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Voykit pocket guide · Algeria
Algiers
الجزائر العاصمة
Algiers is a morning-and-evening city on a hill: do the Casbah early with a guide, rest in the heat, and eat and walk the centre after 17:00.
Algiers rises from the harbour in steps: the Casbah on the steep slope, the colonial boulevards above it, the gardens and museums in the south-east. The trips that go wrong are the ones that skip the visa steps, carry a suitcase into the Casbah, or count on foreign cards at a hotel. Four clusters cover a first visit; Tipasa is a day out from one kept bed.
- Country
- Algeria
- Local name
- الجزائر العاصمة
- Best months
- Mar · Apr · May · Sep · Oct
- Time zone
- Africa/Algiers
- Stay
- 2 days: Casbah morning, centre evening; El Hamma if a car is available
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- DZD
- Money
- Cash for almost everything outside large hotels: taxis, street food, small cafés and most shops. Foreign cards are rejected at most ATMs and terminals; carry dinar in small notes.
- Daily spend
- Budget DZD 4,000–8,000 excl. bed · Mid DZD 8,000–18,000 excl. bed · High DZD 18,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Buy a local SIM (Mobilis, Djezzy or Ooredoo) at an airport or city shop with your passport; registration can take time — ask your hotel which counter is fastest.
- Emergency
- Police 17 · Fire and ambulance 14
- Plugs
- 230 V; two-pin round sockets (type C and E). Bring a universal adapter.
- Tipping
- Not expected at stalls. Round up for taxi drivers and guides; 5–10% in sit-down restaurants if service is not already added.
- Water
- Tap water is not recommended for visitors; use bottled or filtered water.
- Toilets
- Cafés and hotel lobbies; carry tissues and hand gel.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or mint tea | DZD 100–250 |
| Couscous or chorba, sit-down meal | DZD 800–1,800 |
| Garantita or mhajeb, street stand | DZD 100–300 |
| Short taxi ride in the centre | DZD 300–700 |
| Museum or memorial entry | DZD 100–400 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- Houari Boumediene Airport (ALG)
- ALG to the centre: one pre-booked hotel transfer or licensed taxi, 35–75 minutes depending on traffic — the risk is immigration queues and a hotel door with no night desk.
By rail and road
| Station | Serves | To the centre |
|---|---|---|
| Alger Agha railway station | Coastal and regional lines | Walkable from much of the centre cluster |
Typical fares
- Houari Boumediene → centre, car
- DZD 2,000–3,500, 35–75 min
- Short taxi ride, centre
- DZD 300–700
Get around
Walk inside a cluster; take a car between them, especially to and from El Hamma and the Casbah with bags. Keep the fare agreed or the meter running.
| How | Fare | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| Walking | Free | Inside a single cluster |
| Taxi | DZD 300–700 across the centre | Between clusters, bags, evenings |
| Algiers Metro | DZD 50 (check) | A few central stations |
| Algiers tramway | DZD 40 (check) | Eastern and western suburbs |
Fares are estimates; check before you ride.
- Passes
- No pass. Short taxi rides in the centre are cheap; agree the fare before you ride if there is no meter.
- Late at night
- The centre has no late-night rail limit for visitors; taxi supply drops after 23:00 and in rain.
See and do
01A guided Casbah morningالقصبة
UNESCO-listed Ottoman lanes on a steep hillside; the reason most people come to Algiers.
Hours: best Morning · Price: DZD 3,000–6,000 for a guide (check) · Time: 1.5–3 h
02Martyrs' Memorialمقام الشهيد
The city's modern landmark and its widest view, with a museum beneath.
Hours: best Morning · Price: DZD 100–400 (check) · Time: 30–90 min
03Jardin d'Essai (botanical garden)حديقة التجارب
Shaded 19th-century botanical garden; the calm break after the memorial.
Hours: best Late morning · Price: DZD 100–300 (check) · Time: 30–75 min
04Grande Poste of Algiersالبريد المركزي
The Neo-Moorish landmark that anchors the colonial centre.
Hours: best Late morning or evening · Price: Free · Time: 10–20 min
05Notre-Dame d'Afrique at golden hourكنيسة سيدة أفريقيا
A clifftop basilica with the widest sea view in the city.
Hours: best Late afternoon · Price: Free · Time: 20–40 min
06Bardo National Museum (prehistory and ethnography)المتحف الوطني للآثار ما قبل التاريخ والإثنوغرافيا (باردو)
Prehistory and ethnography in a former Ottoman-era villa; a quiet, unrushed hour.
Hours: best Weekday morning · Price: DZD 100–300 (check) · Time: 30–60 min
07Great Mosque (Djamaa el Kebir)الجامع الكبير
One of the oldest mosques in the city, beside Place des Martyrs.
Hours: best Outside Friday midday prayers · Price: Free · Time: 10–20 min
08A sit-down couscous meal
The two dishes to order in Algiers, couscous and chorba, done properly.
Hours: best Lunch or dinner · Price: DZD 800–1,800 · Time: 45–90 min
09Didouche Mourad café evening
Mint tea, Algerian coffee and a pastry on the main boulevard.
Hours: best 17:00–19:00 · Price: DZD 200–500 · Time: 30–60 min
10A day out to Tipasa
Roman and Punic ruins above the sea, the standard excursion from Algiers.
Hours: best Weekday · Price: Car or shared taxi, DZD 3,000–6,000 (check) · Time: Full day
Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tipasa (Roman and Punic ruins, UNESCO site) | Car or shared taxi about 1–1.5 h each way | Full day |
| Sidi Fredj resort peninsula | Car about 30–40 min | Half day |
| Blida and the Chréa cedar forest | Car about 1–1.5 h | Full day |
Eat
| Where | What · area | Price | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garantita and mhajeb stand near Place des Martyrs | Garantita and mhajeb · Casbah | DZD 100–300 | Budget |
| Chwarma and rotisserie counter, lower Casbah | Chwarma or rotisserie chicken · Casbah | DZD 300–600 | Budget |
| Sit-down couscous and chorba restaurant, centre | Couscous or chorba · Centre | DZD 800–1,800 | Mid-range |
| Terrace café on Didouche Mourad | Coffee, tea and a pastry · Centre | DZD 200–500 | Mid-range |
| Seafront café, Boulevard de la Marine | Coffee with a harbour view · Port and Amirauté | DZD 200–500 | Mid-range |
Per person, one dish or one meal, 2026 estimate. Confirm the day before.
Sleep
| Band | Price a night | Where | What |
|---|---|---|---|
| budget | DZD 4,000–8,000 | Centre and El Hamma | Guesthouses and smaller hotels |
| mid | DZD 8,000–18,000 | Centre (Didouche Mourad) | Mid-range hotels |
| splurge | DZD 20,000+ | Centre and coastal resort areas | International chains and resort hotels |
Per room per night in dinar, 2026 estimate; Ramadan and Eid can raise demand.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | السلام عليكمas-salamu alaykum |
| Thank you | شكراshukran |
| How much is this? | بشحال هذا؟besh-hal hada |
| Not spicy | بلا حار من فضلكbla har min fadlik |
| Delicious! | بنين بركbnin berk |
| The bill | الحساب من فضلكel hsab min fadlik |
| Please take me to this address | ودّيني لهذا العنوان من فضلكweddini l-hada el-unwan |
| Stop here | وقف هنا من فضلكweqqef huna min fadlik |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Mosques: Shoulders and knees covered; women may need a headscarf; avoid Friday midday prayers unless invited in by a guide.
- Dress: Modest dress is comfortable across the city; swimwear stays at the beach, not the street.
- Photos: Ask before photographing people, and never photograph police, military or port installations.
- Ramadan: If visiting during Ramadan, avoid eating or drinking in public during daylight hours out of respect.
- Greetings: A handshake is common between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand first.
Red lines
- Do not photograph police, military sites, the port installations or government buildings.
- Mosques: shoulders and knees covered; women may need a headscarf; avoid Friday midday prayers.
- Ask before photographing people, especially women.
Scams and watch-outs
- Unofficial money changers offer a better rate than the bank: the trade is illegal for a visitor and short-changing is common — change at a bank or hotel bureau instead.
- Self-appointed "guides" who approach near the Casbah gates and ask for payment after walking with you: agree a local guide through your hotel before you go, not on the street.
- Taxis without a meter naming a high fare after the ride starts: agree the fare, or the use of the meter, before you get in.
- A stranger who insists on carrying your bag "to help" and then asks for a large tip: decline politely and carry your own bag.
One and two days
2 days
A short stopover
Day 1
- 08:00Casbah guided walk
- 11:30Garantita lunch
- 17:00Grande Poste and a terrace café
Day 2 — El Hamma and the coast
- 08:30Martyrs' Memorial
- 10:00Botanical garden
- 17:30Notre-Dame d'Afrique at golden hour
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Ministry of Tourism, Algeria: www.mtatf.gov.dz/
- Algiers airport operator (SGSIA): www.aeroportalger.dz/
- Wikivoyage — Algiers: en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Algiers
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Algiersالجزائر العاصمة
ودّيني لهذا العنوان من فضلك
Please take me to this address
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Take me to
- القصبةCasbah old lanes (guided walk)
- مقام الشهيدMartyrs' Memorial (Maqam Echahid)
- حديقة التجاربJardin d'Essai (botanical garden)
- البريد المركزيGrande Poste of Algiers
- كنيسة سيدة أفريقياNotre-Dame d'Afrique
- المتحف الوطني للآثار ما قبل التاريخ والإثنوغرافيا (باردو)Bardo National Museum (prehistory and ethnography)
Most embassies are in El-Biar and Hydra, south-west of the centre. Write your own embassy's line below.
Show the address in Arabic or French; drivers navigate by street and landmark, not always by house number.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/algiers). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.