Algiers

Currency

The dinar is closed and the parallel rate is substantially better than the official one, which is why most visitors bring euros in cash. Card acceptance is very limited and foreign cards frequently do not work at all — plan to run the trip on cash.

ATMs & cards

Machines are common but often reject foreign cards, and those that work dispense at the official rate. Do not build a trip around withdrawing money here. Bring euros in cash and change as you go.

Bring euros in cash. Machines that do work dispense at the official rate, which is well below what cash fetches.

Wherever you are: if the machine offers to charge you in your home currency, decline. That is dynamic currency conversion and the rate is set by the ATM's operator, not your bank.

Safety

Algiers itself is calm and violent crime against visitors is rare, but this is not a country set up for independent tourism. Most nationalities need a visa arranged in advance with an invitation or a tour booking, and several governments advise against travel to the south and the border regions entirely. Photography of official buildings is a genuine problem. Go with a local operator unless you speak Arabic or French and know what you are doing.

Our own assessment, not a sourced index.

Entry & visa

Health & emergencies

Required to enter

• Yellow fever certificate, but only if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is present

Worth having

• Hepatitis A
• Typhoid
• Tetanus up to date
• Rabies for longer stays

Getting treated

Public hospitals are free but under-resourced, and private clinics in Algiers are the better option. Serious cases are commonly evacuated to France. Bring any medication you need, because supply is inconsistent, and hold insurance with evacuation cover.

Do not drink the tap water. Medical facilities outside the major cities are very limited, and the south is a long way from anything.

Orientation, not medical advice. Entry rules change and what you need depends on your own history and where you have been — check with a travel clinic or your national health service four to six weeks before you go.

Food tip

Chorba and couscous are the staples, and the pastries show the French century. Coffee culture is strong. Alcohol is legal but discreet and hard to find outside a few hotels.

Getting around

• Metro and tram — modern, clean and cheap, covering the central axis
• Taxi — metered in theory, negotiated in practice; agree the fare first
• Téléphérique — the cable cars up the hillside, which are also the view
• Yassir — the local ride-hailing app, and easier than arguing about fares
• Airport: Houari Boumediene (ALG), 20 km from the centre

Must-see

Things to do

• Walk the Casbah with a guide — it is a maze and a UNESCO site
• See Tipaza, a Roman city on the sea, an hour west
• Ride the téléphérique to Notre-Dame d’Afrique
• Visit the Bardo for the prehistory and ethnography
• Sit out an afternoon on the seafront arcades

Nearby day trips

Say a few words

Arabic

• Helloمرحبا — MarhabaMAR-ha-ba
• Pleaseمن فضلك — Min fadlakmin FAD-lak
• Thank youشكرا — ShukranSHOOK-ran
• Yes / Noنعم / لا — Na’am / LaNA-am / la
• Excuse meعفوا — AfwanAF-wan
• How much is it?بكم — Bikam?bi-KAM
• The bill, pleaseالحساب — Al-hisabal-hi-SAB
• Welcomeأهلا وسهلا — Ahlan wa sahlanAH-lan wa SAH-lan

Inshallah, meaning God willing, follows nearly any statement about the future and is conversational rather than religious.

Religion

Sunni Muslim

Islam is the state religion and society is noticeably more conservative than neighbouring Tunisia or Morocco. Proselytising by non-Muslims is a criminal offence. Ramadan is widely and visibly observed.

Do's and don'ts

Do

• Greet properly before any transaction — abruptness reads as rudeness
• Dress conservatively; this is more formal than Tunisia or Morocco
• Learn a few words of French, which is widely spoken alongside Arabic and Berber
• Ask permission before photographing anyone

Don't

• Do not photograph anything official — buildings, police, ports, borders. This is taken seriously
• Do not expect to travel independently without a visa arranged through an invitation or an operator
• Do not eat, drink or smoke in public during daylight hours in Ramadan
• Do not raise the civil war of the 1990s; it is recent and painful