ALGERIA // A sprawl of bathhouses, toppled temples and chapels, separated by crisscrossing colonnaded streets, Timgad is a vast, ruined Roman settlement extraordinaire. Sure, this list has plenty of Roman sites - and popular ruins like Pompeii and the Colosseum have poached higher positions - but Timgad has its own trick up its sleeve. There's no one here. This is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world and it's free from crowds. Founded in approximately AD 100 by the Emperor Trajan, Timgad was conceived as a military colony to boost Roman presence and power in the region and subdue the local Berber population. Originally designed as a perfect square (it remains a superb example of the Roman Empire's obsession with urban planning), it later lurched outside the boundaries of its symmetrical outline. From military settlement beginnings, Timgad struck its heyday in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, becoming a prosperous Christian centre and bishopric and adding large elegant residences and churches to its mix. The good times unfortunately didn't last. The Vandals attacked in AD 430 and after a 5th-century raid by local Berber tribes the city fell into decline. Standing amid the ruins, you can fully imagine Roman life here. There's so much to explore but make time to walk down the Cardo Maximus to the Forum and sit for a while in the Theatre to survey the sweep of the perfect grid laid out below. Then veer west along the Decumanus Maximus to stare up at Trajan's Arch, which soars over the half-collapsed walls. Just remember: shhhh. Don't tell anyone about it.

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