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.
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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: Apr 2, 2012
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: Morocco's
by Kira 25 September 2012
Moroccan wine from the vineyards around Meknes isn't bad, beautiful region for scenery too; even drank it in Algeria! Having said that…
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basic visa related questions
by anegi 21 September 2012
Hi folks, I am thinking to visit Algeria and Tunisia in late November for about 10 day total. I am a Japanese passport holder, living…
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Re: Domestic flights in the US - bundle ticket?
by max_mexico 20 September 2012
>It's easier to use codes like NYC (EWR, JFK and LGA), WAS (DCA, IAD and BWI), or the like, where available. I disagree. It puts the…
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Algeria
Things to do
- All things to do (172)
- Activities (28)
- 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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What am I doing here? Exploring the Sultanate of Baboob
Blog: Vagobond.com - 11 July 2012
Once in Libya, it was relatively simple to make it to the mountains where I met with the emissaries of Baboob - from this point, it was a hair raising donkey ride into the mountains [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more!
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The Greatest Vagabond – Ibn Battuta – Moroccan Vagabond
Blog: Vagobond.com - 9 February 2011
The greatest adventurer of all time for me is the Moroccan vagabond, Ibn Battuta. He not only traveled everywhere in his known world, but he wrote about it in ways that no one before him had. Ibn Battuta's journey lasted 29 years, so by Moroccan standards, my wife should be understanding of this current journey I'm on.
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The Most Dangerous Places in the World
Blog: Vagobond.com - 18 December 2010
You might be surprised not to see Iraq and Afghanistan listed, but we figured that you already knew they were dangerous, so we focused on the countries you might have THOUGHT were safe.
