Tunisia's Treasures | Hidden History

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Tunisia’s Treasures

10 days

from £2345 per person

Famous for Carthage, El Jem and the Bardo Museum, and packed with an array of stunningly well-preserved, off-the-beaten track sites, Tunisia’s rich archaeology just has to be seen.

Highlights

Visit the recently reopened Bardo Museum, home to one of the most magnificent collections of Roman mosaics anywhere in the world.
Explore Carthage, one of the most important cities of the ancient Mediterranean world.
Get to know the Phoenicians, one of the most significant yet elusive of ancient cultures.
Get off the beaten track to see the stunningly well-preserved ancient cities of Numidia.
Marvel at the sight of El Jem, one of the largest amphitheatres in the world.

Dates & Prices:

23 November – 02 December 2026. Only £2345. Booking open.
15 – 24 March 2027. Only £2395. Booking open.

Low single supplement only £250.

Early booking is recommended.

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Overview

North Africa’s smallest country contains some of the most significant and evocative archaeological remains in the world. Indeed, this land between the Sahara and the sea offers a veritable host of treasures, from exotic Berber and Numidian settlements to rare Phoenician remains, impressive Roman cities, magnificent mosaics and Arab splendours.

The country is famous for the remarkable ancient city of Carthage, a Phoenician foundation and the home of Hannibal. This once powerful city was famously sacked by the Romans during the Punic Wars, only to rise again to become one of the largest cities in the Roman Empire.

The prosperity of the Roman province is demonstrated by the size and splendour of its cities. El Jem’s massive amphitheatre and exquisite mosaics are rightly famous, but it is often the lesser-known sites that leave the most lasting impression. Away from the crowds, sites such as Thuburbo Maius, Pheradi Majus, Bulla Regia and Thugga are not only stunningly well-preserved but also impressively large. Many of these were founded by native Berber tribes, who became united under King Masinissa’s kingdom of Numidia.

Of similar rarity are Kerkouane, which offers a fascinating glimpse into the Punic world, and Kairouan, the majestic capital of the Arabic Aghlabid dynasty whose power extended over much of the Maghreb and across the Mediterranean into Italy. From the Phoenicians to the Arabs, Tunisia’s diverse history has been forged by its pivotal location between the Mediterranean and North African worlds.

See the ‘Itinerary’ tab above for more details.

: Roman ampitheatre, El Djem [1]

: Thugga [2]

: Great Mosque of Kairouan [3]

What’s Included:

Nine night’s 4-star hotel accommodation.
All breakfasts, lunches and evening meals.
Daily excursions with all transport, entrances and expert guiding.
Airport transfers in Tunisia.

Your Tour Director

November 2026

Tony O’Connor FSA

Tony studied Ancient History and Archaeology at the University of Manchester. His subsequent career in field excavation and museum management has earned him Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries of London. He is particularly interested in the Roman Empire, and has wide experience of leading archaeology tours across virtually the whole empire, including numerous tours in Tunisia and North Africa.

March 2027

Dr Jamie Sewell

Jamie is an engaging and passionate storyteller, and a popular and experienced tour leader. He has a PhD in Classical Archaeology from Birkbeck College, University of London, and many years of experience in field archaeology, He has a long list of publications, and has lectured at Durham University in England and at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where he currently lives.

Activity Level

Our tours are good for your health. There is plenty of walking and fresh air, but the pace is always gentle and stops are frequent. This tour is not especially challenging and simply requires a reasonable level of mobility and independence. Feel free to ask us for more details.

Getting There

You have complete freedom to choose when and how you travel, including your preferred departure airport, flight times, length of stay, airlines etc.

We will be happy to help, and if you book your flights with us you will be fully ATOL protected. See the ‘Getting There’ tab above for more details.

What to Expect

All our tours include a full programme of expertly guided excursions and interesting talks to create an enriching travel experience. The emphasis is on both the cultural interest and the nature of the experience—focused but with time to relax and absorb it all.

We like to explore and get off the beaten track for special access to hidden gems and better integration with the local culture and economy. We keep our group sizes small (8–18 people) which enhances your experience and minimises adverse impacts on local communities. It is very relaxed and informal with no prior knowledge expected.

Click here for more about what to expect.

How To Book

Tours have minimum and maximum numbers of participants, so you will benefit from booking early; it secures your place and enables us to confirm your tour earlier. We keep our group sizes small, so tours can quickly fill but it is always worth checking for late availability.

Reservations & Enquiries: To reserve your place or enquire further simply click the “Book This Tour Now” button on the relevant tour page, and submit your details. You can also call us on (UK) 0121 444 1854, or email enquiries@hiddenhistory.co.uk.

There is no commitment and no payment at this stage; reservations are purely provisional until we have confirmed availability and proceeded with booking and payment.

Booking & Payment: Once we have checked availability, a deposit is required to secure your booking (£100 for UK tours, £250 for non-UK tours). We will email you a payment link which enables payment by credit card, debit card or bank transfer. Card payment can also be made by telephone (UK) 0121 444 1854.

Places and prices are guaranteed only with a deposit. Full payment is usually required 2 or 3 months ahead of the tour.

Financial Protection: Hidden History Travel is a member of the Travel Trust Association with membership number Q2398. This means that we provide you with the strongest consumer protection available in the travel industry. Any payments you make are 100% protected by the association to pay for your holiday or to reimburse you if we fail to provide it. Hidden History Travel also holds ATOL licence number 12463. This means that if you book your flights with us you will be protected if we or your airline cease trading.

See our booking conditions for further details.

BOOK THIS TOUR NOW

Image Attributions

[1] Agnieszka Wolska, CC BY-SA 3.0, Source

[2] Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[3] weetoon66, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[Hero image] Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

Day 1: Arrivals

On arrival in Tunisia you are transferred to your hotel in Sousse, where we stay for the first three nights of the tour. Dinner is included every evening.

Day 2: Kairouan and Sousse Archaeological Museum

After an introductory talk from your director, we visit Kairouan, once the capital of the Aghlabid empire and now the holiest city in Tunisia. The Great Mosque here is one of the most important in North Africa, and was constructed using spolia from Roman monuments which once graced the region. The city is also home to the Aghlabid pools, one of the hydraulic wonders of the world. Constructed in the 9th century, the pools are a system of reservoirs designed to ensure a plentiful and clean water supply. The medina of Kairouan and its colourful souk is also a wonderful place to wander.

In the afternoon we return to Sousse to visit its Archaeological Museum, located in the city’s kasbah. Here we enjoy a fantastic collection of mosaics, some of the best to be found in Tunisia.

Day 3: El Jem

We dedicate the day to the Numidian city of Thysdrus, famous today as El Jem. Seen from miles away, the amphitheatre was one of the largest in the Roman world, and remains as one of the finest in today’s world. It also has a wonderful underground area where animals and gladiators waited to ascend to the arena above. The museum at El Jem contains some of the best mosaics in Tunisia, vying with Sousse for the quality of its craftsmanship. The museum is also adjacent to an archaeological site, which contains the remains of a number of houses with in-situ mosaics.

On returning to Sousse, there will be time to wander through the historic kasbah with its impressive fortifications and bustling souk.

Day 4: Thuburbo and Oudna

Today we transfer from Sousse to Tunis, visiting en-route the sites of Thurbubo Maius, Oudna and the Zaghouan aqueduct.

The exquisitely preserved Numidian and Roman city of Thurbubo Majus has a plethora of well preserved public buildings, including a forum complex, two baths, latrines and a Temple to Ba’al, which was later transformed into a Temple of Saturn and ultimately a Christian basilica.

At Oudna we examine the city’s impressive amphitheatre, and an elite house famed for a large mosaic now housed in the Bardo museum. Nearby we find the Zaghouan aqueduct, one of the longest in the Roman empire, which started from a spring in the mountains near Oudna and took water to Carthage over a series of canals and viaducts. Walking in the remains of the aqueduct, we see in detail how it worked, from the water-proofed channels to the manhole covers.

Arriving at Tunis, we settle into our beachfront hotel for the next four nights.

Day 5: Ancient Carthage and Tunis Centre

Today we focus on the capital city, Tunis, beginning with the the fabulous remains of ancient Carthage. Here we find the Punic remains of the city destroyed by Rome in 146 BC, including the kothon, or harbour, and the largest known Tophet, or children’s cemetery, the Salambo Tophet. We examine the enormous Antonine Baths, one of the largest in the Roman empire, as well as the staggering La Malga Cisterns and amphitheatre built at the height of the Roman empire.

We end the day exploring the historic centre of Tunis, with its exotic markets and venerated mosque.

Day 6: Utica and the Bardo Museum

The day begins with a short drive to Utica, perhaps the oldest of the Phoenician colonies in North Africa. Here we find the remains of a Punic necropolis, as well as a number of elite houses from the Roman period, complete with mosaics. The city is famed for being the place where Cato the Younger dramatically took his life after his defeat at the hands of Caesar at the Battle of Thapsus – as a gesture against tyranny.

In the afternoon we return to Tunis to explore the famous Bardo Museum, only re-opened in September 2023 after a two year restoration project. We see its countless rare artefacts from excavations throughout Tunisia, including one of the largest collections of Roman mosaics in the world.

Day 7: Cap Bon Peninsula

Today we travel around the Cap Bon peninsula, jutting out into the Mediterranean Sea towards Sicily. Here we explore the hugely important remains of Kerkouane, a Phoenician city destroyed in c. 250 BC, during the First Punic War, and thereafter abandoned. Along with Sicily’s Motya, the site is a rare example of a Phoenician city preserved without the incumbrance of later periods. Although we know nothing about the city from literary sources, not even its name, the well-preserved site gives us a lot of information about the everyday life of the Phoenicians, including their industries, religion and domestic life.

Continuing around the peninsula we come to Nabeul, the ceramic centre of Tunisia, where we visit the archaeological site, including its well preserved garum factory and houses, and its small but fascinating museum.

Day 8: Bulla Regia

Leaving Tunis we travel south to explore two superb archaeological sites with an overnight stay between the two at Teboursouk.

Today’s site is Bulla Regia, named after the famous Numidian king Masinissa who made the city his capital, and which was later made a Roman colonia by the Emperor Hadrian. Apart from the sizeable remains of a bath complex and theatre, the city is known for its stunning array of houses which include underground living areas designed to give some relief from the heat. These rooms include bedrooms, fountains and atria, and many of them contain fabulously preserved mosaics which remain in situ. Bulla is also known for its extensive use of hollow clay tubes (tubuli fittili) in constructing the vaults, something which may have been a response to a dearth of trees in the area which made wooden forms more difficult to make. From Bulla we make our way to our hotel in nearby Tebersouk, a small Tunisian town not far from Dougga.

Day 9: Dougga

We spend the morning exploring the extensive remains of the best preserved ancient site in Tunisia, Thugga (now Dougga). Originally a Numidian site set in the hills, providing an extraordinary view of the surrounding fields, Thugga houses a plethora of remains, including a superb theatre and Capitolium, as well as several bath complexes and a number of temples. These are all located along a street plan which survives to a surprising extent. Here we walk into houses, such as the House of the Trifolium, which have underground rooms and are replete with mosaics. We also view an intact latrine, as well as one of the best Numidian mausoleums in North Africa. Thugga is frequented more by sheep and cows than by tourists, which somehow creates a more authentic, immersive experience.

In the afternoon we make our way to our hotel in Sousse for the final night of the tour. We have a special dinner this evening to celebrate the new experiences, friendships and knowledge gained on the tour.

Day 10: Departure

You are transferred from the hotel to the airport for your flight home.

Sousse: The Hotel Hasdrubal, Port El Kantaoui, Sousse, Tunisia. kantaoui.hasdrubal-thalassa.com.
Located on the seafront along a private beach and close to the marina, this hotel has outdoor and indoor pools and two restaurants.

Tunis: Hotel Verdi Tunis Beach, Les Côtes de Carthages 1000, Gammarth, Tunisia. Hotel Website
Situated on the coast of Carthage in a calm and relaxing environment, this 5-star hotel has luxurious rooms, a swimming pool, a garden and direct access to a private beach.

Dougga: The Hotel Thugga, Teboursouk, Dougga, Tunisia.
This clean and comfortable hotel is perfectly located for exploring the nearby archaeological sites of Thugga and Bulla Regia.

Location: Tunisia is served by three international airports; Tunis, Monastir and Enfidha-Hammamet. The best airport for this tour is Enfidha-Hammamet, which is 30 minutes drive from our hotel in Sousse, where we stay on the first and last nights of the tour. Monastir is equally close but currently offers less direct flights from the UK for our tour dates. Tunis airport is not recommended due to being a 2 hour drive from our hotel.

Flexibility: You are free to make your own travel arrangements, or you can book them with us. Before booking any travel of your own please ensure we have confirmed your tour and your place on it.

Flights and Transfers: If you book your flights with us you will receive full ATOL protection. If you book one of our recommended flights, we will also include your transfers in Tunisia between the airport and the hotels.

What is ATOL Protection? The ATOL scheme (which stands for Air Travel Organisers’ Licensing) is financial protection that protects you when you book a package trip that includes a flight. It protects you and your money if the travel operator you booked with ceases trading, before, or whilst you’re on holiday. This means you will be able to claim your money back or continue your holiday and be repatriated. It is separate to travel insurance.

Hidden History Travel holds ATOL licence number 12463.

: Roman ampitheatre, El Djem [1]

: Thugga [2]

: Great Mosque of Kairouan [3]

: Carthage [4]

: Carthage [5]

: Carthage [6]

: Bulla Regia [7]

: Roman ampitheatre, El Djem [8]

: Great Mosque of Kairouan [9]

: Kerkouane [10]

: Thugga [11]

: Thugga [12]

: Thugga [13]

: Arch of Alexander Severus, Thugga [14]

Image Attributions

[1] Agnieszka Wolska, CC BY-SA 3.0, Source

[2] Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[3] weetoon66, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[4] Christian Manhart, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, Source

[5] Christian Manhart, CC BY-SA 3.0 igo, Source

[6] By Calips, CC BY 2.5, Source

[7] Houss 2020, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[8] Agnieszka Wolska, CC BY-SA 3.0, Source

[9] Ed Kirby, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[10] Door Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0, Source

[11] Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[12] Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, Source

[13] Pradigue, CC BY-SA 3.0, Source

[14] Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, CC BY 2.0, Source

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November 23 - December 2, 2026
March 15 - March 24, 2027

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