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Major city · Tunisia

Sfaxصفاقس

Give Sfax one night for the medina, kasbah and Kerkennah ferry; two nights only if you want a full island day. Otherwise skip it.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
TND
Best months
Mar–May, Oct–Nov
avoid Jul–Aug (hot), Sep (wettest month)
Airport
SFA
Nights
1
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
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Sfax is Tunisia's second city and its working port, halfway down the coast between Tunis and Gabès. It is a business and trade town, not a resort: the walled medina is quiet, the kasbah view is the best in town, and the Kerkennah Islands ferry leaves from the harbour. Most travellers pass through on the train or louage; one night is enough unless you add a Kerkennah day.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Sfax, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • CoffeeCoffee or mint tea in a café1–3 TND
  • Taxi, about 5 kmTaxi across the centreunder 2 TND
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM or data SIM, about a week20–40 TND
  • Museum or sight ticketMuseum or kasbah entry3 TND
  • Budget bedBudget hotel room near Bab Diwan, a night, per roomTND 60
  • Mid-range bedBudget hotel room near Bab Diwan, a night, per roomTND 90
  • High-end bedBudget hotel room near Bab Diwan, a night, per roomTND 120

A day, not counting the bed: Budget TND 90 · Mid TND 160 · High TND 300

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Medina and kasbahKerkennah Islands ferryOlive oil and fishing portMosaic collection (check reopening)
Airports
SFA Sfax–Thyna International Airport (About 7 km southwest of the centre; limited scheduled flights, so most arrivals come by train, louage or car (check current routes).)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Sfax: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

18°C

7°C

6 rd

Feb

18°C

7°C

5 rd

Mar

20°C

10°C

5 rd

Apr

23°C

13°C

4 rd

May

26°C

16°C

3 rd

Jun

30°C

20°C

2 rd

Jul

33°C

22°C

1 rd

Aug

33°C

23°C

2 rd

Sep

31°C

22°C

4 rd

Oct

27°C

18°C

5 rd

Nov

23°C

12°C

5 rd

Dec

19°C

8°C

5 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable: medina, kasbah, museum and downtown are within about 20 minutes on foot. Yellow taxis are metered and cheap for cross-town hops; agree the fare or check the meter before you set off. Buses are slow and crowded and rarely useful for visitors. Trains and louages (shared minibuses) cover the coast; the louage station sits about 1.5 km west of the railway station, so take a taxi.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Kerkennah Islands

go

Door to door: About 1 h ferry plus taxi time on the island

Sonotrak ferry from the terminal on Ave Mohamed Hédi Khefacha, up to eight departures a day

Check return sailings before you leave the mainland; taxis on the island are limited.

El Jem

go

Door to door: About 1.5–2 h

Train north, or louage

Roman amphitheatre; an easy half-day if you are heading north anyway.

Gabès

caution

Door to door: About 1.5–2 h

Train south, or louage

Useful as a link toward Matmata and the ksour, not as a day out in itself.

Matmata

overnight

Door to door: About 3 h

Louage or car via Gabès

Too far for a return day; sleep there or in Gabès.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Medina and Bab Diwan

Inside the walls, walkable to the kasbah and souks; budget hotels and restored guesthouses.

Downtown (Ave Habib Bourguiba / Ville Nouvelle)

Mid-range and business hotels, cafés, banks; 5–10 min walk to the medina gates.

Route Soukra

Out-of-centre business hotels with pools; you need a taxi for everything.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
70–120 TND excl. bed
Mid
120–220 TND excl. bed
High
220 TND+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range double room1 × 1 night × TND 160TND 160
Food, local transport, entries2 × 1 day × TND 160TND 320
Kerkennah ferry, both ways2 × TND 2 · 2026 estimate; confirm at the terminalTND 4
Taxi across the centre1 × TND 3 · 2026 estimate; metered, under 2 TND for most downtown hopsTND 3
eSIM, about a week of data2 × TND 25TND 50
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeTND 54
Trip total≈ TND 296 per person per day, bed includedTND 591

2026 estimate in dinars; intercity transport excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee or mint tea in a café1–3 TND
Medina seafood lunch20–45 TND
Museum or kasbah entry3 TND
Taxi across the centreunder 2 TND
Kerkennah ferry, one wayabout 1 TND
eSIM or data SIM, about a week20–40 TND

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Sfax is a low-crime city and the medina is calm; the real issues are summer heat, traffic, and paying for things without an agreed price. Keep to lit streets at night and carry your passport for checkpoints.
  • Summer heat: July–August highs sit above 32 °C, so do the medina before 11:00 and after 16:00.
  • The archaeological museum has been closed for renovation: check before you plan around it.
  • Louages leave only when full; at quiet times you may wait an hour or pay for an extra seat.
  • Closed currency: you cannot take dinars out of Tunisia, so spend or change them before you fly.
  • Police checkpoints are common on main roads; carry your passport.

Emergency numbers

Police
197
Ambulance (SAMU)
190
Fire
198

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

Sfaxصفاقس

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

لهذا العنوان، يرحمكTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police197
  • Ambulance (SAMU)190
  • Fire198

Embassy

Most embassies are in Tunis; check your country's list for a consulate in Sfax.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Taxi across the centre: under 2 TND, metered
  • Kerkennah ferry, one way: about 1 TND
  • Train Sfax → Sousse: check the SNCFT timetable and fare before you go

Say or show

  • أهلاً — Hello (ahla)
  • شكراً — Thank you (shukran)
  • قداش؟ — How much is it? (qadech)
  • الحساب، يرحمك — The bill, please (el-hesab, yarhamk)
  • وين المدينة العتيقة؟ — Where is the medina? (win el-medina el-atika)
  • ما نتكلمش عربي — I don't speak Arabic (ma netkalemsh arabi)

Prices are 2026 estimates in dinars; confirm ferry and train times on the day.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Sfax. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Mar–May, Oct–Nov · avoid Jul–Aug (hot), Sep (wettest month) · month by month →
  2. 1 airport and 3 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contract for SFA: confirm which flights currently operate, taxi fallback, overnight rung.
  2. Walking cluster for the medina: Bab Diwan, kasbah, Dar Djellouli, Café Diwan, with opening-hour checks.
  3. Kerkennah ferry timetable and island taxi fixture so the day trip can go green.
  4. Eat pages for medina seafood and downtown restaurants with last-order times.

Meanwhile

Back to Tunisia

Sources