From Tunis, SNTRI buses cover the 350 km to Gafsa in roughly 6 to 7 hours. Buses depart from the southern bus station (Bab Alioua) and run several times daily. Louages — the shared long-distance taxis that Tunisians prefer — also run this route and are faster when they fill up, which on the Tunis–Gafsa corridor happens reliably. The train connection exists but is slower and less convenient: the Tunis–Gafsa rail line involves a change at Sfax and the journey stretches to 8 hours or more; it is rarely the first choice.
From Tozeur, 95 km to the southwest, the road is straightforward and well-maintained — about 90 minutes by car or louage, with the steppe landscape gradually giving way to the more mineral terrain around Gafsa. This route is the most natural approach for travelers coming up from the Saharan south. From Sfax, louages cover the 130 km northwest in around 2 hours. Gafsa has no commercial airport; the nearest is Tozeur-Nefta International, which handles a small number of domestic and charter flights.