Nº01
Deglet Nour dates
Nicknamed the "finger of light," this translucent, honey-sweet date has made Tozeur world-famous; its palm grove counts over 200,000 trees.
Tozeur Governorate
Gateway to the Sahara, kingdom of palms and mirages
120K pop.4 719 km²450 km from TunisTozeur–Nefta International Airport airport on-site
Capital of the Jerid, Tozeur lies between two immense salt chotts at the edge of the Grand Erg Oriental. Its historic palm grove of over 200,000 Deglet Nour date palms, irrigated since the 13th century by Ibn Chabbat's ingenious seguia canals, wraps around the Ouled el-Hadef medina, famed for its sculpted yellow-brick façades found nowhere else in Tunisia. At the desert's edge unfold the mountain oases of Chebika, Tamerza and Midès, the abandoned Star Wars sets of Mos Espa and Ong Jemel, and the surreal causeway across Chott el-Jerid. Served by an international airport and a recently restored rail link, the city is the ideal base for exploring the Tunisian Sahara.
What It's Known For
The signatures that make Tozeur unmistakable
Nº02
Ouled el-Hadef brick architecture
The 14th-century ochre brick façades carved with geometric relief patterns are unique in Tunisia and adorn the entire old medina.
Nº03
The mountain oases
Chebika, Tamerza and Midès offer waterfalls, ochre canyons and suspended palm groves near the Algerian border.
Nº04
Gateway to the Sahara
The ideal launchpad for 4×4 trips into the Grand Erg Oriental, the Chott el-Jerid crossing, and the Star Wars sets at Mos Espa and Ong Jemel.
Must-See Landmarks
Explore the treasures that make Tozeur unforgettable
Nº01
Ouled el-Hadef Medina
A 14th-century historic quarter of narrow lanes and ochre brick façades sculpted with geometric relief patterns, home to ancient mosques and zaouias.
Open 24/7Free
Nº02
Dar Cherait Museum
Tunisia's first private museum, opened in 1990, recreating 19th-century Tunisian bourgeois life inside a reproduction palace with refined décor.
Nº03
Chebika Oasis
Mountain oasis at the foot of Djebel el-Negueb, with springs, a small waterfall, a palm-filled gorge, and the ruins of the old village abandoned after the 1969 floods.
Nº04
Tamerza Oasis and Waterfall
Tunisia's largest mountain oasis, the Roman Ad Turres, famed for its seasonal waterfall and the ochre cliffs surrounding its ruined old village.
Nº05
Midès Canyon
A spectacular 3-km sandstone gorge of layered red and ochre strata above the Roman Mades, used as a filming location for The English Patient.
Nº06
Ong Jemel
A sandstone outcrop shaped like a camel's neck amid the Eriguet dunes, a famed Star Wars Episode I filming location.
Free (4×4 access)
Nº07
Mos Espa Star Wars Set
The best-preserved Star Wars set in Tunisia: around twenty domed Tatooine spaceport buildings erected in 1997 for Episode I and reused thereafter.
Open site, best at sunrise and sunsetFree
Nº08
Chott el-Jerid
Tunisia's largest salt pan, a vast dry endorheic lake crossed by a 50-km causeway between Tozeur and Kebili, famed for its mirages and salt sculptures.
Public road, open 24/7Free
Nº09
Tozeur Palm Grove
A vast historic oasis of over 200,000 palms across nearly 1,000 hectares, irrigated since the 13th century by the seguia canals designed by Ibn Chabbat.
Free (calèche about 60 TND/hour)
Nº10
Chak Wak Park
A 5-hectare thematic park within the palm grove, featuring life-size dinosaurs, religious-history dioramas and Carthaginian battle reconstructions.
Daily 8 AM – midnight10 TND adults / 5 TND children
Nº11
Eden Palm
A date palm eco-museum in the heart of the old oasis, with a permanent exhibition, conservatory garden, tasting of date products and shop.
Daily from 8 AM until sunset6 TND
Nº12
Corbeille de Nefta
A striking bowl-shaped natural depression fed by springs, overlooking Nefta and Chott el-Jerid in a celebrated Sufi heartland.
Free
Local flavors
Local Specialties
Traditional dishes you must try
01Local flavors
Deglet Nour dates
A translucent, honey-sweet date nicknamed the "finger of light," the emblem of Tozeur and the pride of all Tunisia.
02Local flavors
Rob (date syrup)
A thick molasses made from slow-cooked pressed dates, used in pastries or drizzled over melon as a dessert.
03Local flavors
Chakhchoukha of the Jerid
Crumbled semolina flatbread soaked in a spiced tomato, lamb and chickpea sauce — the signature dish of the Jerid.
04Local flavors
Rfiss with dates
Balls of crushed dates blended with toasted semolina and salted butter, an emblematic dessert of the Jerid.
05Local flavors
Dromedary à la gargoulette
A Saharan specialty: dromedary meat slow-cooked in a sealed clay jar that is broken open at the table.
06Local flavors
Bsissa
A powder of roasted grains and legumes (barley, wheat, chickpeas, anise, fennel) mixed with olive oil and rob, of Saharan Berber origin.
Where to eat
Recommended Restaurants
From fine dining to local favorites
€€
Top recommended
Restaurant Tisouros
A community restaurant opened in 2023, supporting oasis farmers and women's cooperatives, repeatedly cited as the best in Tozeur.
Must-try:Saffa, dromedary à la gargoulette, mloukhia
€€
Editor's pick
Le Minaret Ferkous
A hidden table d'hôte near the Ferkous Mosque, run by an English- and French-speaking host, renowned for its set menu and six-salad starter.
Must-try:Chakhchoukha with chicken, lamb couscous, date ice cream
€€
Editor's pick
Restaurant Dar Deda
A Tozeur institution set in a traditional house near the medina, specializing in oasis and Saharan cuisine.
Must-try:Dromedary à la gargoulette, chakhchoukha, ojja merguez
€€
Local favorite
Restaurant Le Soleil
A well-established family restaurant on the main avenue, valued for its affordable traditional cooking and its complimentary melon-with-rob dessert.
Must-try:Berber couscous with camel, lamb à la jarre
€
Local favorite
Restaurant de la République
Tozeur's oldest central restaurant, set in an arcade off a courtyard, ideal for an authentic, budget-friendly meal.
Must-try:Couscous, grilled chicken, dromedary in jar
€€€
Local favorite
Sarab — Anantara Sahara Tozeur
The signature restaurant of the five-star Anantara resort, serving international and Tunisian buffets with live cooking stations.
Must-try:Saharan buffet, grilled meats and oriental pastries
Watch
See Tozeur in motion
A glimpse of what awaits you on the ground
Getting Around
How to reach the governorate and move around once there
Reaching the governorate
From Tunis
Train
10 h 55 · 28 – 45 TNDDirect SNCFT service reopened in September 2025 after several years of suspension; long route via Sfax, Gabès, Gafsa and Metlaoui.
View scheduleBus
7 h · 30 – 45 TNDDaily SNTRI buses from Tunis southern bus station, roughly every four hours, with a 7-hour journey.
Car
6 h 30Around 450 km via the A1 motorway to Sfax, then the RN14 through Gafsa; about 6 to 7 hours by road.
Once you're there
Local Transport
City taxi
2 – 5 TNDMeters often unused — agree the fare before getting in.
Louage (shared taxi)
5 – 20 TND depending on destinationYellow-striped shared taxis connecting Tozeur to Nefta, Degache, Metlaoui and Kebili.
Calèche (horse cart)
about 60 TND/hourTraditional rides through the palm grove for up to 4 people; fare negotiable.
4×4 desert excursion
120 – 300 TND for the dayTours to Chott el-Jerid, Ong Jemel, Mos Espa and the mountain oases; book via agency or with local drivers.