Immersive Tunisia: Roman Cities, Kairouan and Cap Bon Small Group Tour in 8 Days

Upon arrival at the Tunis-Carthage International Airport, our airport staff and your driver will greet and assist you and transfer you to your accommodation. Spend the rest of the day relaxing in the hotel facilities or head outside to explore the area and in the evening enjoy a delicious dinner at your hotel.

After delicious breakfast you will be picked up at about 8 am. This day starts with the transfer to the picturesque Sidi Bou Said. The village is known for its white walls and blue windows and doors, and a dazzling view of the Mediterranean Sea, at an altitude of over 100 meters high. Your next stop is at the site of Carthage, located on a magnificent coastline. Although the ancient city was destroyed by the Romans, it still nowadays features excavations of homes, baths and sewage systems. The other significant site in the area is the Amphitheatre of Carthage, built towards the 1st century and later rebuilt by the Romans. The theatre today hosts some 30000 visitors at the yearly International Music Festival of Carthage. After lunch, you will head towards downtown Tunis to visit the National Museum of Bardo, renowned for its rich collection of Mosaics and location on an old beylical castle in the middle of the old city of Tunis. The day is concluded with a visit and free time in the ancient Medina of Tunis.

Be ready after breakfast for your pick-up at 8am. The third day of this roundtrip continues to yet another one of Tunisia's rich archaeological sites, the site of Dougga, qualified by UNESCO as a world heritage for containing one of the best-preserved Roman sites in the area. The site contains a heritage of a variety of civilizations amongst which are the Roman, the Punic and the Byzantine. Its most significant monuments are the Capitol and the Theatre. After a local lunch, you will continue to Bulla Regia a Berber, Punic and Roman town. Its surviving ruins are noted for their Hadrianic-era semi-subterranean housing, protection from the fierce heat and effects of the sun. Many of the mosaic floors have been left in place; others may be seen at the Bardo Museum in Tunis. After the visit check in at your hotel at around 6 pm.

After breakfast and pick up at 8 am the tour continues to Outhna one of the Roman Empire's oldest cities in Africa. Not much is known about Uthina, but the city had one of North Africa's largest Roman amphitheatres, enjoyed by its cosmopolitan residents in the city's 2nd-century heyday, and it's still the biggest draw for today's traveller. Then enjoy your meal in the village Dar Zaghouan before continuing the trip to Thuburbo Majus. Its Roman name was originally a Punic town, later founded as a Roman veteran colony by Augustus in 27 BC. Military veterans were sent to Thuburbo, among other sites, by Augustus to allow them to start their post-army lives with a land of their own. Its strategic location and access to trade routes made it an important establishment. Ruins of the town are in the middle of the countryside with no towns in close proximity. We will arrive in Kairouan for the check in at 6 pm.

Enjoy your breakfast and be ready for a pick-up at 8 am. Sbeitla or Sufetula is your first stop in the 5th day. The Roman ruins of Sufetula, containing the best-preserved Roman forum temples in Tunisia. It was the entry point of the Muslim conquest of North Africa. After lunch, you will head towards Makthar, a strategic fortress built by the Numidians in the 3rd century BC, chosen to control at that time the trade routes between Sbeitla, Kairouan, and El Kef. You will return to the hotel at approximately 6 pm.

After breakfast meet your tour guide at 8 am. As the day starts, your guide will walk you through the old Medina of Kairouan to the Great Mosque of Kairouan, located in the middle of the Medina and built by the Arab general Uqba Ibn Nafi in 670 AD. The site attracts thousands of local and international visitors for its magnificent architectural and spiritual value. The next visit is to the Aghlabid water site, where two large basins and a few cisterns shave survived the centuries after they have served during decades of scarce drinking water resources. After lunch, the tour heads towards El Djem home of the Roman amphitheatre of El Djem, the second largest Roman Amphitheatre, built around 18 centuries ago, and still today exceptionally well preserved. The site was mainly used for spectator events, namely gladiator battles. The day will finish by a short walk in the leisure harbour of Port El Kantaoui, where you will have opportunity to purchase some souvenirs or simply enjoy the scene while sipping some Tunisian coffee or fresh juice. We will arrive at the hotel at around 6 pm for check in.

Enjoy your breakfast and be ready for a pick-up at 8 am. This day will be dedicated to the peninsula of "Cap bon" as it is named and known for its big production of orange and lemon but also known for its nice cities direct on the Mediterranean Sea. The first stop will be Kelibia known in Roman times as Clypia or Clupea, the town was founded by the Carthaginians as the fortified town of Aspis in the 5th century BC. The Siege of Aspis in 255 BC was the first African battle of the First Punic War. The next stop is Kerkouen one of the most important punic cities. After lunch, the day finishes in Haouaria before coming back to Tunis at around 6 pm for the last night.

After breakfast, and depending on your flight time, you will be transferred to the airport and assisted for departure.

This tour is built around the Roman and Punic sites of Tunisia. Two nights in Tunis cover Sidi Bou Said, Carthage, the Bardo National Museum and the medina. You then visit Dougga and Bulla Regia, with a night in Hammamet. Oudhna and Thuburbo Majus come on the way to Kairouan, where you stay two nights. A day out from Kairouan takes in Sbeitla and Makthar. You then see the Great Mosque of Kairouan, the amphitheatre at El Djem and Port El Kantaoui. The last full day follows the Cap Bon peninsula to Kelibia, Kerkouane and Haouaria. Guides speak English, French, German, Italian or Spanish and the tour is shared with other travellers. Seven nights in 5-star hotels, seven breakfasts, six lunches, seven dinners and the entrance fees are included. Departures are every Friday.

• Travel Insurance
• Personal Expenses
• Gratuities
• Optional Activities / Highlights
• Meals and drinks not specifically stated as included

Visa fees. Local hotel tax. Personal expenses. Porterage and gratuities. Optional activities. Meals and drinks not mentioned in the programme. Any type of personal or travel insurance. Other services not clearly indicated in the package inclusions above

Price per person sharing a double room. Single rooms on request. The land arrangements are confirmed by the supplier, TUI Tunisia, within two working days of booking. A local hotel tax is paid at each hotel. Check the entry rules for your passport before booking.