Colline de Byrsa (Byrsa Hill), Tunis

The Punic city of Carthage was first erected on the hill of Byrsa which provides some amazing views of the Tunis Gulf and the town. The hill is home to the archeological vestiges of the Carthaginian acropolis, once Phoenician and then Roman. Among those vestiges is a 3rd – 2nd century BCE Punic neighborhood, near the Musee National de Carthage , which had been buried under the Roman Forum. It also offers straight streets and houses which were provided with tanks as well as sumps. The Acropolium cathedral is also to be found on the hill and can be visited for a few dinars. Its peculiar architecture which tries to mix the Orient and the Occident has its fans as well as its detractors. It was built at the end of the 19th century by the French in tribute to the French king Louis the 9th who died in Carthage while leading the 8th Crusade. (Admission is TD 7- this price does not includes the Acropolium but includes the access to other sites of the Archeological Park of Carthage. Open hours vary seasonally