Getting Around Sfax

Getting Around Sfax

Sfax is Tunisia's second-most populous city and a major Mediterranean port, and public transport is easily available for getting around. The city centre is compact and anchored by the Medina, with the main railway station just to its north, so many of the practical transport options cluster within a short distance of each other.

Rail: The Main Station and Long-Distance Trains

Sfax is well connected by rail, and the train station (Gare de Sfax) sits just north of the city centre — convenient if you're arriving or leaving by train and staying downtown.

• Train connections run from the central station to most major Tunisian cities.
• Southbound services head to Gabès, useful for the Ksour district and the sites where Star Wars was filmed.
• Northbound services run to El Djem, Sousse and Tunis.
• Trains offer three classes of travel: 2nd class, 1st class and Confort.
• The Confort class is recommended, especially when trains are crowded, because the inspector will move passengers out of seats where they don't belong. It is a separate, smaller section within one of the 1st class coaches.

Buses

Sfax has two bus stations, serving different roles, and it's worth knowing which is which before you set out.

• Soretras is the regional bus company. Its station is on Rue Commondant Bejaoui, a few blocks past the central market. Its buses may not offer air conditioning.
• SNTRI offers long-distance buses. Its station may be marked incorrectly on some travel guide maps — it is not across from the regional bus station but roughly 400 m to the south, over the train tracks. It is probably best to take a taxi there, especially in summer; the ride costs less than 2 DT from the Medina or Boulevard République. The bus station is in the same building as the Tunisair office.

For getting around within the city, buses are rarely used by tourists, since they are irregular, slow and crowded. They can still be cheap for reaching destinations along the roads that radiate out of the city: a bus departing from locations around the Medina (mostly to the north or to the east) costs a fraction of a taxi fare for the same trip. A useful map of bus routes and other information about Sfax is available at www.ecfi-t.com.

Taxis

Taxis are economical and are the most practical way for a visitor to move around Sfax. Getting around the downtown area should cost less than 2 DT per ride — for example, from Bab Bhar (south of the Medina) to Sfax Jdiid (north of the Medina), or from the railway station to Hotel Syphax. For longer trips out along the radial roads, expect to pay by distance; a taxi to around kilometre 8, for instance, costs roughly 3.500 DT.

Louages (Shared Minibuses)

For travel to other towns, the louage is a shared minibus carrying about nine passengers. The louage station is located beyond the western end of Avenue Bourguiba, about 1½ km from the railway station, so it is worth taking a taxi there.

• The driver waits until the minibus is full, which may mean an hour or more at quiet times or for infrequent destinations.
• A wait for a ride to Tunis, El Djem or Sousse should not take too long.
• If you are in a hurry and only one or two seats remain, you can offer to pay for an extra seat or two to depart sooner.

Ferries to the Kerkennah Islands

Sfax is the gateway to the Kerkennah Islands, about 20 km off the coast. Sonotrak operates up to eight daily departures. The ferry terminal is located on Ave Mohamed Hédi Khefacha.

Walking

The city centre is compact enough that the Medina, the area around Bab Bhar, and the streets toward Sfax Jdiid are all within easy reach of one another, and short downtown hops by taxi are inexpensive if you'd rather not walk. Note that the two bus stations and the louage station sit somewhat apart from the centre and from each other, so plan on a taxi for those connections rather than on foot.

Getting In from the Airport

Sfax-Thyna Airport (SFA) serves the city. It has two flights per week to and from Paris CDG with Tunisair. You can also reach Sfax by internal flights with Sevenair from Djerba, Tozeur or Tunis, or with a Libyan Airlines flight from Tripoli.

Arriving by Car or Boat

A highway connects Sfax to northern cities such as Tunis and Sousse, making the city straightforward to reach by car. If you arrive by sea, the ferry terminal for the Kerkennah Islands is on Ave Mohamed Hédi Khefacha.