Tozeur
Tunisia
A date-palm oasis of patterned brick on the edge of the Chott el Jerid
Photo by Nace Škoda on Unsplash
Photos by prof polymath, Daniela Castro, Karim Ben Van and N. K. on Unsplash
Best time to visit all of Tunisia
October to April — the Saharan summer runs past forty degrees and the town stops in the afternoon
Climate month by month
The next sixteen daysOpen-Meteo
Average high and low · °C
Rainfall · mm per month
Best months to visit This month · wettest 12mm in Mar
Where it is
33.92°N, 8.13°E Open in Google Maps
Things to do
A week easily- Walk Ouled el Hadef early in the morning, when the low sun picks out the patterns in the brick
- Cycle or take a calèche through the palm grove, and see how the water is divided between the gardens
- Drive out across the Chott el Jerid causeway at sunrise, when the salt turns pink
- Go to Ong Jemel and Mos Espa by 4x4 in the late afternoon, and stay for sunset on the dunes
- Spend a morning in Nefta, at the Corbeille and the Sufi shrines around it
- Eat dates from the branch in the market rather than from a box
Tozeur travel tipsthe general rules
Currency budget Tunisia
Good valueThe dinar is a closed currency: you cannot buy it before arriving and cannot legally take it out. Change at the airport in Tunis or a bank in Tozeur and keep every receipt, which is what lets you change the remainder back. The 4x4 drivers, the calèches and the date sellers are paid in cash.
ATMs & cards
The banks and their machines are on Avenue Habib Bourguiba in the centre. Draw what you need for the desert days here; there is little or nothing at the mountain oases or on the far side of the Chott.
Avoid these
- relying on cards outside the bigger hotels
Use these instead
- BIAT
- STB
- BNA
- Attijari
The dinar cannot leave the country. Keep every exchange receipt, and draw enough in Tozeur for the 4x4 days, which are cash.
Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.
Safety all of Tunisia
Reasonably safeQuiet and friendly, with low crime; the touts selling desert trips and calèche rides are the only friction. The heat is the real hazard from late spring to early autumn. Be precise about the border: the UK advises against all but essential travel within 10km of the Algerian border south of Kasserine Governorate. Tozeur and Nefta are well outside it, but Mides sits on the border and Tamerza a few kilometres from it, so the classic mountain-oasis tour goes into that band; Chebika is close to its edge. Check the current advice and your insurance before booking it. Two nights is right: one day for the palm grove and Nefta, one for the dunes or the Chott.
Where to walk, and where to pay attention (8 areas)
Comfortable, including after dark
Worth more attention
- Mides — on the Algerian border, inside the 10km band where the UK advises against all but essential travel
- Tamerza — a few kilometres from the Algerian border and inside the same band
- Chott el Jerid — the salt crust off the causeway is soft underneath; stay on the road
- The summer heat, past forty degrees by day — out early and late, indoors in the afternoon
Our own assessment, not a sourced index.
Entry & visa Tunisia visa rules
No visa neededup to 90 days
Stamped on arrival. Proof of accommodation is sometimes asked for.
Other passports
Visa required in advance
Entry rules change often and depend on your passport, not where you live — the official page above is the authority, and the airline checks before you board.
Health & emergencies all of Tunisia
Good but costlyRequired to enter
- Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present
Jabs worth having, and what happens if you need a doctor
Worth having
- Hepatitis A
- Typhoid
- Tetanus up to date
- Rabies for longer or rural stays
Getting treated
Private clinics in Tunis and the coastal resorts are decent and inexpensive by European standards, and are used to treating visitors. Public hospitals are stretched. Pharmacies are excellent and dispense a great deal without a prescription.
Tap water is chlorinated but most people drink bottled. Stomach upsets are the most common complaint. Summer heat inland is severe.
Orientation, not medical advice — entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history. Check with a travel clinic four to six weeks before you go.
Food tip
GoodDates, above all the Deglet Nour, sold on the branch in the market when the harvest comes in late in the year. Legmi, palm sap drunk fresh in the morning, turns alcoholic by the afternoon. Otherwise the southern couscous and grilled lamb; Tozeur is not a place people come for the food.
Travel tipsGetting around
Limited- BoltWorks here
- inDriveWorks here
- Against a taxi
- Level with a metered yellow taxi, which is already cheap. The app is about the meter being used.
Time zone and your working day
Africa/Tunis — 5 hours ahead of you
3 hours of overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are — 09:00–12:00 your time, 14:00–17:00 theirs.
No overlap with a 09:00–17:00 day where you are. Working from here means one of you keeps odd hours — their day starts at 04:00 on your clock.
office hours both at once night
Their 09:00–17:00 is 04:00–12:00 on yours.
The difference from the UK, Europe, the US and ten more
Worked out against America/New York, which is where this request looks like it came from.
eSIM
A data eSIM for Tunisia, installed before you fly and working the moment you land:
Works here
Works hereRevolutIn the app
Must-see
Travel tipsNearby day trips
Travel tipsSay a few words
Arabic
- Helloمرحبا — MarhabaMAR-ha-ba
- Pleaseمن فضلك — Min fadlakmin FAD-lak
- Thank youشكرا — ShukranSHOOK-ran
- Yes / Noنعم / لا — Na’am / LaNA-am / la
4 more phrases
- Excuse meعفوا — AfwanAF-wan
- How much is it?بكم — Bikam?bi-KAM
- The bill, pleaseالحساب — Al-hisabal-hi-SAB
- Welcomeأهلا وسهلا — Ahlan wa sahlanAH-lan wa SAH-lan
Inshallah, meaning God willing, follows nearly any statement about the future and is conversational rather than religious.
Travel tipsReligion
Sunni Muslim
Islam is the state religion, though Tunisia is among the most socially liberal countries in the Arab world. Non-Muslims may not enter most mosques; the Zitouna courtyard is one exception. Ramadan changes daily rhythms considerably.
Travel tipsDo's and don'ts
Do
- Greet with as-salamu alaykum, or bonjour — French works everywhere
- Cover shoulders and knees away from beach resorts, and more so in Kairouan
- Haggle in the souks, starting around a third of the asking price, and keep it good-humoured
- Use the right hand for eating and for handing anything over
Don't
- Do not follow anyone who offers to show you a "special" workshop or a festival that happens to be today
- Do not photograph police, military or government buildings
- Do not eat or drink openly in the street during daylight in Ramadan
- Do not discuss politics with people you have just met
Where to stay in Tozeur
No Holistay rentals in Tozeur yet — the platform is just opening up. Every listing here will have a video tour and the option to negotiate the nightly price directly with the host.
In the meantime, here is Tozeur on the sites that do have the inventory — each search is already filled in:
- Booking.com hotels, guesthouses and apartments — the widest coverage almost everywhere
- Airbnb whole homes and apartments, and the better option for a week or more
How to get there
Fly into Tozeur-Nefta TOE
10 minfrom the airport· 3 km as the crow flies
10 min to the centre.
Also worth pricing: Tunis-Carthage TUN — far more flights; a Tunisair Express connection to Tozeur, or about six hours by road.
Google Flights · Rome2Rio for the trains, buses and ferries as well as the flights
