country
Algeriaالجزائر
First trip: 3 nights in Algiers (Casbah, Notre-Dame d'Afrique, Tipasa), 2–3 in Constantine for Djemila and Timgad, and add the Sahara (Ghardaïa or Djanet) only as a flight-in block arranged with a licensed agency.
Algeria is Africa's largest country and sees few independent tourists, so infrastructure for visitors is thin. Trips break on the visa (arranged in advance for most passports), on distance (Algiers to Djanet is a flight, not a drive), and on cash (foreign cards are rarely accepted). The rules that apply everywhere: sort the visa and invitation early, fly between the north and the Sahara, carry enough cash in euros to exchange, and expect police checkpoints and occasional escorts in the south.
All regions, cities and parks in Algeria (Atlas) →
Regions
Casbah, colonial centre, Tipasa Roman ruins and Cherchell
3–4 nights
Gorge city of Constantine; Djemila, Timgad and Annaba
2–4 nights
Oran and Tlemcen
2–3 nights
Ghardaïa and the M'zab valley; Djanet and Tassili n'Ajjer; Tamanrasset and the Hoggar
3–7 nights
Arrive
ALG
Algiers Houari Boumediene
Main gateway; about 30–45 min by road to the centre
ORN
Oran Ahmed Ben Bella
Western gateway with flights to France and Spain
CZL
Constantine Mohamed Boudiaf
Eastern gateway; some flights to France
Time math
- 4 days
- Algiers 4 (Casbah, city centre, Tipasa day trip)
- 7 days
- Algiers 3 + fly or train to Constantine 3 (Djemila, Timgad) + back to Algiers 1
- 12 days
- Algiers 3 + Constantine 3 + fly to Djanet or Ghardaïa for a 5–6 night Sahara block with an agency
Country rules
- Most visitors need a visa arranged in advance through an Algerian consulate, often with a hotel booking or invitation; check the current rules for your passport with the consulate.
- Travel in the deep south (Tassili n'Ajjer, Hoggar) is generally done with a licensed local agency; check requirements before booking.
- Declare foreign currency on arrival if required and exchange only at banks or official bureaux; keep receipts.
Etiquette
- Dress conservatively; shoulders and knees covered for men and women, especially outside central Algiers.
- French is widely used in cities alongside Arabic and Tamazight; a greeting in either helps.
- Ask before photographing people; do not photograph police, military or government buildings.
- Alcohol is available only in some hotels and licensed restaurants; drinking in public is frowned on.
- Ramadan (moves ~11 days earlier each year)
- Restaurants close in daylight; offices run shorter hours.
- June–September in the Sahara
- Extreme heat; desert tours largely stop.
- Eid al-Adha
- Transport fills and businesses close for several days.
Money & passes
Cash necessity: 5/5
- Currency is the Algerian dinar (DZD). Foreign cards are rarely accepted and ATMs often reject them; bring euros in cash and exchange at banks or hotel bureaux.
- A parallel exchange market exists with rates very different from the official one; using unofficial changers is illegal and risky.
- Plan cash for the whole Sahara block before leaving the north.
Before you fly: eSIM before you fly · Visas and entry
Safety
- Police checkpoints are common; carry your passport at all times and follow instructions.
- In some areas, police may assign an escort to foreign visitors; cooperate and allow time for it.
- Road safety is the main everyday risk; avoid long drives at night.
- Emergency: 17 police, 14 fire and ambulance (Protection Civile).
- Most governments advise against all travel to areas near the borders with Libya, Niger, Mali and Mauritania, and against all but essential travel to some other southern and mountain areas; check your own government's advice before planning anything in the Sahara.
Algeria connects north to France and Spain by air and sea; land borders with Morocco are closed.
Sources
- Wikivoyage — Algeria (secondary)
- UK FCDO foreign travel advice: Algeria (official)