Tunisia's list of attractions would do justice to a country twice its size. From the Roman-era hot springs at Hamman Mellegue to the space-age sets of Star Wars (parts of which were filmed at Matmata), its lush-to-lunar landscapes have seen more action than the New World nations combined.

Spend a few days here and you'll agree: daydreaming at the famous Roman ruins of Carthage and El-Jem is almost as good as stepping into Virgil's Aeneid and knocking one back with Dido, while a day's dawdling on the north coast's beaches or those of Jerba Island, the 'Land of the Lotus Eaters', will leave you wondering why Hannibal ever left.