Sfax Governorate · Tunisia
Sfax travel guide
Sfax is a city in Sfax Governorate, Tunisia, home to about 273,000 people.
- Best months
- March to May and October to December
- Nearest airport
- SFA7 km · Sfax Thyna International Airport
- Currency
- TNDTunisian dinar
- Time zone
- Africa/Tunis
- Language
- Arabic
About
About Sfax
Sfax is a major port city in Tunisia, located 270 km (170 mi) southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate (about 955,421 inhabitants in 2014), and a Mediterranean port.
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Sfax
See
- Archaeological Museum of Sfax
- Kasbah
- Dar Djellouli
- Blacksmith's Souk
Do
Wander around the fascinating Medina (which has an easily mastered and logical layout) where life and business go on much as they have for years and where tourists, although welcome, are few and far between. Ride to Kerkenna on the ferry, with 8 trips a day costing about 800 millimes each way. In Kerkenna, get a taxi to the Hotel Cercina where you can walk the beach, or sit on their patio and enjoy tea looking over the bay. Check the times of the ferry's return, and make sure you get a taxi back in time! From the Grand Hotel you an also walk the beach, with your destination, the old Bourj, visible in the distance. About 1½ km each way, so give yourselves time to enjoy it.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Sfax to stay in
Budget accommodations include several hotels immediately inside the medina from the main gate (Bab Diwan), just off to the right. Of these, Hotel Besbes is considered as the least worst of these.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Sfax
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sfax are March to May and October to December. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; October is the wettest, with about 48 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Sfax: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sfax Thyna International Airport (SFA), about 6.8 km from the city centre in a straight line; Djerba Zarzis International Airport (DJE, 96 km) and Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport (MIR, 113 km) are also within reach.
Getting around
Public transport is easily available in Sfax. Taxis are economical, and getting around in the downtown area should cost less than 2 DT per ride. For example, this would include from Bab Bhar (south of the Medina) to Sfax Jdiid (north of the Medina), or from the Railway station to Hotel Syphax. Buses are rarely used by tourists, since they are irregular, slow and crowded. If you are going to a destination on one of the roads that radiate out of the city, a taxi might cost about 3.500 DT to kilometer 8, for example. A bus would only cost 0.510 DT.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
SFA · Sfax Thyna International Airport
DJE · Djerba Zarzis International Airport
MIR · Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport
Questions
Sfax: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Sfax?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Sfax are March to May and October to December. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 34 °C; October is the wettest, with about 48 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Sfax?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Sfax Thyna International Airport (SFA), about 6.8 km from the city centre in a straight line; Djerba Zarzis International Airport (DJE, 96 km) and Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport (MIR, 113 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Sfax?
Tunisian dinar (TND).
Nearby
Destinations near Sfax
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.