It's apparently Germans that fill up the touristic zone of Jerba, as all small vendors and hustlers down here address you first in German, before they try their crumbling French. Unfortunately the touristic zone which could have been the base and starting point for some lazy and pleasurable explorations of the island, seems to have turned into a ghetto. When every hotel comes with at least one restaurant, bar and discotheque, as well as 'animators', people that have actually gone to school for a couple of years to learn how to amuse charter tourists. Fake Tunisian folklore, jokes and aearobics on the beach seem to have been dominating their curriculum. In a place like Jerba this is sad.
Great things are so close, and so easy to get to, people so friendly.
So, even if the beaches are great, and you have a good time, mindless holidays on Jerba is really a waste. On the island of Jerba , there are many villages, but almost no towns. The only real town is the beautiful Houmt Souq , while the second town, Midoun , is less exciting. Many travellers arriving at Jerba pass through the village of Ajim , but more picturesque is the little visited Guellala . Many visitors are intrigued by the presence of Jews, whose main synagogue is in Hara Sghira , while the majority lives in Hara Kebira .