Sfax Travel Guide

 maykal Says:  It might not be the most exciting place, nor the most aesthetically pleasing, but the French colonial architecture in the new town of Sfax can make for some picturesque corners...unfortunately, I didn't take may pictures here, so you'll just have to take my word for it. At... 

 maykal Says:  I'd wanted to visit Dar Jellouli on both my previous trips. The first time, I cound't find it as I was busy being lost in another part of the old city, and when i did finally find it, it was closed. Last year (2006), I found it easily enough, but it was closed for... 

 TheLongTone Says:  The Great Mosque of Sfax is not difficult to find: it is in the middle of the medina, not quite on the main thoroughfare leadind up from Bab al Diwan: and unusually it announces itself on the outside, with the remarkable series of decorated niches on the eastern wall. What... 

 TheLongTone Says:  If you are at all interested in architecture and building techniques this museum is a must. And if you're not I'd recommend it anyway, since situated as it is in the old kasbah it offers the opportunity to actually walk the ramparts of the medina, giving stunning views. Well... 

 maykal Says:  Sfax medina is jam-packed with markets, each with its own name and specialising in a certain thing. The locals all know exactly which alley to turn down to find fruit, which archaway to pass under to buy your fresh fish, where the best olive-wood bowls are sold...but as a... 

 maykal Says:  A map is useless here, as the streets really do form a maze. Pick a backstreet, then another, and another, and soon you'll be lost, no idea which way is north and which is south. You won't be lost for very long, as eventually you'll hit the walls, or will emerge on one of... 

 maykal Says:  In the southwestern corner of the medina lies the Kasbah, a castle-like structure built into the walls. It is now a museum of Traditional Architecture, and for a few dinars you can enter. Despite not really being up on my architecture, I found many of the exhibits quite... 

 8 Opinions

 TheLongTone Says:  I suppose I didn't choose the best time to visit La Perla, and with good reason. I was ctching the 01.15 night train to Tunis, so a restaurant that stayed open until the small hours seemed a good option: checking earlier in the day I was told until three. La Perla has an... 

 TheLongTone Says:  This is a great restaurant. It's nothing on the outside, letters are falling off the sign, and the interior isn't smart in any way (apart from the above exuberance). This is because what matters here is the food; eating is a serious business and should be done properly.... 

 maykal Says:  Set into the walls of old Sfax, you can't come to Sfax and miss cafe Diwan...to miss it is to commit a crime! Essentially just a traditional coffeehouse, this one is enhanced by being housed in a tower in the city walls, and for such a traditionally furnished place, I'm... 

 maykal Says:  "Why don't you take the train?" suggested the man at reception. Yes, I thought, why don't I take the train? I had yet to experience a Tunisian train, and was assured it was more comfortable than louages. The advantages were that I would know when exactly I would leave, and... 

 maykal Says:  Sfax is a major city, so louages leave all day long for all over the country. For an idea of price, I took a louage from Le Kef to Sfax, which took 4 hours and cost 12TD. South to Gabes, a journey taking 2 hours, cost 6TD. Mahdia was around two hours away to the north, but I... 

 maykal Says:  I was warned by my friends in Gabes not to enter Sfax's medina after dark, as there are very few streetlights, it is easy to get lost and apparently it can be quite dangerous. Arriving late at night, I decided to stay in the new part of the city, as I didn't fancy getting...