Far from the cliché «Beach and Hotels Clubs», Tunisia is above all the garden of archaeology. Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Andalusians, Ottomans and finally French, conquered it and loved it… they built architectural marvels in privileged places. Tunisia offers an infinite palette of colors, fragrances, arid or green landscapes, blue and white cities or ochre bricks, delicious cuisine and a warm welcome.

DAY 1: WELCOME AND TRANSFER TO YOUR HOTEL IN TUNIS

Walk in the heart of the capital. Bourguiba Avenue and the surrounding streets have beautiful facades with eclectic architecture: the theatre, the French embassy, the cathedral, etc. Dinner and night at the Hotel

DAY 2: TUNIS – UTIQUE – BIZERTE – TABARKA (210KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8:00 am: visit of the site of Utique. It is a charming place founded by the Phoenicians of Tyre long before Carthage. We will see some villas and in the distance the palm tree that indicates the location of the ancient shore. The museum and its garden have some pretty marine-inspired mosaics.
Lunch at 1 pm in Bizerte, walk on the old port and then we take the road along the Mogods massif and the Sejnane wadi. The village of Sejnane is known for its naive Berber pottery and the many storks that nest there.
This region was the breadbasket of Rome, it was unfortunately also the scene of terrible battles during the Second World War but in spring these valleys decline all shades of green for our enchantment.
The pretty little port of Tabarka is especially famous for coral fishing, its rocks eroded by the sea, the Aiguilles, its Genoese fort and the terrace of the Andalusian café decorated with blue ceramics. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Tabarka.

DAY 3: TABARKA – CHEMTOU – BULLA REGIA – SBEÏTLA (280 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8.00 am: we cross the forest of the Kroumirie mountains. 90,000 hectares planted with cork trees feed the Tabarka cork plant. Aïn Draham located 800 meters above sea level is a hunting and winter sports resort. We will visit Chemtou whose marble mountains provided the most precious of the materials after the imperial porphyry: the marble of Numidia which, according to the Romans, has the «color of the mane from afar». The Marble Museum is of undeniable interest. Lunch 1 pm and then visit the ancient city of Bulla Regia. This sun-drenched city in summer built underground two-storey houses whose refined decoration proves that a lot of time was spent there. Lunch in the town of «Kef» then we continue by the road that crosses the countryside at Kasserine where we see the highest point of Tunisia: the djebel Chaambi (1544 meters).
Dinner and overnight at the Hotel in Sbeïtla.

DAY 4: SBEÏTLA – GAFSA – TOZEUR (230 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8.00 am : visit of the site of Sbeïtla. The oldest inscriptions date back to the 1st century and the city built on an orthonormal plan was probably never punished. We will see the magnificent capitol made up of three temples dating from the 2nd century, joined by arches whose hangers are formed by terracotta bottoms nested together. This interesting technique was widely used in Roman Tunisia.
The large thermal baths divided into winter and summer baths form a beautiful ensemble. Byzantine churches have beautiful baptisteries decorated with polychrome mosaics. This particularly neat site is a true flower garden. We continue to Gafsa, Lunch 1 pm in Gafsa and then drive to Tozeur via the Metlaoui region famous for its phosphate mines.
Discovery of Tozeur and its pretty medina: here everything is built in small bricks color of honey. The play of light and shadow of the decorative motifs maintains a certain freshness. Dinner at the hotel then visit the Dar Chraiet museum.

DAY 5: TOZEUR – MOUNTAIN OASIS – TOZEUR (60 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8 am; walk in the palm of the garden of paradise and visit the Sahara Zoo where you will see the main species of the desert: jackals, fennecs, scorpions, corm vipers, etc.
Visit of the brickyard. Lunch at the hotel then departure for Chebika through a waterfall that engages in a narrow gorge whose walls contain many fossils. Mides where were shot scenes of Fort Sagane, is perched on the edge of a vertiginous canyon. In this oasis are grown orange, lemon and tangerine trees.
Return to Tozeur. Dinner and night at the Hotel

DAY 6: TOZEUR – DOUZ (130 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8.00 am; crossed by the Chott el Djérid, immensity of salt glittering in the sun, small pink pools colonized by salinas artemia. Visit of water coolers for the palm grove in Kébili and petrified dunes.
Installation at the hotel in Douz; lunch at 1 pm, visit of the Saharan city and its palm grove then 4x4 walk in the beautiful dunes of blond sand.
Dinner in the dunes with Berber flute music.

DAY 7: DOUZ - MATMATA- GABÈS - SFAX (320 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8:00 am.; visit the famous Douz market, the most picturesque in the region. The numerous palm groves provide the delicious dates deglet Nour, then departure for Matmata, it is a small Berber town. Some of the local Berber inhabitants live in traditional underground ‘troglodyte’ structures, Lunch then departure for Gabès, visit of the Medina with a «Tea» break and continuation to Sfax the Capital of South Tunisia, installation at the Hotel and dinner.

DAY 8: SFAX – EL JEM – KAIROUAN (140 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8 am to El Jem through beautiful olive groves. Tunisia has more than 65 million olive trees and is ranked as the world’s leading producer of olive oil in competition with Spain and Italy.
In El Jem, the amphitheatre built at the end of the 2nd century on the model of the Colosseum of Rome retained its three floors and could accommodate 35,000 spectators. Lunch at 1 pm and then visit the museum which has mosaic treasures and the Africa villa. This villa discovered in 1990 was returned by the team of professor Jean Claude Golvin. Organized around a central patio, the different rooms feature luxurious mosaic decoration but the main interest lies in the restitution of walls and roofs... Visit of a workshop of mosaicists then road to Kairouan.
Dinner and night at the Hotel .

DAY 9: KAIROUAN - OUDHNA – TUNIS (190 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8.00 am : visit of Kairouan, high place of spirituality where we will see the great Mosque of Oqba and the mausoleum of the Barber. It is also the city of the most famous carpets of Tunisia.
As for the gourmets, they can taste the delicious pastries that are another jewel of the region: the makroud (paste filled with dates, figs, shamia… sprinkled with sesame and sprinkled with honey: a must!)
Lunch at 1 pm, then drive to Tunis. Visit of the site still in excavation of Oudhna which has a three-stores capitol , an amphitheater and villas of exceptional wealth. Dinner and night at the Hotel in Tunis.

DAY 10: TUNIS – BARDO – MEDINA (20 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8:00 am: visit of the central market then the Bardo Museum which has the richest collection of mosaics in the world. Lunch at 1 pm in a good small restaurant, then walk in the Medina. Classified World Heritage of Humanity, it is organized around the Great Mosque, La Zitouna. The souks of Tunis are particularly pleasant and colorful: gold jewelers, perfumes, chechias … (beautiful encounters with artisans).
You can then stroll at your own pace and have a tea with pine nuts or almonds in one of the cafes of Avenue Bourguiba. Dinner in town and overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 11: TUNIS – DOUGGA – TUNIS (230 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8:00 am: we take the road to Dougga through beautiful landscapes and stopping in Testour, the most beautiful Andalusian village.
Dougga is the most spectacular and best preserved where it is not uncommon to meet a shepherd and his sheep. In this bucolic paradise, exceptional remains: the forum with the capitol whose pediment presents the apotheosis of Antonin the Pious, the Service Arch Alexander and the temple of Caelestis lost in olive trees several centuries old, the Libyan-Punic mausoleum, etc.
Lunch on the spot, then return to Tunis. Afternoon free . Dinner and night at the Hotel.

DAY 12: TUNIS – CARTHAGE – SIDI BOU SAID (50 KM)

After breakfast, departure at 8.00 am: visit of the hill of Byrsa. This is where was founded by Elyssa-Didon, the ancient Carthage. The view over the entire bay of Tunis is superb and the Punic district hangs its houses on the hillside. We will see the small museum which has two superb Punic sarcophagi, then the Punic ports, the baths of Antonin.
Lunch at the Goulette.
At the end of the day we will walk in the charming village of Sidi Bou-Saïd: white and blue rapture, streets lined with orange trees, purple glow of bougainvillea, favorite stay of painters, musicians and poets. Visit of the magnificent palace of Baron Erlanger.
Charming dinner in Sidi Bou-Saïd and overnight in Tunis.

DAY 13: DEPARTURE

After breakfast departure at 8.00, transfer to the airport. Assistance for departure.