Carthage (Antonine Baths & Byrsa Hill)

Carthage was founded by Phoenician settlers, traditionally in 814 BC, and became the capital of a Mediterranean empire until Rome destroyed it in 146 BC. The Romans later rebuilt it as the capital of their province of Africa. Today the ruins are scattered across a leafy suburb, so a visit means hopping between sites by car. The seafront Antonine Baths, built in the mid-2nd century AD, were the largest Roman baths in Africa. On Byrsa Hill, the Carthage National Museum and the remains of a Punic residential quarter give the best overview of the city's layout and history.