DETAILS
Explore Tunisia’s majestic North African landscape of beaches and Saharan vistas. Mighty civilizations—such as the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Ottomans, and French—have coveted its riches for millennia. These ancient cultures have left extraordinary treasures for you to admire, from the finest Roman ruins outside Italy to medieval mosques and fortresses.
- Pricing from
- $7,599
- Trip Type
- Group Travel Tour, International Land & Rail Voyages
- Departure Dates
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Oct 2, 2025 - Oct 12, 2025
THE RESIDENCE TUNIS
Enjoy this conveniently located elegant Tunisian retreat with rooms featuring Mediterranean or lush garden views. The hotel features diverse dining options, including local Tunisian cuisine at El Dar and Mediterranean dishes at L’Olivier. Renowned for its Thalasso Spa, the hotel provides extensive wellness treatments, a hammam, and a seawater pool. Guests can also enjoy golf, tennis, water sports, and access to a private beach.
HILTON SKANES MONASTIR BEACH RESORT
This beachfront haven provides panoramic Mediterranean views and stylish guest rooms and suites adorned with modern amenities. Refresh yourself in its multiple swimming pools, well-equipped fitness center, and spa facilities.
TOUR MAP
ITINERARY
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day 1
DEPARTURE
Depart for Tunis on an overnight flight.
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day 2
TUNIS, TUNISIA
Upon arrival in the Tunisian capital this morning, transfer to the hotel. Guests opting for the suggested flights will be met at the airport and join the group transfer to the hotel. After an afternoon at leisure, gather for a welcome reception at the hotel this evening.
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day 3
TUNIS / CARTHAGE
Start your day ascending Byrsa Hill, the fortified heart of ancient Carthage founded by Phoenicians in 814 B.C. From this strategic 200-foot promontory, take in panoramic views spanning the azure Mediterranean and the Tunis skyline. Explore the hill’s multi-layered ruins revealing the city’s Punic, Roman, and Byzantine occupations, from the foundations of Carthage’s main citadel to the remains of North Africa’s second-largest Roman forum. After enjoying lunch at a local restaurant, join your knowledgeable guide for a tour of Carthage’s Roman villas, featuring exquisite mosaics that reflect the luxurious lifestyle of the Roman elite. Visit the impressive Antonine Baths, constructed in the second century A.D. during Emperor Antoninus Pius’s reign, recognized as the largest Roman baths outside Italy. Then, delve into the maritime heritage of Carthage with a visit to the ancient Punic Ports, repurposed by the Romans in the second century A.D. after the city’s destruction in 146 B.C. Conclude your day with a transfer back to Tunis and a welcome dinner to celebrate your first evening.
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day 4
TUNIS / DOUGGA / BULLA REGIA
Step back in time to Roman Africa today. At the edge of the Téboursouk Mountains, arrive at the UNESCO recognized ancient city of Dougga, one of North Africa’s most stunningly well-preserved Roman sites. While this site was originally settled by the Numidians, a local Amazigh tribe, Rome conquered Dougga in 46 B.C. Take a guided look at Dougga’s remarkable Roman public buildings dating mainly from the second and third centuries A.D., including a 3,500-seat theater, temples, the Baths of the Cyclops, and the magnificent Capitole, with its soaring Corinthian columns. You may opt to return to Tunis or continue to the former Roman city of Bulla Regia. Discover its baths, temple, palace, and the ruins of its semi-subterranean housing from the Hadrianic era, built to protect residents from the sun’s heat. The well-preserved Roman polychrome mosaic floors are a highlight, maintained in situ for you to admire in their original context. After our return to Tunis, gather for dinner this evening.
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day 5
TUNIS / UTHINA / ZAGHOUAN / THUBURBO MAJUS
Depart early from Tunis to explore Uthina, one of North Africa’s oldest Roman cities. A colony during Emperor Augustus’s reign (31 B.C.– 14 A.D.), its ruins cover an extensive area, including a fortress, cisterns, an aqueduct, a triumphal arch, a theater, and an exceptionally well preserved acropolis. Next, travel to Zaghouan, renowned for its natural springs and ancient Roman aqueduct. Visit the remarkable Temple of Waters, built in 139 A.D. around a spring, featuring a complex network of subterranean chambers and conduits that supplied water to Carthage. After savoring a lunch of local Tunisian cuisine, continue to Thuburbo Majus, originally a Punic town, later claimed as a Roman veteran colony by Augustus in 27 B.C. Surrounded by wheat fields and olive groves, the Roman remains include a colonnaded forum, the Temple of Mercury, and summer and winter baths. This evening, arrive in Monastir, where you will check into your hotel and enjoy dinner at leisure.
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day 6
SOUSSE / MONASTIR
Along the exquisite Mediterranean coastline, venture to the beachfront city of Sousse, originally the Phoenician settlement of Hadrumetum. Wander through Sousse’s UNESCO-recognized medina dating back to the Aghlabid period (800–909 A.D.), navigating the narrow, winding streets lined with whitewashed houses and lively markets. Stop at the Great Mosque of Sousse, a prime example of Aghlabid architecture from 851 A.D. Then join an expert guide at the Sousse Archaeological Museum, which holds the world’s second-largest mosaic collection after Tunis’s Bardo Museum. Peruse other artifacts highlighting Sousse’s fusion of classical cultures—Phoenician, Roman, and Christian. After a delicious lunch featuring local Tunisian cuisine, discover the seaside town of Monastir, an important Phoenician and Roman port settlement. Visit the well preserved 796 A.D. Ribat of Monastir, the oldest fortress built by the Arab conquerors of the Maghreb. Next, make a special visit to the grand, golden-domed Mausoleum of Habib Bourguiba, the final resting place of native son Bourguiba (1903–2000), modern Tunisia’s first president who led the country to independence. Gaze up at its twin 75-foot minarets. Enjoy dinner before returning to your hotel.
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day 7
MONASTIR / SBEITLA / KAIROUAN
Travel to the well-preserved Roman ruins of Sbeitla, which emerged under Roman emperor Vespasian as a fort along this desert frontier. See its Roman forum alongside a Christian basilica and Byzantine cathedral, testifying to the diverse faiths that once nourished Sbeitla. Later in the morning, go behind the scenes in one of Islam’s holiest cities. Kairouan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Maghreb’s oldest Arab-Islamic cities, was founded in 670 A.D., emerging as a pivotal medieval center of trade, scholarship, and medicine. With an expert guide, explore the iconic Great Mosque of Kairouan, built in 703 A.D., making it one of the oldest and most important Islamic places of worship. This early example of a hypostyle mosque (supported by columns) incorporates pre-Islamic, Eastern Islamic, Roman, and Byzantine influences. Afterwards, stroll through Kairouan’s captivating medina, stopping at its markets, and enjoy a traditional Tunisian lunch. Then marvel at the engineering prowess of the Aghlabid Basins, ninth-century A.D. water reservoirs that collected and stored rainwater for the city. These basins were fed by a 36-mile aqueduct from the mountains. The largest basin spans 410 feet in length, 118 feet in width, and holds nearly 2.3 million gallons of water. Finally, explore the nine intricate city gates before returning to the hotel and gathering for dinner.
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day 8
MONASTIR / EL JEM / MAHDIA
Begin your day in El Jem, where you’ll have a guided inside look at the UNESCO-listed Amphitheatre of El Jem, a monumental Roman structure built around 238 A.D. Comparable to Rome’s Colosseum, this massive amphitheater once accommodated 35,000 spectators for gladiatorial contests and chariot races. After enjoying a lunch of local Tunisian cuisine, visit the El Jem Museum, renowned for its extensive collection of Roman mosaics, sculptures, pottery, and jewelry. A standout exhibit is the African House, a meticulously restored Roman villa featuring its original mosaics. Next, journey to Mahdia, a city with deep Phoenician and Roman roots that became the Fatimid dynasty’s capital in 912 A.D. Throughout its history, Mahdia has been claimed by Sicilian Normans, Spaniards, and Ottomans. With expert guides, explore significant landmarks such as the Great Fatimid Mosque, Tunisia’s oldest mosque, and Skifa el Kahla, an elaborate Fatimid-era gateway once part of the city’s defenses. Visit Borj el Kebir, a 16th-century Ottoman fortress, where you can stroll along its historic walls. Finally, meander through the narrow streets of Mahdia’s Old Town, surrounded by original walls and characterized by traditional Tunisian architecture and a welcoming atmosphere.
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day 9
MONASTIR / HAMMAMET / KERKOUANE / TUNIS
This morning, depart Monastir for Tunis. Stop in Hammamet, a jasmine-scented coastal town that originated as the first century A.D. Roman colony of Pupput. At the Pupput archaeological site, examine well-preserved mosaic floors and thermal baths alongside visible remains of aqueducts and villa foundations from the second-century settlement, showcasing North Africa’s earliest confirmed urban development. Wander through Hammamet’s 15th-century medina and its labyrinthine streets lined with indigo-trimmed white buildings. Don’t miss the opportunity to scale the ramparts of the 13th-century Kasbah fortress, scanning Mediterranean horizons once eyed by Arab conquerors who renamed the town “Hammamet” (derived from the Arabic word hammam) for its abundant Roman-era spas. Next, journey to the world’s only fully preserved Punic city, UNESCO-listed Kerkouane, on Tunisia’s northeastern coast. Founded by the Phoenicians around 650 B.C., Kerkouane was abandoned during the First Punic War in 250 B.C. and left untouched by subsequent civilizations. With an expert guide, traverse Kerkouane’s streets and defensive walls laid out over 2,600 years ago, examining remarkably well-preserved ruins unearthed since the city’s rediscovery in 1952, including the Mediterranean region’s
earliest known private baths. Upon arrival in Tunis this evening, return to the Residence Tunis for check-in and enjoy its amenities and restaurants at leisure. -
day 10
TUNIS / SIDI BOU SAÏD
Revel in a guided morning visit to the opulent National Bardo Museum, renowned for hosting the world’s greatest collection of Roman polychrome mosaics. These masterpieces were collected from significant archaeological sites across Tunisia, including El Jem, Dougga, and Sousse, and date from the second to the seventh century A.D. During a special tour through Tunis’s historic medina, meet local artisans and explore historic sites such as the Zitouna Mosque, the city’s oldest mosque, founded in 734 A.D. featuring columns sourced from Roman Carthage, and the Dar Ben Abdallah Palace, a stunning 1796 creation featuring a beautiful courtyard, fountain, and garden. Afterwards, relax with afternoon tea and explore the medina and its markets at your own pace. Gather for a celebratory farewell dinner in Sidi Bou Saïd, a cliffside village outside Tunis beloved for its enchanting whitewashed homes with blue doors. Enjoy a convivial meal in this charming locale where artists Paul Klee, August Macke, and Louis Moilliet made their famous journey in 1914, drawn by tales of an arty European enclave on the Tunisian coast.
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day 11
TUNIS / RETURN
Depart the hotel early this morning and transfer to the Tunis airport for your flight home.
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