Attraction
Bardo National Museum
Tunisia's oldest and most important museum, set in a former beylical palace and home to one of the world's great collections of Roman mosaics.
Musée Romain et Paléochrétien de Carthage
A small museum at Carthage Dermech devoted to late Roman and early Christian Carthage, reopened in December 2025 with new interactive displays.
At a glance
- Type
- Archaeology museum
- Area
- Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia
Good to know
- Interactive displays
- Free entry on first Sunday of the month
Why we recommend it
With the National Museum of Carthage on the Byrsa hill closed for a long rehabilitation, the Musée Romain et Paléochrétien at Dermech is currently the main indoor stop for understanding the later history of Carthage. The small museum sits within the archaeological site, which UNESCO listed in 1979, and focuses on the late Roman and early Christian city, the period when Carthage was one of the great centres of the Christian Mediterranean.
The museum reopened on 3 December 2025 after works that began in April 2024. The renovation reorganised the exhibition spaces, brought out pieces that had been in storage, and restored the museum to its original 1984 layout while adding new sections. The collection of around 400 items is drawn directly from the surrounding excavations, and the displays look at church architecture, the layout of the city and the spiritual practices of the time. Interactive tablets present two highlights in detail: the statue of Ganymede and the Roman circus of Carthage.
According to the reopening announcement, the museum is open every day of the week. Entry is free on the first Sunday of each month, on national holidays, on the International Day of Monuments and Sites on 18 April and on International Museum Day on 18 May. Confirm exact opening and closing times locally before you set out, since they were not published in the reports we checked.
Allow around an hour, or a little more if you use all the tablets. The museum is compact and suits visitors who have already seen the Bardo's Roman galleries and want to understand how Carthage changed after the classical period. The interactive tablets help keep older children engaged. It is also a useful refuge in the heat of the day, as most of the Carthage site is exposed to the sun.
Dermech is one of the stops on the TGM suburban train between Tunis and La Marsa, and the museum combines well with the Antonine Baths, which lie towards the sea in the same part of Carthage. Many visitors continue to Sidi Bou Said for lunch or the afternoon, a short ride further along the line.
Musée Romain et Paléochrétien de Carthage FAQs
What does the museum cover?
Late Roman and early Christian Carthage, including church architecture, urban spaces and religious practices.
When did it reopen?
On 3 December 2025, after renovation works that began in April 2024.
How big is the collection?
Around 400 items, mostly from the surrounding excavations.
Is it open every day?
The reopening announcement said it is open every day of the week; check current times locally.
When is entry free?
On the first Sunday of each month, national holidays, 18 April and 18 May.
How long should I allow?
About an hour.
What is nearby?
The Antonine Baths are in the same part of Carthage, and Sidi Bou Said is a short TGM ride away.
Is the National Museum of Carthage open instead?
No, the museum on the Byrsa hill is closed for a major rehabilitation project.