Djerba-Zarzis Airport (DJE): Arrivals Guide, Transport & Car Hire

Djerba-Zarzis International Airport (DJE) is the gateway to Tunisia's largest island and to the far south of the country. It is a small airport with a single terminal, which makes arriving simple: passport control, baggage claim, customs, and you are in the arrivals hall within minutes of landing. This guide covers what happens next: where the airport sits, how far your hotel really is, the options for getting there, what to have ready if you plan to drive, and how departures work when you leave.

VIPCAR's Djerba office is based at the airport itself, one of our three offices with Tunis Lac 2 and Gabès, so our team sees arrivals at DJE every day of the year. The guide is written for any traveller landing there, whether you rent with us or not.

The airport is at Mellita, on the north-west corner of the island, about 9 km from Houmt Souk, the island's main town. Most hotels are on the opposite side, along the north-east coast between Sidi Mahrez and Aghir, so the ride to the hotel zone is a proper drive rather than a short hop. Typical distances and times by car:

Times assume daytime traffic. In July and August the coast road through the hotel zone is slow in the early evening; allow extra time on the day of a departure flight.

International flights go through passport control, then baggage claim and customs, before the public arrivals hall. Have your passport, your hotel name and your return flight details to hand; immigration officers may ask where you are staying. The hall has currency exchange and cash machines: the Tunisian dinar is not sold outside the country, so this is where most visitors get their first notes. Change or withdraw enough for the first day, taxis and small purchases; cards are accepted in hotels and larger shops, rarely in the souk.

Mobile data is cheap in Tunisia, and a local SIM card is worth having if you intend to drive with a map app; operators have counters at the main airports, and shops in Houmt Souk and Midoun sell the same packages. If someone is meeting you, this hall is where they wait: taxi drivers, hotel representatives and rental agents stand just past the exit of the baggage area.

There are four realistic ways to leave the airport. Which one makes sense depends on how long you stay and whether you plan to explore beyond the hotel.

Public buses exist on the island but are infrequent and not practical with luggage.

Renting at the airport removes the transfer entirely: you walk out of the terminal with the keys. With VIPCAR the car is reserved on WhatsApp with a fixed quote; you give us your flight number, our agent follows the actual landing time and waits in arrivals with a sign bearing your name, the contract is signed on the spot and the car is parked outside. There is no counter to queue at and no airport surcharge. Full details, live prices for every car and answers to the usual questions are on our car hire at Djerba airport page. What to have ready:

Every rental includes 300 km per day, accumulated over the rental, basic third-party insurance and full-to-full fuel. For a trip that ends somewhere else, one-way rentals to Tunis or Gabès cost €70–€100 depending on the route.

Leaving the airport, the road runs east towards Houmt Souk; from there the main road continues to Midoun and the coast road to the hotel zone. Roads are flat and well surfaced; the island's hazards are roundabouts, scooters, bicycles and the occasional cart near the villages, so drive gently and expect the unexpected at junctions. Fuel stations are in Houmt Souk, Midoun and on the main roads; fill up before heading to the mainland. Two routes lead off the island: the El Kantara causeway to Zarzis and the Ajim–Jorf ferry towards Gabès and Matmata. Both may be used with a rental car, and the ferry queue is shortest early in the morning.

For the south, Tataouine, Chenini, Matmata and Ksar Ghilane, see our driving in Tunisia guide and our car rental Gabès page; a 4x4 and a declared off-tarmac itinerary are needed for the sand tracks to Ksar Ghilane.

The terminal is small, but summer charter waves fill it quickly: be at the airport two hours before an international flight, more in July and August. Returning a rental car with VIPCAR means agreeing a time on WhatsApp the day before; the agent meets you at the terminal, checks the car with you, closes the contract, and the deposit is released once the car is inspected. Bring the car back with the same fuel level as at delivery. If your flight changes, tell us: collection stays free at any hour.

Passengers on a transfer are dropped at the terminal entrance; agree a pick-up time with a comfortable margin for the drive from the hotel zone.

A popular itinerary lands at Djerba, explores the island and the south, then drives north through Gabès, Sfax, El Jem and Kairouan to fly home from Tunis-Carthage. One-way rental makes it possible without doubling back: pick up at DJE, return in arrivals at Tunis airport or at our Lac 2 office, with the one-way fee confirmed in the quote. Our Tunis-Carthage airport guide covers the other end of the trip.