Djerba: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Djerba holds one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world still living where it began, in two villages it has kept for many centuries; about a thousand Jews live here today. The synagogue has been the target of attacks, in 2002 and in 2023, and is heavily guarded. Check Israel’s current travel warning for Tunisia before going. One to two hours.

A short history of Djerba

Some identify Djerba with the land of the Lotus-eaters in the Odyssey, and in Roman times the city of Meninx stood on the island. According to the tradition of the island's Jewish community, priests came here after the destruction of the First Temple, and the El Ghriba synagogue is one of the oldest in North Africa and a pilgrimage destination on Lag BaOmer. In 1560 the Ottoman fleet defeated a large Christian fleet off the island. On 11 April 2002 a truck bomb exploded near the synagogue, killing 21 people. A small Jewish community still lives on the island today.

The ten best sights in Djerba

1
Houmt Souk
The island’s town of markets and white lanes
2
Borj el Kebir
The sea fort of the great battle of 1560
3
El Ghriba
The ancient synagogue; heavy security, modest dress
4
Djerbahood
A village of street art in Erriadh
5
Hara Kebira
The larger of the two Jewish villages
6
Fadhloun Mosque
A fortified Ibadi mosque of white plaster
7
Midoun
The second town, with a Friday market
8
Sidi Mahrez
The long hotel beach of the east coast
9
Lalla Hadria Museum
Arts of Tunisia and the Islamic world
10
Djerba Explore
A crocodile farm and a heritage village

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Djerba →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Djerba:

Free walking tours in Djerba

The Jews of Djerba

El Ghriba · The tradition of the community says that priests fleeing the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE came to Djerba and built here a synagogue with a stone or a door from the Temple set into it. The present building, covered inside with blue tiles, dates mostly from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The Lag BaOmer pilgrimage · Every year on Lag BaOmer thousands of pilgrims — from Tunisia, France and Israel — come for the hillula, with prayers, songs and a procession carrying a great decorated menara through the village, in honour of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
Djerbahood · In 2014 about a hundred and fifty street artists from some thirty countries painted the walls of Erriadh, the village once called Hara Sghira, the little Jewish quarter. The murals still cover its white lanes, beside the houses of the Jewish families.
Hara Kebira · The larger Jewish village, near Houmt Souk, where most of the community lives today, with its own synagogues, yeshivot and kosher butchers. Djerban Jews kept a strict traditional life and their own customs of writing Torah scrolls, and many emigrated to Israel, where they settled in places such as Moshav Brosh.
Houmt Souk · Jewish jewellers and goldsmiths long worked in the covered souk of the island’s town, and some still do; their filigree silver and gold are sold in the lanes beside the old fondouks, the inns of the caravan merchants.
Borj el Kebir · In 1560 an Ottoman fleet under the corsair Dragut destroyed a Spanish expedition at Djerba and besieged its garrison in this fort. The skulls of thousands of dead soldiers were piled into a tower near the shore, which stood until 1848; a small obelisk marks the place.

The south of the island

Djerba is flat and small, about twenty-five kilometres across, joined to the mainland by a Roman causeway. The south holds the potters’ village, the Roman ruins and the fishing port where Star Wars was filmed. Half a day by car or bicycle.

Guellala · A village of potters since antiquity, built over the clay it works; workshops dug into the hillsides still fire jars, plates and the big amphora-shaped pots once used for water and oil.
Guellala Heritage Museum · A museum on the highest hill of the island that shows the traditions of Djerba in life-size scenes — weddings, weaving, pottery — with a view over the south coast.
Ajim · The fishing port facing the mainland, known for its sponge divers. In 1976 George Lucas filmed scenes of the desert town of Mos Eisley for the first Star Wars film in its lanes.
El Kantara · A causeway about seven kilometres long joins the island to the mainland, first built by the Romans and rebuilt in modern times. Ancient tradition also makes Djerba the island of the Lotus-Eaters in Homer’s Odyssey.
Meninx · The ruins of the main Roman town of the island, famous for purple dye made from sea snails, whose shells still lie in heaps on the shore. Most of it has never been excavated.
Aghir · Quiet beaches on the south-east coast, with shallow warm water. In the island’s countryside, white menzels — fortified family farmhouses — stand among olive trees and palms.

Mosques, markets and the coast

Most of Djerba’s Muslims are Ibadis, a small and austere branch of Islam, and the island is dotted with hundreds of small, fortified white mosques; the whole settlement pattern of the island is a world heritage site. Half a day.

Fadhloun Mosque · A small mosque of whitewashed plaster with buttresses and a squat minaret, built like a fort with a well, a mill and rooms for students. Ibadi mosques on Djerba also served as lookouts and refuges against raids from the sea.
Midoun · The island’s second town. Many of its families are descendants of people brought from sub-Saharan Africa, and its Friday market is the busiest in the east of the island.
Lalla Hadria Museum · A museum of the arts of Tunisia and the Islamic world — tiles, manuscripts, weapons and jewellery — built in traditional Djerban style near the hotel coast.
Sidi Mahrez · The long white beach of the north-east coast, lined with hotels, where most visitors to the island stay.
Ras Rmel · A sandy spit north of Houmt Souk where flamingos gather in winter, reached by boat trips from the harbour, often on old pirate-style ships.
Houmt Souk · Back in the island’s town for the evening, among the white domes of the covered souk, the cafés and the old fondouks turned into small hotels.

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Getting to Djerba and getting around

Djerba–Zarzis Airport · Ten minutes from Houmt Souk

Cheap eats in Djerba

Tunisia eats with harissa: brik, a crisp triangle of thin pastry around a runny egg and tuna, eaten with the fingers; lablabi, a chickpea soup poured over torn bread with cumin and harissa; fish couscous; and Djerba’s own rouz jerbi, rice steamed over meat, greens and spices. A brik and a bowl of lablabi cost very little.

Houmt Souk · Brik and lablabi in the souk
Hara Kebira · Kosher bakeries and Djerban Jewish dishes
Ajim · Fresh fish at the port
Midoun · The Friday market

Museums in Djerba

Djerba’s museums are small: the island’s traditions, the arts of Islam, and Roman ruins in the open.

Guellala Heritage Museum · Djerban life
Lalla Hadria Museum · Islamic arts
Borj el Kebir · The fort of 1560
Meninx · The Roman town

Nature and day trips near Djerba

A flat island of olives, palms and white beaches, with flamingos in the lagoons in winter.

Ras Rmel · Flamingos
Sidi Mahrez · The long beach
Aghir · Quiet shallow water

Things to do in Djerba with kids

With children: crocodiles, a pirate-ship trip to see flamingos, shallow beaches and the streets of Star Wars.

Djerba Explore · The crocodile farm
Ras Rmel · A pirate-ship cruise
Ajim · Star Wars streets
Djerbahood · Painted walls

Holy places in Djerba

An island of an ancient Jewish community and of Ibadi Muslims, two small faiths that have lived side by side for a thousand years.

El Ghriba · The ancient synagogue
Hara Kebira · The living Jewish village
Fadhloun Mosque · The fortified Ibadi mosque

Nightlife in Djerba

Djerba’s nights are on the hotel coast and in the cafés of Houmt Souk.

Sidi Mahrez · Hotel bars
Houmt Souk · Cafés in the souk
Midoun · An evening in town

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Frequently asked questions about Djerba

What is there to see in Djerba?

The top sights in Djerba are Houmt Souk, Borj el Kebir and El Ghriba. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Djerba?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Djerba without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Djerba?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Djerba, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: The Jews of Djerba.

How do you get to Djerba and get around?

The main ways are Djerba–Zarzis Airport. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Djerba, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Djerba that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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