightful and little-visited site of Thuburbo Majus in time for a picnic lunch. Originally Punic (though it has a characteristic Th sound associated with Numidian cities), the city was later re-founded as a Roman veteran colony in the Augustan period. Here we explore the forum, dominated by the Capitolium, before moving on to the Winter Baths and Summer Baths. In between the two, there is the well-preserved Palaestra of Petronius, which belonged to the Summer Baths, and a memorable latrine. We walk up to view some temples with a Punic flavour: the Temple of Baalit and Temple of Caelestis, both Romanised names of Punic goddesses. Later this afternoon, we travel to Kairouan, Tunisia’s most important religious city, founded by the Umayyads in the 7th century AD.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Thurbo Majus
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Today we make our way southeast to El Djem. Originally a Numidian city called Thysdrus, El Djem was particularly wealthy in the 2nd century AD and into the late antique period when it was an olive oil production centre. On the back of this wealth, the city built several amphitheatres, the most important of which was built in the 3rd century AD and is one of the largest in the empire. We explore this huge structure – visible for miles – with its three tiers of seats sufficient to accommodate 30,000 spectators, with further standing room. Afterwards, we visit the Museum of El Djem, which houses some of the most impressive mosaics in Tunisia and outside in the museum gardens, the foundations of some large Roman townhouses some with mosaics still in situ. Returning to Kairouan, we visit the Great Mosque, one of the major monuments of Islam and an architectural masterpiece. Hundreds of Roman and Byzantine pillars were used in its construction, including many from Carthage. We explore the Medina with its network of winding streets, shops and courtyard houses.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7 El Djem
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We begin in Kairouan at the viewpoint over the Aghlabid pools, reservoirs built on the outskirts of the city in the 9th century, which at one time were considered to be a great wonder, mentioned by Arab geographers for their grandeur. Afterwards we visit the Barber Mosque, burial place of one of the prophet’s companions, Abu Zama El Belaoui. In the afternoon, we make our way north to Sousse, now a busy tourist destination but once an early trading-post on the route from Tyre to the West. It was the port used by Hannibal in his campaign against Scipio at the end of the Second Punic War, and also by Caesar in 47 BCE. Sousse Museum is housed in part of the 12th-century Kasbah, or high citadel, and the displays include an exceptionally fine series of mosaics. The most splendid date from the prosperous Roman period, when the citizens of Hadrumetum, made rich from trade, could afford the best mosaics in the Roman empire. From here, we continue north to Hammamet.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8 Sousse
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Today we travel along the beautiful coastline of the Cap Bon peninsula to Kerkouane, a UNESCO-listed site overlooking the sea. It was inhabited from the 7th to 3rd century BCE and abandoned after the first Punic War, making it the only purely Punic site in Africa. Highlights include the houses that typically contain bathtubs waterproofed with a pinkish mortar. We visit the site museum, which has interesting remains from the nearby necropolis. After lunch, we continue to Nabeul to see its small museum before returning to our hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 Kerkouane
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Depart for the airport or continue your trip at leisure.

Meals: Breakfast

Day 10 Tunisia
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Availability & Booking

2027

25th March from $5,690

Call to Book

14th October from $5,690

Call to Book

from $5,690

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