14 Days in Algeria
Trip Overview
Two weeks on the road knits together Algeria's three faces: the Ottoman-French layers of Algiers' hillside Casbah, the Roman mosaics at Timgad and Djemila, the canyon-cleaved city of Constantine, and the Sahara's golden dunes around Timimoun. You'll ride cable cars above Rhumel River gorges, sip mint tea under date-palm shade, and taste charcoal-grilled mechoui wrapped in fresh kesra bread. The pace blends urban exploration with two deep-desert nights, ending on the turquoise Mediterranean shore at Tipaza where the scent of rosemary drifts over Phoenician ruins.
Pace
Active
Daily Budget
$90-120 per day
Best Seasons
October, April (mild Sahara days, green Tell Atlas)
Ideal For
History enthusiasts, Desert lovers, Cultural explorers, Photographers
Day-by-Day Itinerary
A complete plan for every day of your trip
1
Algiers Casbah & Harbour Sunset
Land in the capital, dive straight into the UNESCO Casbah's stairways and Ottoman palaces before a fish-grill dinner overlooking the Bay of Algiers.
Morning
Casbah guided walk
Enter through Bab Jedid gate. Duck under cedar-wood balconies smelling of turkish coffee and hear the metallic clang of copper-smiths. Visit 16th-century Ketchaoua Mosque and Dar Hassan Pacha palace with its painted ceilings.
Reserve guide 48 h ahead. Bring passport copy for Casbah police post
Lunch
Restaurant Dar Lahlou
Afternoon
Bardo National Museum & test train to El Harrach
Moorish tiles and Roman mosaics inside a 19th-century villa. Then ride the shiny Algiers tram for city views and local life.
Evening
Fish market grill on Boulevard Che Guevara
Pick fresh bream at 18:00, watch it sizzle over charcoal, eat with lemon and khobz bread while ferries hoot across the darkening bay.
Where to Stay Tonight
Bab El-Oued (near Casbah) (Hotel El-Djazair (ex-Saint-George))
Colonial landmark with garden bar. Walk to Casbah at dawn without taxi
See all Algeria accommodation options →Friday prayers end at 13:00, start Casbah tour after to avoid locked mosque doors
Day 1 Budget: 90 USD
2
Cherchell Roman Mosaics & Tipaza Coastal Tombs
Westward coastal road to two World-Heritage Roman sites plus fresh sea-urchin at a fishermen's cove.
Morning
Tipaza Archaeological Park
Stroll basilica ruins with waves slapping marble columns. Basilica of St Salsa smells of wild rosemary. Hear cicadas in the dry grass while looking across emerald water to Chenoua Mountain.
Hire onsite guide Ahmed (blue vest) for 10 USD; speaks fluent English
Lunch
Le Dauphin Bleu port terrace
Afternoon
Cherchell Museum & Theatre
Drive 25 min to Cherchell for the finest Roman mosaics outside Italy, look for the gorgon head whose glass tesserae still gleam. Clamber onto the 1st-century theatre seats facing the salted breeze.
Evening
Return to Algiers, dinner in Tristram district
Try mechoui (smoky lamb) at Restaurant Aldjazair 1956
Where to Stay Tonight
Same as night 1 (Hotel El-Djazair)
No repacking. Laundry service available
See all Algeria accommodation options →Buy museum postcards early, shop shuts at 16:30 sharp
Day 2 Budget: 85 USD
3
Djemila Mountain Forum & Cuicul Mosaics
Sétif
Bullet train east, then winding mountain road to Djemila, Roman Cuicul, where temples perch on pine-clad ridges.
Morning
Early TGV to Sétif (1 h 45)
Watch olive groves blur past from air-conditioned comfort. Vendors board selling sweet kesra and tiny coffee cups.
Book train seat 1An or 1F for mountain view
Lunch
Restaurant Libania, Sétif centre
Afternoon
Djemila ruins
Cicadas drone as you walk the old Cardo. In the museum, kneel to eye-level with the mosaic of Venus, tiny colored cubes still sparkle. Smell pine resin and distant charcoal braziers.
Tuesday guides free. Otherwise negotiate 10 USD
Evening
Sétif main square evening promenade
Sit at Café Tonton for people-watching and almond-scented makroud pastry
Where to Stay Tonight
Sétif centre-ville (Hotel Ibis Sétif)
Walk to 6 a.m. bus station for tomorrow's Timgad departure
See all Algeria accommodation options →Bring a light fleece, 900 m altitude cools fast after sunset
Day 3 Budget: 95 USD
4
Timgad's Perfect Grid & Batna Night Market
Batna
Traverse the Aurès foothills to the 'Pompeii of Africa', then sample lamb brochettes under string lights.
Morning
Local bus to Timgad (1 h 30)
Ride with schoolkids. Watch golden wheat fields turn to steppe. Get off at the site gate, walk the Decumanus Maximus between triumphal arch and 4th-century baths.
Bus leaves 07:30; buy ticket the evening before
Lunch
Auberge Arc de Triomphe kiosk
Afternoon
Travel to Batna, Medracen Numidian tomb
Taxi 30 min south to the cone-shaped royal tomb (3rd c. BC) circled by wild thyme. Continue to Batna for café glacé (iced coffee) under plane trees.
Negotiate whole taxi if no other riders
Evening
Batna covered market food court
Order spicy merguez with grilled peppers at stand #14
Where to Stay Tonight
Batna ville nouvelle (Hotel Hazem)
Near 05:00 bus to Constantine tomorrow
See all Algeria accommodation options →Timgad's library has 14:00-15:00 closure, plan around it
Day 4 Budget: 80 USD
5
Constantine's Rhumel Gorges & Ottoman Bridges
Algeria's most dramatic city: cable cars over 200 m cliffs, Ottoman palaces and coffee perched on precipices.
Morning
Early bus to Constantine (1 h 15)
Arrive 08:00, drop bags, walk to Sidi M'Cid bridge. Feel the stone sway slightly as traffic rumbles above the canyon. Hear call echo between limestone walls.
Lunch
Casbah-café El Bey
Afternoon
Palace Ahmed Bey & Gustave Bridge
Palace courtyards smell of orange-bloss water. Trickle of fountains masks city buzz. Ride tiny cable car down to the river gardens, watch rock-swallows dart.
Buy palace ticket at side kiosk, shorter queue
Evening
Sunset at Monument aux Morts
Panoramic café for cardamom coffee as lights flick on across chasms
Where to Stay Tonight
Coudiat district (clifftop) (Hotel Protea Marriott)
Terrace pool directly over the gorge, best sunset shot
See all Algeria accommodation options →Night temps drop 10 °C, pack a scarf
Day 5 Budget: 100 USD
6
Souk Ahras Birthplace of Augustine & Medjerda Valley
Souk Ahras
Cross fertile highlands to Hippo Regius ruins and taste peppery olive oil straight from the press.
Morning
Train to Souk Ahras (1 h 40)
Journey through oak forest. Vendors sell prickly-pear fruit whose magenta juice stains fingers. Disembark for Basilica of Saint Augustin, pink marble columns against green wheat.
Sit left side for valley views
Lunch
Ferme-auberge Dahmani
Afternoon
Medjerda riverside walk & olive-mill tour
Smell crushed olives. Sample oil on warm tabouna bread while owner explains hand-press methods. Listen to waterwheels creak under plane-tree shade.
Call ahead, family closes at prayer time
Where to Stay Tonight
Same hotel night 5 (Hotel Protea Marriott)
Late checkout possible at 14:00 before night bus
See all Algeria accommodation options →Buy olive oil in metal tins, safer for suitcase
Day 6 Budget: 95 USD
7
Flight to the Sahara: Ghardaïa & M'zab Pentapolis
Ghardaïa
Leave the Tell Atlas. Descend by air to the UNESCO M'zab valley where white cuboid towns rise from the desert floor.
Morning
Constantine to Ghardaïa flight (1 h 10)
Watch brown plains wrinkle into the Sahara. Land 10:30; minibus to Beni Isguen, one of five hill-top ksars. White lime walls glare. Smell of saffron and dust.
Book Air Algérie domestic online with Algerian card, or use local travel agency
Lunch
Maison d'hôte El-Djazair, Beni Isguen
Afternoon
Explore palm oasis irrigation channels
Walk under date-palm canopy. Hear gurgle of seguia channels. Farmers offer just-cut barhi dates, soft caramel taste. Women weave wool on roof terraces.
Guides wait at town gate. Agree route beforehand
Evening
Sunset at Ghardaïa market square
Sip bitter coffee while dusk paints walls rose-gold
Where to Stay Tonight
Ghardaïan old town (Riad Ghardaïa)
Rooftop overlooks minaret skyline, perfect dawn photo
See all Algeria accommodation options →Photography of people requires permission. Offer 20 DZD to children
Day 7 Budget: 105 USD
8
El-Atteuf Medieval Mosque & Desert Pottery
Ghardaïa region
Look closer into M'zab culture: 11th-century mosque, underground grain stores, and kilns baking ochre clay.
Morning
Walk to El-Atteuf (5 km)
Follow camel track. Feel warm sand shift. Visit Mosque of Sidi Brahim, earliest M'zab architecture, palm-trunk beams still intact. Echo of pigeons inside dome.
Carry water, no shade en route
Lunch
Family courtyard in El-Atteuf
Afternoon
Pottery workshop & ksar Beni Isguen market
Watch potters shape tagines from local red clay. Smell of acacia smoke. Afternoon market bursts with indigo cloth, camel-hair blankets, desert herbs.
Bargain gently. Final price ~60 % of opener
Evening
Star-gazing on hotel roof
No city lights, Milky Way spills across sky. Hotel provides blankets and mint tea
Where to Stay Tonight
Same as night 7 (Riad Ghardaïa)
Late checkout secured. Bags stored for night bus tomorrow
See all Algeria accommodation options →Friday mosque closed to non-Muslims, plan craft visit instead
Day 8 Budget: 80 USD
9
Overland to the Red Dunes: Timimoun Oasis
Timimoun
All-day road trip south through the Tidikelt plateau. Arrive at the 'Red Oasis' ringed by ochre dunes glowing at dusk.
Morning
Private 4×4 to Timimoun (7 h with stops)
Leave 06:00; cross reglet pebbles, then stony hammada. Midway at El-Goléa for date-shake and view of turquoise pool amid palmeraie. Feel AC give way to open-window desert warmth.
Arrange via riad. Insist on vehicle <5 years old with spare tire
Lunch
Roadside auberge El-Goléa
Afternoon
Arrive Timimoun, walk palmeraie
Check in, then follow irrigation canal between red-mud walls; hear rustle of date fronds, scent of blooming henna. Sunset ignites the Grand Erg dune wall.
Evening
Campfire couscous with village family
Drum rhythms, stories of old caravans, sweet mint tea under carpet of stars
Where to Stay Tonight
Timimoun palmeraie edge (Guesthouse Ksar Timimoun)
Pool carved from red stone. Dunes start at garden gate
See all Algeria accommodation options →Pack lip-balm, air drier than coast
Day 9 Budget: 140 USD
10
Salt Lake & Black Villages 4×4 Circuit
Timimoun region
Drive across sebkha salt crust, visit dark-skinned villages built from red ochre, and picnic under tamarisk trees.
Morning
Sebkha el Melah (old salt lake)
Crunch across blinding white salt. Mirages shimmer. Collect tiny desert roses, crystalline gypsum. Hear absolute silence broken only by distant camel grunt.
Share with other guesthouse travelers to split cost
Lunch
Picnic under tamarisk
Afternoon
Gnawa village performance & palm weaving
In Tinerkouk, dark-skinned villagers play guembri bass lute. Feel drum thump in chest. Women teach to weave palm-fiber baskets smelling of dried dates.
Bring small gifts: colored pencils for kids
Evening
Dune-top sundowners
Climb 20 min behind hotel. Watch sand turn blood-orange, sip cool gren juice
Where to Stay Tonight
Same as night 9 (Guesthouse Ksar Timimoun)
Late checkout possible. Hammam steams away desert dust
See all Algeria accommodation options →Salt crystals scratch cameras, rinse with bottled water
Day 10 Budget: 100 USD
11
Return North: Oran's Spanish Fort & Rai Roots
Fly across the Sahara to Mediterranean Oran, birthplace of Rai music and home of a hilltop fort guarding the bay.
Morning
Timimoun, Oran flight (2 h with stop)
Leave 07:00; watch erg dunes flatten to hamada, then green Mitidja plain. Land 10:30; sea breeze carries diesel and salty fish scent.
Reconfirm 24 h ahead, flights shift
Lunch
Restaurant Le Corsaire, port
Afternoon
Fort Santa Cruz & basilica
Cable car up; Spanish cannons point toward Spain. Inside chapel, floor tiles cool underfoot. View of port cranes loading oranges. Hear Rai tunes drifting from nearby café.
Last cable down 18:00 sharp, be early
Evening
Rai concert at AbdelKader Club
Live oud & synth; locals dance in sneakers. Order local Cristal beer
Where to Stay Tonight
Boulevard de la Soummam seafront (Hotel Royal)
Walk to port cafes. Sound of waves through open balcony door
See all Algeria accommodation options →Taxis double after 21:00, agree 300 DZD before entering
Day 11 Budget: 120 USD
12
Oran Medina & Theatre Regional Art-Deco
Art-deco theatres, French arcades, and lemon-cake in a 1920s patisserie before catching the evening train west.
Morning
Bey's Palace & Medina lanes
Ottoman painted ceilings; outside, alley merchants hawk saffron and iron keys. Smell of anise bread from communal oven. Photography allowed in courtyard courtyards only.
Guides at gate, 10 USD saves map headaches
Lunch
Patisserie Pons
Afternoon
Theatre Regional d'Oran tour
The 1920s chandelier still glitters above velvet seats gone coral with age. Slip backstage and plant your feet where Cheikha Rimitti once paced, rehearsing rebel rai. A quick shouted chord proves the hall's acoustics still flawless.
Email director Friday for Monday visit
Evening
Night train to Béjaïa (22:00-06:30)
Board early, buy train-borne brik (tuna pastry) for supper
Where to Stay Tonight
Sleeper wagon (Private 2-bed compartment)
Saves hotel night. Wake in Kabylie mountains
See all Algeria accommodation options →Pack earplugs, rails clang through Mitidja junction
Day 12 Budget: 90 USD
13
Béjaïa Kabylie Coast & Cap Carbon Lighthouse
Béjaïa
Reach the Kabylie capital by morning. Cliffs plunge straight into olive terraces and a lighthouse stands 220 m above the sapphire sea.
Morning
Train station coffee & walk to old port
Grab strong coffee from the kiosk while gulls wheel overhead. Walk the 19th-century French arcade now loud with fish hawkers calling prices in Tamazight.
Lunch
Restaurant Le Matelot
Afternoon
Cap Carbon lighthouse hike
Minibus 20 min, then a 40 min climb. Wind carries wild rosemary. Waves thunder far below. The lighthouse keeper pours mint tea on the terrace, 360° view of Djurdjura mountains diving into sea.
Start hike before 15:00 to catch 17:00 return minibus
Where to Stay Tonight
Béjaïa seafront (Hotel Hammamet)
Balcony over corniche. Lullaby of surf
See all Algeria accommodation options →Evenings cool fast, carry hoodie for lighthouse
Day 13 Budget: 95 USD
14
Djurdjura National Park Cedar Hike & Return to Algiers
Djurdjura / Algiers
Finish in cool mountain air under ancient cedar and oak, then hit the fast highway back to Algiers for late flights.
Morning
Taza National Park loop trail
30 km minibus into Djurdjura range. Trail starts at 1,200 m; cedar scent hangs thick after night rain. Barbary macaques grunt overhead. Streams taste iron-sweet.
Guides required, wild boar present
Lunch
Auberge Tikjda mountain hut
Afternoon
Return to Algiers (2.5 h taxi + 1 h traffic)
Drop through olive terraces. Catch the scent of fresh bread at roadside stands. Reach the airport zone by 16:00, good for 19:00+ flights or an extra hotel night.
Book car at Béjaïa bus station morning
Where to Stay Tonight
Airport in-town check-in (Ibis Alger Aéroport (if flying next day))
5 min to terminal, shuttle every 20 min
See all Algeria accommodation options →Buy Djurdjuda cedar honey at park gate, best souvenir
Day 14 Budget: 110 USD
Practical Information
Everything you need to know before you go
Getting Around
Blend domestic flights (Algiers, Ghardaïa, Oran) with the comfortable night train Oran, Béjaïa, hire a private 4×4 for the Sahara, and jump shared taxis everywhere else. Book trains online. Flights are often cash-only at the airport. Petrol highways are excellent. Mountain roads twist but stay paved.
Book Ahead
Packing Essentials
Light fleece for desert nights & Constantine gorges, SPF 50, refillable bottle, universal plug Type C/F, scarf for sand, copy of passport for police posts
Total Budget
1,400-1,600 USD excluding international airfare
Customize Your Trip
Adapt this itinerary to your travel style
Budget Version
Replace internal flights with night buses (save ~250 USD), bunk in an Algiers Bab-el-Oued hostel dorm, live on market sandwiches, and stick to shared taxis. Total drops to ~1,000 USD.
Luxury Upgrade
Family-Friendly
Trim Sahara to one night, add a beach day at Les Andalouses near Oran, pick hotels with pools, pack electrolyte sachets, and pre-book window seats on trains for motion-sick kids.
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