What it is
A 65-hectare site covering a town that ran from Numidian through Roman to Byzantine times. The capitol, the theatre, the baths, the market, the streets and the drainage are all still readable as a single plan. It sits about 110 km southwest of Tunis, roughly two hours by road, in farmland.
Why go
Most Roman ruins give you a monument. Dougga gives you a town, laid out on a slope, which is far more useful for understanding how people actually lived. It is usually quiet enough to hear the wind.
When to go
Spring, when the hillside is green and the temperature is 20-25°C, or autumn. There is no shade and no café worth the name, so summer is hard work. Take water and a hat. You need a car or a driver; there is no practical public transport. Budget half a day plus the drive.
Most people stay Day trip.