In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · Tunisia
Sfax
صفاقس
Give Sfax one night for the medina, kasbah and Kerkennah ferry; two nights only if you want a full island day. Otherwise skip it.
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.
- Country
- Tunisia
- Local name
- صفاقس
- Best months
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (hot), Sep (wettest month)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- TND
- Money
- Currency is the Tunisian dinar (TND). Cards work in larger hotels and some restaurants; louages, taxis, markets and cafés are cash.
- Daily spend
- Budget 70–120 TND excl. bed · Mid 120–220 TND excl. bed · High 220 TND+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Ooredoo, Orange and Tunisie Telecom sell SIMs at airports and shops with a passport; 10–20 GB for about TND 20–40 — check.
- Emergency
- Police 197 · Ambulance (SAMU) 190 · Fire 198
- Plugs
- Types C, E · 230 V · 50 Hz · European plugs.
- Tipping
- Café: Leave small coins.; Restaurant: About 10%.; Guide, full day: TND 20–40.; Porter: TND 2–5.
- Water
- Tap water is treated but tastes of chlorine; most drink bottled.
- Toilets
- Western in hotels; squat in older cafés; carry tissue.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or mint tea in a café | 1–3 TND |
| Medina seafood lunch | 20–45 TND |
| Museum or kasbah entry | 3 TND |
| Taxi across the centre | under 2 TND |
| Kerkennah ferry, one way | about 1 TND |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | 20–40 TND |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- 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).About 4.3 mi southwest of the centre; limited scheduled flights, so most arrivals come by train, louage or car (check current routes).
Typical fares
- 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
Get 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.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 0.9 mi west of the railway station, so take a taxi.
See and do
Known for
- Medina and kasbah
- Kerkennah Islands ferry
- Olive oil and fishing port
- Mosaic collection (check reopening)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kerkennah Islands | Sonotrak ferry from the terminal on Ave Mohamed Hédi Khefacha, up to eight departures a day | About 1 h ferry plus taxi time on the island |
| El Jem | Train north, or louage | About 1.5–2 h |
| Gabès | Train south, or louage | About 1.5–2 h |
| Matmata | Louage or car via Gabès | About 3 h |
Sleep
- 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.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | أهلاًahla |
| Thank you | شكراًshukran |
| How much is it? | قداش؟qadech |
| The bill, please | الحساب، يرحمكel-hesab, yarhamk |
| Where is the medina? | وين المدينة العتيقة؟win el-medina el-atika |
| I don't speak Arabic | ما نتكلمش عربيma netkalemsh arabi |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'aslema' or 'bonjour'; avoid: Kissing on the cheek unless offered
- Dress: Covered shoulders and knees in towns; avoid: Swimwear off the beach
- Bargaining: Friendly haggling in souks; avoid: Haggling in fixed-price shops
- Photos: Ask first; avoid: Police and military
Scams and watch-outs
- 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.
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.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sfax yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Medina and kasbah
- Kerkennah Islands ferry
- Olive oil and fishing port
- Mosaic collection (check reopening)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Wikivoyage: Sfax, revision 5329210 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5329210
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Sfaxصفاقس
لهذا العنوان، يرحمك
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most embassies are in Tunis; check your country's list for a consulate in Sfax.
Prices are 2026 estimates in dinars; confirm ferry and train times on the day.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/sfax). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.