Introducing Algeria
Travel Alert: The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends against all non-essential travel to some areas, please check with your relevant national government.
Advertisement
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: Apr 2, 2012
Tips & articles
-
Desert of dreams: experiencing the Sahara
1 April 2013
A fount of solitude and the desert of childhood imaginings, the Sahara Desert is like nowhere else on earth. It...
-
Strap yourself in: the world’s most extreme road trips
26 September 2012
Travelling these routes inspires wonder and awe in those willing to shrug off the discomforts and heart-in-mouth moments that they...
-
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...
Hotels & Hostels
Top cities in Algeria
Browse more cities in AlgeriaFeatured property
See all hotels and hostels in Algeria
Advertisement
Algeria
Things to do
- All things to do (171)
- Activities (28)
- Entertainment (17)
- Restaurants (39)
- Shopping (13)
- Sights (74)
- Tours (0)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Algeria
-
1 Algiers
Lively city with splendid Ottoman architecture, the Unesco-World-Heritage-Listed Casbah and great seafood restaurants
-
2 Djemila
One of North Africa’s most spectacular ancient cities where Roman history comes alive
-
3 Annaba
Home to Hippo Regius which St Augustine called home and elegant modern town
-
4 Timgad
The glorious aesthetic vision of Roman town-planning amid the northern green hills
-
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