Considered among the most sumptuous baths in the Roman Empire, the Antonine Baths comprise some of the most impressive ruins of Ancient Carthage. Built in the mid-2C AD, they were part of a monumental complex, which a model attempts to illustrate. Th..

An extraordinary example of Numidian royal architecture, the 21m-high Libyan-Punic mausoleum, crowned by a pyramid, was built at the end of the 3C BC to house the tomb of Ataban. This information is provided by an inscription, in Libyan and Punic, wh..

The Cap Bon headland, a peninsula home to myriad flowers and fragrances, juts out into the Mediterranean in the extreme north of the country, between the gulfs of Tunis and Hammamet . Here, the beaches of Hammamet and Nabeul attract hordes of tour..

A vast expanse of ruins barely standing more than 50cm in height is all that remains from the small Phoenician city of Kerkouane, founded in the 6C BC not far from Carthage, at the top of the Cap Bon peninsula. Despite this, a visit here offers an ..

Nestled between the kasbah and the Sidi Henni Fort , the old port is the most charming feature of Bizerte. The quayside stretches in a semicircle along the sienna ramparts of the kasbah and the town’s squat whitewashed houses. The scene here is a ..

Magnificent mosaics (including Perseus saving Andromeda now on display at the Bardo Museum in Tunis) once decorated this patrician house known as the House of Amphitrite. Note the beautiful Triumph of Venus (who is sometimes confused with Amphitr..

The second most important museum in Tunisia, the Sousse Museum is housed in part of the old kasbah in the upper section of the medina. Visitors who may have missed the mosaics in the Bardo Museum have a second chance to admire fine mosaics here, set ..

Built in the 8C, the ribat in Monastir is the first of many monastery-fortresses which stand along the Mediterranean coast of Africa. Originally defensive forts built to withstand Christian invasions, as well as important centres of Islamic learning,..

Sbeïtla is home to the ruins of the ancient city of Sufetula . Founded in the 1C AD, the city was laid out according to the typical grid plan of Roman cities. Don’t miss the three temples of the Capitol dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, hono..

The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions is housed in the Dar Jallouli, which takes its name from the wealthy family that built the house in the 17C. This dynasty of governors made its fortune through arming ships for corsairs. Their home is a sma..

The Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions in Houmt Souk is worth a visit for its collection of costumes, jewellery and pottery, as well as for the museum building itself. The museum is housed in an old zaouïa , a monumental complex built around a to..

This white mosque, known as Jemäa Fadhloun, is an interesting example of a Wahhabi religious complex. The mosque is preceded by several rooms, including a mausoleum in the left hand corner of the complex, which is immediately followed by a room used ..

Jerba is home to the largest Jewish community in Tunisia, and El-Ghriba is one of the most famous places of Jewish worship in North Africa, and perhaps even the oldest site of a synagogue in the world. The present building dates from the early 20C, b..

One of the highlights of southern Tunisia, the Tozeur oasis stands out against the immense, cracked surface of the chotts (old dried-out salt lakes), which is bathed in fierce heat and sunlight. At first sight appearing like a mirage in the desert,..

The Ouled el-Hadef quarter is a district of harmonious appearance built entirely out of brick. The façades of the buildings here are decorated with large geometrical motifs which are reminiscent of tattoos and prints on fabric, an effect created by t..

From Metlaoui, a small train known as the Red Lizard takes visitors through the steep-sided gorge of the River Selja . When the river is in spate, the power of water rushing through the narrow gorge is particularly impressive. It’s possible for kee..

The island of Jerba is the perfect place in which to rest, relax and get away from it all, with its long beaches, calm sea, blue sky, cooling sea breezes and resort hotels with facilities which will satisfy the most demanding of visitors. However, Je..

Built in the 17C by the Ottomans who wanted their own mosque dedicated to their Hanefite rituals, the Sidi Youssef mosque was the first monument built with an octagonal-shaped minaret crowned by a circular balcony and a canopy, enabling the muezzin t..

Situated in the southern part of the medina, the Tourbey el-Bey houses the tombs of the rulers from the Husseinite dynasty – along with those of their wives and ministers – who held power from 1705 until Tunisia’s independence. Built in the second ha..

This old 18C palace has been fully restored and furnished and is well worth a visit for the glimpse it provides of daily life, both public and private, of the wealthy inhabitants of the medina in the 19C and early 20C. The Museum of Popular Arts and..