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Algiers

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At a glance

Country
Algeria
Region
Algiers Province
Population
3.4 million
Best time to go
April to June, September to October
Main airport
Algiers Houari Boumediene (ALG)
Coordinates
36.75°N, 3.06°E

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Overview

Algiers rises steeply from a wide Mediterranean bay, its white French-era boulevards climbing towards the old Ottoman Casbah. Locals call it Alger la Blanche, and from the water you can see why.

Few foreign tourists come, which is part of the appeal. The city mixes faded colonial grandeur, Ottoman palaces and modern Algerian life, and the Roman ruins of Tipaza are an easy trip along the coast.

Things to see

  • Casbah of Algiers
    Photo: toufik Lerari, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Casbah of Algiers

    A maze of whitewashed lanes, stairways and Ottoman houses tumbling down the hill, best explored with a local guide.

  • Notre-Dame d'Afrique
    Photo: Chettouh Nabil, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Notre-Dame d'Afrique

    A 19th-century basilica on a clifftop west of the centre, with a famous inscription and views across the bay.

  • Maqam Echahid
    Photo: Boumediene15, CC BY-SA 3.0

    Maqam Echahid

    The towering Martyrs' Memorial of three concrete palm leaves, with a museum of the independence war beneath it.

  • Djamaa el Djazaïr
    Photo: Rachid Hamatou, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Djamaa el Djazaïr

    The Great Mosque of Algiers, with one of the tallest minarets in the world, on the eastern seafront.

  • Ketchaoua Mosque
    Photo: Rachid Hamatou, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Ketchaoua Mosque

    An Ottoman mosque at the foot of the Casbah, converted to a cathedral under French rule and back again.

  • Jardin d'Essai du Hamma
    Photo: Billal Haddadi, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Jardin d'Essai du Hamma

    A grand botanical garden of palms, fig trees and formal avenues running down towards the sea.

    Tickets and tours

Things to do

  • Walk Rue Didouche Mourad
    Photo: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY 4.0

    Walk Rue Didouche Mourad

    The main shopping street, lined with Haussmann-style buildings, cafés and patisseries.

  • Day trip to Tipaza
    Photo: habib kaki, CC BY 3.0

    Day trip to Tipaza

    Roman ruins scattered right along the seashore, about an hour west of the city.

    Find tours
  • Try chorba and street food
    Photo: Waran18, CC BY-SA 4.0

    Try chorba and street food

    Warming chorba soup, grilled sardines and garantita, a chickpea flan sold from street stalls.

Where to stay

  • City centre

    Around Rue Didouche Mourad and the Grande Poste, practical and close to the sights.

    Hotels in City centre

  • Hydra

    A leafy upmarket district on the hills, with embassies, villas and modern hotels.

    Hotels in Hydra

  • El Biar

    Residential and calmer, with good restaurants and views over the city.

    Hotels in El Biar

Getting around

A metro line and trams cover parts of the city, and cable cars climb some of the hills. Taxis are inexpensive.

The airport is around 20 km east of the centre, about 30 to 45 minutes by taxi or the airport rail link.

When to go

Spring and autumn are warm and sunny. Summers are hot and humid, and winters are mild but rainy.

Plan your trip to Algiers

Guide last checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so check before you go.

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