A Guide to Algeria: What to Do and Where to Stay

It's the largest country on the African continent, with 1600 kilometres of Mediterranean coastline, all beaches and sparkling bays – yet Algeria remains an off-the-beaten-path gem. Urbane capital Algiers is a must, but leave time to discover the country's other charming port cities, plus exceptional Roman ruins such as Hippo Regius in Annaba. To the south, covering most of the country, is the Sahara, a region of vast sand seas and charred mountains that lies a long way away from anything.

The best places to visit in Algeria

Algiers

With fantastic architecture at every turn, the Algerian capital Algiers is the ideal introduction to the country (Photo: Getty Images)

Beautifully sited on the sweeping arc of the Bay of Algiers, with steep green hills on one side and the vast blue of the Mediterranean Sea on the other, Algerian capital Algiers is the ideal introduction to the country. This intriguing city juxtaposes an ancient citadel with modern museums, Islamic culture with French Colonial architecture, mosques with cathedrals, and lush gardens with stretches of sun-baked beach.

The defining feature of Algiers is its Casbah, a fortress citadel of stepped streets and tangled laneways that is littered with Ottoman palaces and ancient mosques, including the beautiful Ketchaoua Mosque, a unique blend of Moorish and Byzantine design. Another mosque worth viewing is the Djamaa el Djazaïr, the Great Mosque of Algiers, the largest in Africa and home to the houses the world’s tallest minaret. 

North and south of the Casbah, Algeria’s French influence can be seen in the monumental Basilique Notre Dame d’Afrique, on a cliff top overlooking the Bay of Algiers, and the Cathédrale du Sacré-Coeur, an ultra-modern Catholic church with an industrial-looking steeple.

Many of Algiers’ best hotels can be found in the fast-growing suburb of Bab Ezzouar, conveniently sited between the city centre and the airport. Both the Algiers Marriott Hotel Bab Ezzouar and the Residence Inn Algiers Bab Ezzouar are located in the suburb’s centre, a few kilometres from the Great Mosque of Algiers. Sheraton Club des Pins Resort, meanwhile, enjoys a stunning beachfront location to the west of the city.

Annaba and Constantine

Annaba’s former Roman city of Hippo Regius is one of the most atmospheric ruins in Algeria (Photo: Getty Images)

Some 550 km to the east of Algiers, near the border with Tunisia, lies Annaba, home to beaches, a port and Hippo Regius, one of the finest ruins in the country.

Annaba’s Roman city of Hippo Regius, or Hippone, was originally an important trading centre for the Phoenicians, Berbers and Vandals, who made it the capital of their kingdom in around 435 AD. Set amid olive trees on the edge of Annaba, the sprawl of Roman ruins you see today are the remains of villas, churches, baths, theatres, markets and a forum. You can get a good idea of what the ruins once looked like on the inside at the adjoining Musée d’Hippone, which exhibits some fine mosaics and other objects from the site.

Annaba itself is split between its old town of early French houses and ancient mosques and the new town centred around the busy boulevard of Cours de la Révolution. Base yourself at the sleek Sheraton Annaba Hotel, located just off the tip of this leafy thoroughfare, for easy access to both the Hippo Regius ruins, which are less than 3 km away, and the beaches at Ain Achir and Sidi Salem.

If you're travelling from Algiers, you can break your journey to Annaba with a night en route in Constantine, which is known as the City of Bridges for the number that span its deep river gorge. The Constantine Marriott Hotel is an excellent option just a few hundred metres from the river.

Alternatively, choose the Protea Hotel by Marriott Constantine, a modern and central hotel, great for families and couples looking to explore the historic city of Constantine.

Oran

Oran, Algeria's second city, has a fantastic wealth of historical sights and architectural heritage (Photo: Getty Images)

Oran is Algeria’s other major city, and almost an equal to the capital in its spread of historical sights and French architectural heritage. More liberal than most Algerian cities, Oran is the birthplace of raï folk music, and its uniquely vibrant nightlife has earned it the nickname the “Paris of Algeria”. 

Visit Bey’s Palace and peek inside the room where the Merenid Sultan Abou Hassan’s throne once stood, or hike up Mount Murdjadjo for spectacular coastal views from the sixteenth-century Spanish Fort Santa Cruz. There are fine views to be had throughout Oran, so choose a hotel that makes the most of them: Le Méridien Oran Hotel & Convention Centre boasts magnificent Mediterranean vistas from its restaurant, while the rooftop pool at the Four Points by Sheraton Oran enjoys tremendous panoramas up and down the coast.

What to eat and drink in Algeria

The best-known Algerian dish must surely be the tajine – and there are many varieties to sample (Photo: Getty Images)

There are so many great dishes to try when you’re in Algeria. Perhaps the most well known is the tajine, which is named after the terracotta dish it’s cooked in. Algerian tajines come in a variety of flavours, with the most popular being tajine zitoune, a slow-cooked stew of chicken and olives. 

When you’re on the move, keep an eye out for mhadjeb, a kind of flaky flatbread made from semolina. This filling street-food snack is typically stuffed with onions and tomatoes.

Very hot and very sweet, mint tea is an essential part of Algerian life, making an appearance at everything from family gatherings to business transactions. You’ll see it being drunk everywhere you go in Algeria.

A good place to try some delicious Algerian food is at the Sheraton Annaba Hotel’s sumptuous Friday lunch buffet, which lays on traditional dishes such as jari frik and chakhchoukha. Sample the cuisine while enjoying superb views over Annaba’s harbour.

Top things to do in Algeria

Take a 4WD tour through Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, which stretches across 72,000 square kilometres of the Sahara Desert (Photo: Getty Images)

The enchanting tapestry of Algerian history is presented with great care at the National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Art in Algiers. It is well worth a visit for its contrasting collections of sculptures, mosaics and bronzes, salvaged from the country’s many Roman sites, and Islamic manuscripts, carpets and ceramics.

For something completely different, head to Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, in the southeast corner of Algeria, which stretches across 72,000 square kilometres of the Sahara Desert. Take a 4WD through its sandstone pinnacles and curiously eroded rock formations on the hunt for some of the finest ancient rock art in the world.

Hidden gems in Algeria

The minaret that still stands among the ruins of the walled city of Mansourah, on the western outskirts of Tlemcen (Photo: Getty Images)

Lying near the border with Morocco, Tlemcen has a very different feel to it than the cities that have gone before, thanks largely to the Andalusian influences in its architecture. The Great Mosque of Tlemcen, built in 1136, is similar in style to the one in Cordoba, while the minaret that still stands among the ruins of the walled city of Mansourah, on the western outskirts of Tlemcen, bears a striking resemblance to La Giralda in Seville. 

Most sumptuous of all Tlemcen’s architectural highlights is El Mechouar Palace, the former residence of the Zayyanid dynasty, whose tiled walls, intricate stucco carvings and water-filled courtyard garden have hints of Granada’s Alhambra about them. Renaissance Tlemcen Hotel, perched on the Lalla Setti Plateau overlooking Tlemcen, is around 4.5 km from El Mechouar and has a lobby that wouldn’t look out of place in an Andalusian palace, as well as an indulgently large outdoor swimming pool.

Go deeper

The best way to travel long distances in Algeria is by train, with regular services linking most of the cities along the Mediterranean coast. In several towns, cable cars provide a short-cut alternative to winding mountain roads.

Published: October 07, 2024

Article Tags:  Algeria