Hammam Melouane, Blida: the hot spring near Algiers, access and tips

Hammam Melouane is the most searched hot spring in Algeria. It is also the closest to Algiers: a mountain village in a green valley where hot water runs down to the river. Most visitors come for the day, as much for the fresh air as for the bath. Here is what to know before you go.

Where is Hammam Melouane?

Hammam Melouane is a mountain village in the south of Blida province, about 40 km from Algiers. It lies at the bottom of a valley in the Blida Atlas, beside a river and close to Chréa National Park. The spring gave the village its name.

Do not expect a large spa hotel. This is a popular, local thermal village, with simple bathhouses, small restaurants and craft stalls along the road.

How to get there

• From Algiers: leave the city southwards, cross the Mitidja plain towards Bougara, then follow a mountain road up the valley.
• From Blida: drive to Bougara, then take the same mountain road.
• From Oran or Constantine: the East-West motorway brings you to the Algiers and Blida area. Plan a night in Blida or Algiers rather than a same-day return.

The last stretch is narrow and winding, and the national press has often reported traffic jams and scarce parking at weekends. Leave early, check the road after heavy rain, and avoid driving down after dark if you do not know it. Without your own car, the simplest option is a car with a driver or a taxi from Blida.

The water: temperature and uses

The main spring is known as El Baraka. According to the national press, the water comes out at around 40 °C and then flows towards the river. It is described as heavily mineralised.

Algeria's official tourism portal lists Hammam Melouane among the springs traditionally used for rheumatic, skin, respiratory and digestive complaints. Locals mostly speak of joint pain and rheumatism.

These are traditional uses, not medical claims. If you have a heart or skin condition, high blood pressure, are pregnant, or are travelling with a baby or an elderly person, ask a doctor first. Keep each soak short and drink water.

What to do there

• The baths fed by the spring, in the village.
• The river, where families settle on the banks in fine weather.
• The mountain, for a short walk and lunch in the cool air.

The village also hosts a honey fair. Facilities have changed a lot over the years and we found no two recent sources describing exactly which baths are open in 2026, so ask someone who has been recently.

Where to stay

Nreservi does not list a hotel in Hammam Melouane and we could not confirm a classified hotel in the village. Make it a day trip:

• Blida, at the foot of Chréa. Hotels in Blida
• Algiers, with the widest choice of hotels in the country. Hotels in Algiers

Prices

We publish no prices, because we lack two dated sources that agree. Bring small change in dinars for the bath, parking and lunch, and ask before you go in.

Best time to go

• Autumn to spring is the season for a hot bath: green hills, cool air. Winter is the rainy season, so check the forecast before taking the mountain road.
• Summer is the busiest time, especially Fridays and Saturdays, when Algiers residents escape the heat.
• Weekdays are always quieter.

What to pack

• Non-slip sandals, a towel, bathing clothes and a change of clothes.
• A jacket: the valley is cooler than Algiers.
• Drinking water and snacks.
• Cash in dinars.
• A bag to carry your rubbish back.

Booking your hotel

On Nreservi you can book a hotel in Blida or Algiers online. Travellers from abroad pay by card; residents can pay in dinars without a bank card. See also our guide to Algeria's thermal resorts and our article on Hammam Righa.

See hotels in Blida

Nreservi, online travel agency — 1st floor, 116 boulevard Colonel Krim Belkacem (Telemly), Algiers Centre — +213 540 28 40 40.