Back in ancient times, Carthage was one of the most important places in the Mediterranean region. Today this sleepy town is a one of the best places to visit in Tunisia and a great day trip to Tunis. There are still plenty of ancient remnants amount that allow you to travel back in time and make visiting Carthage such a great experience.
When planning your Tunisia itinerary be sure to visit Carthage too. I hope this guide I put together will help you have a smooth and enjoyable trip to Carthage!
Table of Contents
Where is Carthage
The ruins of ancient Carthage are located in the town of the same time, on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, just outside of Tunis. The center of the Tunisian capital is 16 km from Carthage.
Brief history of Carthage
Back in the ancient times, Carthage was one of the greatest cities in the Mediterranean region. Founded in the 9th century BC by the Phoenicians from Tyre (present Lebanon), it reached its peak of power and prosperity in the 3rd century BC when Carthage was the central point of the North African empire, the crucial political and trade point in the region. The city was inhabited by around half a million people, the impressive city walls were 32 km long.
After the Punic Wars with the Roman Empire, the biggest rival of Carthage, the city was destroyed in the year 146 BC and afterward served as a provincial Roman colony. In 439 AD the Vandals took over Carthage, making it the capital of their territory in northern Africa.
When the Arabs conquested the region in the late 7th century, Carthage lost its status and eventually was abandoned. Today, this is a sleepy town packed with ancient remnants, a wealthy suburb of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia.
Is it worth visiting Carthage, Tunisia
Carthage is definitely worth visiting. Even is today this is a modern town with wealthy neighbourhoods, there are numerous places from the ancient times that you can easily visit. Wandering around those centuries-old ruins is like traveling back in time, it’s so easy to imagine how exceptional the city was back at its peak of prosperity.
All the Carthage attractions are truly amazing and everyone will easily appreciate all the ancient remnants. In 1979 the archeological site of Carthage was included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List.
The town itself is really pleasant too, a bit sleepy but that’s a good change from the nearby capital. One more reason to visit Carthage is how easy it is to get here. The suburban train connects central Tunis with Carthage (there are a few stops in the town, near Carthage highlights), there are also organized tours you can take to have a hassle-free trip.
How to get to Carthage
If you are traveling from Tunis or Sidi Bou Said, your best option is the regional train (TGM line) departing from the Tunis Marine station, near the Clock Tower, at the edge of the center of the capital. They run frequently, the one-way ticket costs around 1 TND (about €0,30 or $0,33). You can purchase it from the window on the left when entering the station.
There are six stations in Carthage, the closest one to top attractions in the town is Carthage Hannibal (the 11th station after departing from Tunis Marine). When I visited Carthage I left the train a station before, at Carthage Dermech and walked along the coast to the biggest attraction of the town – Antoninus Baths.
When you want to go back to Tunis or continue your trip to picturesque Sidi Bou Said, you simply need to get the TGM train from one of the stations (be careful as the ticket office is located on one of the platforms and it might not be the one your train departs from).
Carthage tours
If navigating public transport isn’t your thing or you want to visit Carthage from a place other than Tunis or Sidi Bou Said, there are numerous highly-rated tours that cover Carthage (together with other destinations). Here are some recommended ones:
- Private Day Tour: Medina of Tunis, Carthage, Sidi Bousaid with lunch
- Archaelogical Site Of Carthage + Picturesque Village Of Sidi Bou Said
- Guided Bike Tour of Carthage Archeological Site in Tunisia
- Tunis, Sidi Bousaid and Carthage day trip from Hammamet
What to see in Carthage
The biggest Carthage attractions are all the ancient remnants scattered all over the city. The most impressive ones are Baths of Antoninus – the largest Roman bath outside of Rome! The bath were built in the 2nd century AD, when Carthage was under the Roman Empire rule and still today you can easily see what a grand place this was.
You can wander around the large area and explore all it corners freely. Besides the remnants of the baths, you will also find here remnants of old houses, a chappel, a Punic cemetery, and more. Look down when walking around as you will also notice some nice mosaics that still remain untacted in its place.
A bonus of visiting the Antoninus Baths is you can see the premises of the presidential palace that is located next to the archeological site.
A short walk from there you will find Roman Villas – a large archeological site with some great mosaics and great views of the area. Next to it, you can visit the Roman theater – even if it went through major renovation to serve its purpose still today, it’s easy to imagine what an impressive site it used to be. Back in the ancient times, the theater could seat over five thousand spectators.
Another important complex of Carthage is Byrsa Hill where you can visit Carthage National Museum (with numerous artifacts from ancient Carthage, both from the Punic and Roman rules), see some more ancient ruins as well as the former Catholic Cathedral – Acropolium, built on top of the Punic temple dedicated to Eshmun, the god of healing.
All over the town you can also stumble across ancient ruins, columns, cisterns, or even an aqueduct. There is even a Roman amphitheater from the 1st century AD, which is a nice site surrounded by trees and rolling hills.
On the coastal side of Cathage you can see old Punic ports that still today have a shape similar to the one from the ancient times. Even if now this is a sleepy place, just like the rest of the town, all those centuries ago the ports played a crucial role in Carthage’s wellbeing.
In the area, there are a few ancient quarters you can visit too but the main reason to visit this part of Carthage is to wander along the coast and admire beautiful views of the clear waters of Gulf of Tunis. It’s a perfect place to relax after all the Carthage sightseeing.
Carthage attractions ticket
You need a ticket to enter the majority of Carthage attractions. The good news is, you need to purchase only one and it’s valid for eight places all over the town. When I visited Carthage, the multiticket was 12 TND (around €3,50 / $3,80). Sites included in the ticket are:
- Amphitheatre
- Roman Villas
- Roman Theater
- Paleo-Christian Museum
- Carthage Museum
- Salammbo Tophet
- Baths of Antoninus
- Quartier Magon
Seeing all these places in one day can be a challenge so focus on the most important ones first.If you need a guide (which is highly recommended in the place of such a huge historical significance), there are usually people offering their services at the entrance to the sites.
Where to go next
From Carthage it’s a short train ride to the next town – Sidi Bou Said. The charming, bright town is known for its white and blue buildings that altogether create a fairytale-like vibe. This is definitely one of the most beautiful places to visit in Tunisia.
Be sure to check the capital of Tunisia too. There are plenty of great things to do in Tunis, including the UNESCO-listed medina, the exceptional Bardo Museum, or a vibrant New Town, among other attractions.
Further reading
I published many articles about Tunisia that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:
- Tunisia Travel Guide – All About Visiting Tunisia
- Tunisia Itinerary – What to See in Tunisia in 10 Days
- 11 Great Things to Do in Tunis, Tunisia
- 11 Amazing Things to do in Djerba, Tunisia
- 7 Must Things to Do in Sousse, Tunisia
- Your Guide to Visiting El Jem Amphitheatre, Tunisia
- Visit Kairouan, Tunisia – a UNESCO Holy City
- and more!
If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations).
Travel Resources
You can find the best accommodation options at Booking. They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in Tunisia
Never travel without travel insurance, you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for Tunisia here.
I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Get Your Guide – click here.
Make sure to have the offline map always installed on your phone, they can save you so many troubles. I always use the free app Maps.Me.
For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:
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- I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Tunisia too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!
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