All activities / Museums & Galleries / Leptis Magna
Museums & Galleries in Leptis Magna
One of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Mediterranean, on the coast of Libya east of Tripoli near Al Khums. A UNESCO World Heritage site and the birthplace of the emperor Septimius Severus, who rebuilt it in marble, Leptis Magna keeps its forum, basilica, theatre, market and monumental arch on an open site by the sea, with an on-site museum of statuary and mosaics.
Why here
Leptis Magna is one of the great Roman cities left standing anywhere, and because so few travellers reach it, you often have the ruins to yourself. It was the home city of Septimius Severus, who became emperor in the year 193 and poured imperial wealth back into it, so the forum, the basilica, the market with its stone measuring tables, the theatre above the sea and the vast Severan arch are all here in worked limestone and marble rather than as foundations. The site sits right on the Mediterranean near Al Khums, and its on-site museum holds the statuary and mosaics lifted from the streets and baths. Paired with the Phoenician-Roman port of Sabratha a little to the west, it makes the Libyan coast one of the richest stretches of classical antiquity on the sea, walked in near silence rather than in crowds.
Best months
The comfortable season is autumn to spring, roughly October to April, when the coast is mild; summer is hot and exposed with little shade on the open site. The ruins are spread over a large area with uneven stone and few facilities, so bring sun protection, water and sturdy footwear. Visits run as day trips from Tripoli or as part of a longer coastal itinerary with a guide, who provides the historical context the site itself does not sign.
Getting there & around
Travel advisory · Do Not Travel
Libya is under a US State Dept Level 4 'Do Not Travel' advisory and the UK FCDO advises against all travel to most of the country, over crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, kidnapping, civil unrest and armed conflict (as of 2026-07). A small number of specialist operators have cautiously resumed running guided trips to the Roman coast around Tripoli, Leptis Magna and Sabratha, but this remains a high-risk destination; check your government's current advice and your insurance before considering it. Leptis Magna lies near Al Khums, reached on an organised tour from Tripoli with a licensed operator that arranges permits, guide, transport and security. There is no independent visiting; go only through an established operator.
Skill levels: beginner
Schools & guides (2)
MZUNGU Expeditions
OutfitterMZUNGU Expeditions is a small-group expedition operator that runs journeys to remote and rarely-visited countries, with scheduled 2026 departures to Libya in April and November. Its seven-day Libya route takes in the Phoenician and Roman UNESCO cities of Sabratha and Leptis Magna, the medieval caravan town of Ghadames and the northern Sahara, in groups of six to twelve with local guides and permits arranged. It is a foreign operator working with in-country partners, not a Libyan company.
ToursLibya
OutfitterToursLibya has run tours in Libya since 2007, focused on the country's Roman and Phoenician heritage alongside longer Saharan journeys. Its coastal programmes include day tours to Leptis Magna and Sabratha and a West Libya Highlights circuit out of Tripoli, taking in the forum, theatre and Severan arch at Leptis and the seafront temples at Sabratha. It arranges the guide, transport and permits that travel in Libya now requires.