Dougga & Zaghouan Private Day Trip

This private day trip takes you inland, to the hills and olive groves of northern Tunisia. In Dougga, you walk through a Roman town with its Capitol, theater and houses. In Zaghouan, you see the Water Temple built where the aqueduct of Carthage began. Your driver picks you up at your hotel and drives you back in the evening, at a fixed price per vehicle.

The Story of Dougga and Zaghouan

Rome left many towns in Tunisia, but few kept their streets and temples like Dougga. Zaghouan, for its part, gave Carthage its water for centuries.

Thugga, a Numidian Town

Long before Rome, Dougga was Thugga, a Numidian town that already existed in the 6th century BC. Its Libyco-Punic Mausoleum, built in the 2nd century BC, still stands at the edge of the site. Its bilingual inscription, now in the British Museum, helped scholars decode the Libyan script. A temple to King Masinissa, dated 139 BC, lies under the forum.

A Roman Town on Its Hill

Under Rome, Thugga grew into a busy town on its hilltop, among wheat fields and olive groves. The Capitol, dedicated to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva, was finished in 166 or 167. After independence, the last villagers living among the ruins moved to New Dougga, on the plain below. UNESCO listed the site in 1997 as the best preserved Roman small town in North Africa.

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The Theater and the Temples

The theater of Dougga was built in 168 or 169 and seated 3,500 people, in a town of some 5,000. It is one of the best preserved in Roman Africa. The Temple of Saturn dates from the reign of Septimius Severus. The Temple of Juno Caelestis, built between 222 and 235, honored the Roman form of the Punic goddess Tanit.

Streets, Baths and Arches

Paved streets still link the forum, the market and the Licinian Baths, given to the town in the 3rd century. Two arches still stand, one built in 205 for Septimius Severus and one for Severus Alexander. Mosaics found on the site, such as the Cyclops mosaic, are now at the Bardo Museum. Wear good shoes, as the stone paths climb steeply.

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Zaghouan Below Its Mountain

Zaghouan stands on the site of Ziqua, a Roman town of which only a gate survives. Above it rises Jebel Zaghouan, the mountain whose springs gave Carthage its water. The old town has steep streets and small squares that open onto views of the plain. It is a quiet place, away from the tourist roads.

Andalusian Roses and Kaak Warka

In the 17th century, Andalusian Muslims expelled from Spain settled in Zaghouan and planted roses. Their flowers still give nesri, the rose water used in local pastries. The most famous is kaak warka, a ring of pastry made with nesri, which even has its own festival in town. Ask your driver for a stop at a pastry shop.

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The Water Temple

The Romans built this temple over the spring of Zaghouan in the first half of the 2nd century. A crescent of columns and niches wraps around a basin, with a small shrine at the back. Most of its statues are now at the Bardo Museum. The work is often linked to Emperor Hadrian, whose visit in 128 ended a long drought.

From Zaghouan to Carthage

From the temple, one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire carried the water to Carthage. It filled the cisterns that supplied the Antonine Baths, opened in 162. After centuries of damage, the aqueduct was restored in 1859 by the French engineer Pierre Collin. It still brings water to Tunis today, and its arches can be seen along the road.

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How the Day Goes Inland

Dougga is the long drive of the day, so we leave early and stop at Zaghouan on the way back. The road crosses wheat fields and olive groves.

1. Early pickup at your hotel door, at the time agreed when you book.
2. Dougga: the Capitol, the theater, the forum and the Libyco-Punic Mausoleum.
3. Time to walk the Roman streets among the olive trees.
4. Lunch break on the road, paid on the spot.
5. Zaghouan: the Water Temple at the foot of the mountain, then the old town.
6. Drive back to your hotel in the evening.

Price from Your Departure City

Tunis is the closest departure city for this trip, so the price starts there at $100. From the coast, the price rises with the distance. Whatever the city, the price covers the vehicle, the driver, fuel and tolls. A certified guide adds $50 for the day, a good idea at Dougga.

Price per private vehicle, in US dollars

What Is Included in the Price

The vehicle, the driver and the long road inland are all in the price. Site tickets are paid at the entrance.