Home › Itineraries › Weekend
Weekend in Algeria

Weekend in Algeria

Trip Overview

This quick but immersive circuit keeps you inside Algeria's capital, Algiers, letting you taste, hear and touch the city's layered French, Ottoman, Berber personality without long transfers. Day one drops from the cliff-top basilica into the labyrinthine Casbah before sunset over the bay. Day two glides along the corniche to art-deco villas, sand-side seafood and a final mint tea on a rooftop overlooking the port's twinkling cranes. Expect cobblestones, sea salt on your lips, the muezzin's call bouncing off limestone walls and a pace that still leaves room for lingering over coffee.

Pace
Moderate
Daily Budget
$80-120 per day
Best Seasons
Mid-March through June and mid-September through November
Ideal For
First-time visitors, History buffs, Weekend escapees, Food lovers, Solo or couple travellers

Day-by-Day Itinerary

A complete plan for every day of your trip

1

From Basilica Spires to Casbah Shadows

Algiers
Start high above the bay and descend through Ottoman alleyways to the port for a sunset sail.
Morning
Notre-Dame d'Afrique and Casbah walking loop
Ride the cable car from place des Martyrs up to Notre-Dame d'Afrique; the mosaic interior shimmers while the brass elevator door clanks. Walk back downhill via rue Didouche Mourad, sipping espresso at Café Tontonville where the aroma of dark roast meets sea breeze, then enter the Casbah through Bab El Oued gate. Narrow stairways echo with tinny radio music and the scent of grilled sardines drifts from unseen kitchens.
3.5 hours $15-20
Lunch
Dar El Ikram inside the Casbah
Traditional Algerian (chakhchoukha, chorba)
Afternoon
Casbah palaces and artisan workshops
Visit Palais des Raïs where salt-stained columns frame the bay, watch copper engravers tapping patterns that ring like bells, smell henna drying on palms. Finish at the rooftop of Ketchaoua Mosque for wide-angle photos over white cubes tumbling toward the port.
2.5 hours $10
Buy the combined Casbah ticket at Palais des Raïs entrance to skip extra queues
Evening
Sunset felucca sail and dinner
Board a small wooden felucca at Port d'Alger (negotiate near berth 3) for a 45-minute sunset loop, then eat grilled loup de mer at Le Dauphin facing the yachts

Where to Stay Tonight

Bab El Oued or Casbah fringe (Hotel El-Djazair (formerly Saint-George, art-deco gem with pool))

10-minute walk uphill from Casbah gates and 5-minute cab ride to tomorrow's corniche start

See all Algeria accommodation options →
Carry small coins. Public elevators inside the Casbah charge 10 dinars and save your knees.
Day 1 Budget: $90
2

Corniche Breeze and Martyrs' Memory

Algiers
Seafront promenades, colonial villas turned museums and a plunge into the Mediterranean finish the weekend.
Morning
Bardo Museum, Jardin d'Essai and Test Garden coffee
Metro line 1 from place des Martyrs to Jardin d'Essai station. The Bardo Museum's Berber jewelry glints under skylights, then step into the adjacent botanical garden: humid air thick with eucalyptus, birds chirping above century-old palms. Sip a thimble of spiced coffee at the park kiosk while frangipani petals stick to the table.
2.5 hours $8
Lunch
Le Tantra at Hydra corniche
Seafood pasta and mechouia salad
Afternoon
Memorial du Martyr, Sidi Fredj peninsula and beach time
Taxi to the soaring concrete monument for panoramic city views, then continue to Sidi Fredj's small crescent beach. Feel hot sand underfoot, taste salt spray while windsurfers carve arcs offshore. Finish with mint tea on Le Sidi terrace, watching ferries glide toward Marseille.
3.5 hours $25
Evening
Final dinner and airport transfer
Eat at El-Bahdja near the airport road for one last plate of couscous royale before a 15-minute cab to Houari Boumediene airport

Where to Stay Tonight

Same hotel (El-Djazair) or airport zone (Hotel El-Djazair)

Allows luggage drop-off after beach and quick taxi access for flights

See all Algeria accommodation options →
At Sidi Fredj beach, locals rent parasols for a small fee. Bring a dry bag for wet swimwear before heading to dinner.
Day 2 Budget: $100

Practical Information

Everything you need to know before you go

Getting Around
Algiers is walkable for day-one's Casbah; use Metro line 1 and yellow-metered taxis for longer hops. Rideshare Yassir works with local cards. Airport bus ETA runs every 30 minutes, but a taxi downtown is quicker.
Book Ahead
Reserve El-Djazair Hotel for Friday, Saturday nights. Felucca rides can be arranged on the spot before 17:00.
Packing Essentials
Light layers for breezy evenings, modest clothing for mosques, swimwear, reef-safe sunscreen, small Algerian dinar notes for tips and elevators.
Total Budget
$190-220 excluding airfare

Customize Your Trip

Adapt this itinerary to your travel style

Budget Version
Stay at a Casbah guesthouse like Riad Safir, eat street-side merguez sandwiches, ride the tram instead of taxis, and swim at public Plage Zéralda (45 min train ride east). Weekend total drops to around $130.
Luxury Upgrade
Check into the art-filled Hotel Aurassi, book a private guided Casbah tour followed by dinner at La Maison du Couscous, charter a skipper for a sunset yacht cruise, and add a helicopter flip over Algiers' bay. Budget rises to $400+.
Family-Friendly
Replace late-night felucca with the 10 a.m. departure, swap steep Casbah stairs for a stroller-friendly minibus loop via place des Martyrs, and add a visit to the Algiers Zoo inside Jardin d'Essai for shaded playgrounds and ice cream.
Book Activities for Your Trip
Tours, tickets, and experiences in Algeria

Didn't see anything interesting yet?

Browse Viator's full catalog of tours, day trips, food experiences, and private guides in Algeria.

See All Algeria Tours on Viator

Continue Planning Your Trip

Things to Do

Top attractions and activities for Algeria

Budget Guide

Trip costs and money tips for Algeria

Getting Around

Transport options and tips for Algeria

Where to Stay

Accommodation guide for Algeria