Introducing Algeria
Travel Alert: The security situation in Algeria is volatile; check Safe Travel for current government warnings.
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Once a popular holiday destination on a par with neighbouring Morocco, Algeria's tourist industry all but disappeared when bitter civil war broke out in 1992. After a decade of conflict the situation improved slightly, and some access to the southern Sahara region has been possible in the last couple of years. However, independent travel without a vehicle is almost nonexistent, and after the tourist abductions of 2003 self-drive travellers need to be very aware of the risks involved.
This dearth of visitors is a great shame, as Algeria is one of the most fascinating countries in North Africa. In the dramatic Unesco-listed Tassili N'Ajjer and Hoggar regions, near the town of Tamanrasset, tribal culture is very much alive, and the day-to-day hassle common to many Arab countries is conspicuously absent. Algiers contains a vivid mix of tradition and modernism, its colonial past maintaining a presence. Timimoun embodies the storybook oasis town of the Sahara, and the welcoming town of In Salah is split in two by a creeping sand dune.
Your options for travel are limited, especially as a backpacker, but a chance to see even a part of this vast nation should not be passed up.
Last updated: Aug 23, 2010
Tips & articles
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Tom Hall’s travel picks for 2011
30 December 2010
What’s in store for travel in and around Europe in 2011? Here are some suggestions to get you booking that...
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Algeria: travel books to read before you go
1 October 2010
This excerpt from Lonely Planet’s archives provides a selection of travel literature to get you in the mood for your...
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Travel tips: Algeria opens up; Norway going cheap
21 July 2010
Here at Lonely Planet, we have travel experts on tap. In this excerpt from the August 2010 issue of...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Oued Laou - paradise not
by kate88 14 September 2011
Yep, the guide books say there are restaurants in Oujda (a bit like they say you can get beer in Oued Laou!). My copy of the LP mentioned…
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RE: Europcar Tripoli
by Johnbrighton 11 September 2011
How are you going to drive across the Algeria / Morocco border?
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RE: Ferries to Egypt
by anillos_de_saturno 11 September 2011
You don't say your travel dates but if Lybia is stable on your travel dates, as you are spaniard, you could get to Egypt overland from…
Hotels & Hostels
Top cities in Algeria
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Algeria
Things to do
- All things to do (171)
- Activities (27)
- Entertainment (17)
- Restaurants (39)
- Shopping (13)
- Sights (74)
- Tours (1)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Algeria
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1 Algiers
Lively city with splendid Ottoman architecture, the Unesco-World-Heritage-Listed Casbah and great seafood restaurants
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2 Djemila
One of North Africa’s most spectacular ancient cities where Roman history comes alive
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3 Annaba
Home to Hippo Regius which St Augustine called home and elegant modern town
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4 Timgad
The glorious aesthetic vision of Roman town-planning amid the northern green hills
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5 Tlemcen
Echoes of Andalusia with the exceptional Grand Mosque and Tomb of Sidi Boumediene
Fast Facts about Algeria
- Borders
Niger and Tunisia open; Morocco closed; Mali, Mauritania and Libya crossings not advised
- Visa
US$40 to US$50 for one month
- Time
GMT/UTC +1
- Telephone
Country code 213; international access code 00
- Money
Algerian dinar (DA); US$1 = DA71
- Seasons
In the north: wet (October to March), dry (June to September); in the south: hot (March to October), cool (November to February)
- Area
2.3 million sq km
- Population
32.9 million
- ATMs
None
- Capital
- Budget
US$35 to US$40 per day
- Languages
Arabic, Berber, French
Our favourite Algeria Blogs (beta)
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Morocco's Foreign Minister to Visit Algeria
Blog: The View from Fez - 22 January 2012
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Bicycle Diplomacy Opens Algerian Border - Briefly
Blog: The View from Fez - 17 January 2012
Over the last few years there have been diplomatic moves to ease the tensions between Algeria and Morocco, especially in regard to the closed borders. Now a judge in the Algerian town of Maghnia has agreed to a temporary opening of the Zouj Bghal crossing in order to allow Moroccan cyclists to take part in a cycle race.
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Reopening the Algerian Moroccan border - fact or fiction?
Blog: The View from Fez - 17 May 2011
The ongoing domestic social tensions across North Africa and in the Middle East may seem an odd time to contemplate opening a border that has been closed since 1944, yet persistant rumours have been circulating and as Ibn Warraq reports, there may finally be some movement towards an open border between Morocco and Algeria.
