Algeria itinerary: 5, 7, 10 or 14 days, with where to sleep each night

Algeria is the largest country in Africa, and the first mistake in any itinerary is trying to see all of it. The second is treating the Sahara as a side trip. This guide gives realistic routes for 5, 7, 10 and 14 days, built around where you sleep each night. Nreservi mainly sells accommodation: we book your hotel in each city, and you travel between them by plane, train, hired car or with family. We also offer experiences, such as a guided tour of the Casbah of Algiers or three days in Timimoun, the red oasis: see our experiences.

Three rules before you draw a route

1. Pick one region per week. The north alone stretches along more than 1,200 km of coast. Algiers plus the east, or Algiers plus the west, fills a week comfortably.
2. Fly for the long legs. Domestic flights link Algiers with the main cities of the north and with the Sahara oases. Schedules change with the season, so check flight days before you fix your hotel nights.
3. Keep the Sahara for the right season. The desert season runs from October to April; in summer the heat there is extreme. See the best time to visit Algeria.

5 days: Algiers and Tipasa

• Days 1 and 2, Algiers. The Casbah in the morning with a local guide, then the Place des Martyrs, the Grande Poste and Rue Didouche Mourad. The next day, the Jardin d'Essai, the Martyrs' Memorial and the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Afrique at sunset.
• Day 3, Tipasa. The Roman ruins by the sea, a UNESCO site about 70 km west of Algiers, make an easy day trip. You can also sleep there: hotels in Tipaza.
• Days 4 and 5, the west coast or more of the city. Sidi Fredj and Zéralda for the sea, or museums and a slower pace in town.

Sleep: 4 nights in Algiers. Our guides: What to see in Algiers and Where to stay in Algiers.

7 days, option A: Algiers and the Roman east

• Days 1 to 3, Algiers, with Tipasa as a day trip (3 nights).
• Day 4, Sétif and Djémila. Sétif is the base for Djémila, the Roman mountain town of Cuicul, less than an hour away by road (1 night): hotels in Sétif.
• Days 5 and 6, Constantine. The city built on a rock above the Rhumel gorges, its suspension bridges and the Bey's Palace in the old town (2 nights): hotels in Constantine.
• Day 7, return to Algiers for your flight, or fly home from Constantine if your airline allows it.

With one more day, add Timgad, the Roman colony founded by Trajan, about 35 km east of Batna: hotels in Batna.

7 days, option B: Algiers and the west

• Days 1 to 3, Algiers (3 nights).
• Days 4 and 5, Oran. Santa Cruz fort above the city and the port, a lively centre and the beaches of the corniche (2 nights): hotels in Oran.
• Days 6 and 7, Tlemcen. The art and history city of the west, with its Andalusian monuments and old mosques (1 or 2 nights): hotels in Tlemcen.

10 days: the north, properly

Combine the two: Algiers (3 nights), Sétif (1), Constantine (2), then fly west for Oran (2) and Tlemcen (1), and finish with a last night in Algiers before your flight. It is a full programme with a change of hotel every day or two.

A second way to spend 10 days, between October and April: one week in the north (option A or B), then three nights in Ghardaïa for the M'Zab Valley and its five fortified ksour, a UNESCO site at the gateway to the Sahara. Some ksour, such as Beni Isguen, are traditionally visited with a local guide.

14 days: add the deep Sahara

Two weeks let you do a week in the north and a real desert stay, in season:

• [Timimoun](/en/timimoun), for its red-earth ksour and palm groves.
• [Taghit](/en/taghit), for the dunes of the Grand Erg Occidental.
• [Djanet](/en/djanet), gateway to the Tassili n'Ajjer and its rock art: read our Tassili n'Ajjer guide.
• [Tamanrasset](/en/tamanrasset), for the Hoggar and the Assekrem: see our Hoggar guide.

Choose one, not all four: they are far apart and reached by separate flights. In the deep south, excursions are run with a local agency and guide. For the Sahara we do offer organised stays that combine the flight from Algiers and the hotel: see Sahara stays.

Check before you commit

• Visa and entry rules depend on your passport. Confirm them with the Algerian embassy or consulate in your country before you buy flights. Our Algeria visa page explains where to look.
• Travel advice. Read your own government's advice for Algeria (FCDO in the UK, Global Affairs Canada, the US State Department), in particular for the south and the border areas, and check that your insurance covers your route. Our article on official travel advice for Algeria links to it.
• Family time. If you are visiting relatives, block those days first and build the route around them. A two-night escape to Constantine or Tlemcen in the middle of a family stay is often the most realistic "itinerary" of all.

Quick answers

How many days do you need in Algeria? Five days for Algiers and Tipasa; seven for Algiers plus the east or the west; ten to fourteen to add the M'Zab or a Sahara oasis.

Book the hotels

Search each city with your dates to see live prices: we do not quote prices here because they depend on the season. You pay by card from abroad, or a relative pays in Algerian dinars (BaridiMob, bank transfer or cash at our Telemly agency), and the voucher arrives by email or WhatsApp. Start with Travel to Algeria from abroad or Algeria tourism: what to see.

Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre (Tipasa, Djémila, Timgad, M'Zab Valley, Tassili n'Ajjer); Visit Algeria, national tourism office (coastline, seasons).

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