In short
Djerba is a flat island in the Gulf of Gabès, linked to the mainland by a causeway of Roman origin, El Kantara, and by a ferry. Its culture is distinct from the mainland's: a local Berber language is spoken, and the island long sheltered Jewish and Ibadi communities.
Houmt Souk is the capital and the market. Midoun is the second town. The tourist zone runs along the north-east coast, away from the villages. Erriadh, in the centre, holds the synagogue.
Arriving and getting around
Djerba-Zarzis airport takes seasonal European charters.
By road, two options: the El Kantara causeway to the south-east, always passable, and the Ajim-Jorf ferry to the west, quicker from Tunis but subject to waiting.
The island covers about 500 km² and is flat: a car or a scooter lets you get out of the resort, and a bicycle works over short distances.
What it really costs
Djerba is cheap outside the hotel zone. The complexes run all-inclusive and concentrate the European clientele.
Staying in Houmt Souk rather than the tourist zone costs less and puts you in contact with the real island.
When to come
May–June and September–October. Summer is very hot and saturated; winter is mild, with many establishments closed.
What nobody tells you
The Ghriba synagogue is one of the oldest in Africa and the site of an annual pilgrimage at Lag BaOmer, which draws a diaspora from far away. The site is under permanent security arrangements; access follows strict rules and pilgrimage periods require checking in advance.
Djerba was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2023, for its dispersed pattern of settlement — the menzels, scattered farm-dwellings — and not for its beaches.
Ajim served as Mos Eisley in the first Star Wars; several filming buildings survive on the island and can be visited with no official signposting.
Flamingos frequent the north-western lagoons in winter.