Algeria is one of the most underrated countries in Africa.
It was also one of the most difficult visas to obtain from my travels worldwide.
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Updated in Dec 2023
After extensive travels to nearly all 54 countries in Africa, independent travel in Algeria isn’t nearly as straightforward as it should be for visitors.
Tourism isn’t really a thing here. For many passport holders to be able to travel in Algeria, you will most likely need the assistance of a local Tour Operator first to help them get the visa to enter and to facilitate permission to explore many regions of this country.
As of January 2023, Algeria announced a new visa on arrival for tourists visiting the desert regions on an organised tour. More info to follow this year.
There are many things to know before you travel to Algeria. This guide will help you arrange a visit to Algeria and provide you with knowledge and tips once you’ve arrived.
Table of Contents
Why Travel to Algeria?
Algeria is one of the most underrated countries in Africa. If you do decide to go through the often difficult process of obtaining a visa (more on this below), you will discover that Algeria is a very diverse country.
It boasts incredible landscapes, the Sahara desert, Mediterranean coastline and beaches, stunning colonial architecture (don’t miss visiting Oran, Algeria’s most beautiful city), beaches, fascinating Roman ruins, bustling cities and more.
Also, the Algerian people are some of the friendliest and most hospitable people in the world. They seem very eager and proud to share their culture with visitors.
Algeria also has an incredibly rich history with 7 World Heritage sites – if only more tourists could gain entry to this country to enjoy these wonderful places. And it may come as a surprise to most, but Algeria is one of the most socially developed countries in Africa.
How to Obtain a Visa for Travel in Algeria
As I mentioned above, Algeria doesn’t encourage tourism at all. From what I’ve gathered from speaking with locals on the ground in Algeria, the country is so rich in natural minerals (oil & gas being the main exports) that tourism isn’t considered as being a significant industry for boosting the economy.
Either way, for many nationalities, arranging a visa for travel to Algeria is a difficult, long and expensive process. You need to submit flight reservations, hotel reservations, itinerary for the entire duration of your stay in Algeria, travel insurance details, proof of income and a list of other documents just to lodge your application.
And most importantly, you might need a Letter of Invitation from someone in Algeria approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
To remove some of the headaches for you, I’d recommend reaching out to an Algerian Tour Operator to help to facilitate an LOI (letter of invitation). This will make things much easier to obtain a visa and in some cases, quicker.
A Tour Operator can submit other documents to the Ministry of Tourism in Algeria to support your request to enter the country.
We requested visa assistance and booked some day tours and hotels in Algeria with Wassim from AlgeriaTours16. You can read some fantastic reviews from past guests of AlgeriaTours16 on Tripadvisor, where they currently rank #1.
We’d agree that they offer great customised tours of Algeria with fantastic guides all over the country.
Note: The visa will fill an entire page of your passport.
Is it safe to travel in Algeria?
If you mention your intentions to visit Algeria, the first question many people ask is, “Is it safe to travel in Algeria?” Bordering these countries, Tunisia, Morocco, Libya, Mauritania, Niger and Mali, it’s a fair question to ask.
If you ask anyone, Algeria has been tainted with a bad reputation. In the past, armed terrorist groups often targeted foreigners from the civil war which finished 20 years ago, back in 2002.
Algeria is still perceived as an unsafe destination due to a lack of updated information on the internet. Most government travel advisories (including my home country of Australia) still recommend that visitors avoid travelling to the southern areas of Algeria. Furthermore, the border areas that are shared with Tunisia and Libya are deemed as extremely high risk of danger in these regions.
In saying all this, Algeria is a huge country, in fact, it’s the largest country in Africa. Based on my visit (in Mar 2022), I felt safe the entire time, Algerians are extremely curious and welcoming to foreigners. My answer to the question of whether it is safe to travel in Algeria is yes, it is.
Currency in Algeria
The currency used in Algeria is the Algerian Dinar (DZD).
We travelled to Algeria in early March 2022. The prices quoted in this itinerary for Algeria are in local currency, Algerian Dinar (DZD). Obviously, exchange rates fluctuate depending on when you may travel in Algeria.
Prices are mentioned here at the black market rate.
At the time of writing, 1 USD = 192 DZD OR 1 EUR = 215 DZD.
Travel in Algeria – 13 Things to Know Before You Go
1) Bring Cash
Algeria is a ‘cash’ type of society. If you want to save at least 30% on everything you buy inside this country, I’d recommend bringing enough Euros or USD in cash to change on the black market.
We experienced difficulty paying anything on Visa/Mastercard and withdrawing local currency at an ATM. We’ve heard many other international visitors have had a similar experience.
The official rate to change cash in the bank is 1 EUR = 156 DZD, however, the black market rate was 1 EUR = 215 DZD. The official rate to change 1 USD = 143, the black market rate was 1 USD = 192. This is a significant difference and you will certainly save a considerable amount of cash changing on the black market.
Be careful when changing your currency, as it’s not entirely legal.
Try and do it out of the view of others if possible or ask a local friend if they have someone they trust to exchange it with you at a good rate. We found shops to exchange our Euros in the back office of ‘shops’ that appear to be selling souvenirs etc.
Trust us, Euros or USD cash will be helpful once you discover how diverse this country is.
You’ll most likely want to extend your stay to see the 8 most amazing places to visit in Algeria! Obviously, this all depends on your visa dates/conditions.
2) Language in Algeria
Arabic and Berber are the two official languages in the country. But French is also spoken by almost everyone. We spoke our ‘survival French’ to travel in Algeria, the same limited French skills we used when we travelled overland across West Africa in 2019.
We know enough French to have small conversations, understand numbers when paying for things and have a good concept of reading French on menus. It was enough to get by in Algeria, and to be honest many people spoke quite a lot of English in Algeria.
They would apologise to use because they couldn’t speak more of it, such humble people.
I recommend learning some French or Arabic with Babbel, a fantastic language app to learn new languages on the go. If not then at least download Google Translate on your phone in these languages so you can communicate when you get stuck.
RELATED POST: 17 things to know before travelling to West Africa
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3) The Food in Algeria is great
Algerian food is a mixture of many cultures. Since Algeria was a French colony for over 130 years, the food here takes influence from French cuisine.
But you will find influence from Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Arab and Berber cuisines as well. You will notice many fast-food places selling shawarma, pizza, crepes, burgers and savoury pastries. If you want to travel in Algeria on a very low budget, it can be achieved by just eating street food, it is very cheap.
During my visit, I wanted to try as much of the local Algerian cuisine as possible and taste some delicious food.
My favourite local dishes were couscous with chicken or lamb, Rechta, steamed marinated meats or barbeque brochettes (skewered meats), tasty soups such as lentil and Chorpa soup and freshly cooked bread dipped in spicy harissa paste and olive oil. Trust me, Algerian food is good!
4) Drink Only Bottled Water or Bring a LifeStraw
Avoid drinking tap water in Algeria and stick to bottled water. Large bottles of water (1.5L) can be purchased from small shops and supermarkets for about 35 DZD or $0.18c.
Better yet, bring along a LifeStraw filtered water bottle. Not only will you be helping the environment to reduce plastic waste, but you can take it with you on your future travelling adventures.
Recommended posts about Algeria
5) Download Maps.me App to help you navigate
One of the best tools to get around Algeria is the Maps.Me app. You can download offline maps of the country, so you never have to use mobile data to get around. The map also shows hiking trails and walking paths, which Google Maps doesn’t have.
Although Algeria has an excellent train network between cities and buses and trams, it is much faster to use shared taxis. Shared taxis are small vans that connect all cities and towns. You go to the dedicated station in town, buy a ticket from the ticket office and take a seat in the van that fits up to 8 people.
Once the van is full, it departs directly to the final destination. It is one of the fastest ways to get from A to B in Algeria if you’re not flying or taking the train.
6) Domestic flights are cheap – but book them once you’re here
There are 18 airports in Algeria, the most popular in Algiers and Oran. We flew into Oran from Marseille, France, with Volotea. This airline has some great deals if you book early through Skyscanner.
Once you’re in Algeria, domestic flights with Air Algerie are very reasonably priced, but the trick is to book them when you’re in the country. If you use the black market rate and pay cash, you will save a fair chunk of change.
Book your ticket at any local travel agency (Agence de voyage) or the Air Algerie counter at any airport.
It’s always busy with locals lining up to do the same thing, but it’s worth the wait to get some reasonable fares to travel around in Algeria.
Note: There are many destinations within Algeria that independent travellers cannot access without a guide or written permission from the Ministry of Tourism.
Check with a Local Tour Agency about these destinations, and if you would still like to travel there, perhaps book a customised tour with them to facilitate your visit.
7) Get a SIM card or eSIM for travel in Algeria
Try and get a SIM card at the airport upon arrival in Algeria. You will soon discover that hotel’s internet connection isn’t very good. Furthermore, friends or family who wonder whether it is safe to travel in Algeria will feel better knowing you have a functional phone if you get into trouble.
We bought a local Ooredoo SIM card for 1200 DZD; it included 10 GB of internet usage and call time. I believe getting up to 40GB of data is only an additional 300 DZD. We had at least a 3G connection anywhere we travelled, and it was always convenient to be connected.
TOP TIP: If you want to get connected the moment you arrive in Algeria, we recommend buying an eSIM for Algeria before your arrival.
Travel in Algeria will be much easier if you’re connected. It means you can access the YASSIR Ride-sharing app and order a ride, book hotels on the go with Booking.com, find reviews on the best places to eat in Algeria and access maps on your phone to navigate cities.
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8) Use the Yassir Taxi Ride ride-sharing app
Download the YASSIR App before you arrive (or when you’re here). It will save you time and money. You will need an Algerian local number to access YASSIR, so I recommend buying a SIM card on arrival.
If your French or Arabic language skills are non-existent, this app will help you get from A to B without hassle.
It’s a helpful tool to learn what fares typically cost from A to B, and it works similarly to Uber.
The main difference is that you must pay cash (Algerian dinar) for your fare directly to the driver once your ride is complete. Taxis are cheap in Algeria, so it’s a recommended way to travel.
9) France colonised Algeria for 132 years
Algeria was part of France from 1830 to 1962. With the influence of France for that long, cities here look much more French than, say, African. As you travel in Algeria, you will notice all of the grand colonial buildings that show the influence of France to date.
You will also find many great patisseries where you can eat delicious French baguettes, biscuits, cakes and sweets.
10) Get a Bank Account that doesn’t charge International Transaction Fees
There is no good reason why you should still pay International transaction or ATM withdrawal fees.
Banks have come a long way over the years. If you haven’t signed up for a bank account with WISE yet, you’ll most likely pay unnecessary bank fees when travelling to different countries.
I highly recommend bringing euros (the best option) or USD to exchange on the black market to save a lot of money during your time in Algeria, but if you want to rely on using a Debit Card to withdraw funds, then this bankcard is essential.
For example, during my trip to Tunisia (read our 14-day itinerary for Tunisia here), I was charged 12 TND ($4.20) each time I withdrew local currency from an ATM. But, because I have a bank account with WISE, the cash withdrawal fee was minimal. It’s fantastic!
11) Exchange your Algerian Dinars before your departure
Before departing Algeria, ensure you convert all of your Algerian dinars to Euros/USD (or another hard currency) before you leave.
Algerian Dinars are nearly impossible to exchange once you’ve left the country.
12) Everything is closed on Friday in Algeria
Algeria is an Islamic country, and they observe the weekend on Friday and Saturday. Each Friday, everywhere in Algeria will be closed, and nobody will work or open their stores. It is intended to be a day of rest, prayer, and family time.
It’s good to plan for this if you want to eat out, visit some attractions or go shopping. Saturday is still the weekend in Algeria, but it is much busier in the markets, and people are out and about.
13) Travel Insurance
If you ask us, this vast North African nation is underrated and perhaps misunderstood. We hope this guide is helpful if you do plan to travel in Algeria.
If you’re travelling afterwards to Tunisia, the fantastic country just next door, don’t miss our 10 best tips for travel in Tunisia and our detailed 14-day itinerary for Tunisia.
Travel Planning Resources
✈️ Flights: We use Skyscanner to book cheap flights worldwide.
🏨 Accommodation: Booking.com is our preferred platform for booking hotels and accommodation.
🏥 Travel Insurance: We recommend Heymondo (Get 5% off Heymondo) & SafetyWing
🚌 Transportation: Trainline is the best website to reserve trains. We use Omio to book transport worldwide. For travel in Asia, we use 12Go.
🚘 Car Rental: We use DiscoverCars to book rental cars worldwide.
👫 Group Tours: G Adventures OR compare multi-day tours worldwide with Tourradar.
📸 Day Tours & Trips: GetYourGuide & Viator are the only two platforms you need.
📚 Lonely Planet: The Best Range of Travel Guides & Ebooks, and FREE Shipping! (use code RACHELDAVEY10 for a 10% discount)
🎒 Luggage: Osprey Farpoint 40L Backpack or Samsonite Luggage Range.
🛄 What to Pack: Don’t forget your Universal charger and a good power bank. To help you pack the essentials, here is our ULTIMATE Packing List for all Travellers.
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💰 Send Money Anywhere: WISE & Revolut are the best online accounts that let you send money, get paid, and spend money internationally. Both are so easy to use and way cheaper than any bank transfer.
📶 Stay Connected: Airalo eSIM allows you to get connected the moment you land at your destination, and you can avoid those expensive data roaming charges. We LOVE this product! Use promo code NOMAD15 for 15% off ALL eSIMs (new Airalo users only) OR use NOMAD10 for 10% off ALL eSIMs (for existing Airalo users)
✅ Check out our Travel Gear and Travel Resources for more valuable tips to save you money!
25 Comments. Leave new
Thank you for all the nice words you spoke about Algeria, simply and frankly. I hope that you like Algeria, but you know that you visited only 20% of it, and I hope that you will visit it again for me. . But all the love and appreciation
Thank you for giving the followers of your Instagram account and other social media sites to discover my country Algeria through your visit. You are always welcome and I hope you will return soon. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your comment, Mohamed. We’re so happy to share with our travel community how much we enjoyed visiting Algeria. We hope to return to explore more in the future.
Hello! Thank you very much for this article. It is wonderful to see that there are people who love our country Algeria so much. I will add you on the social networks. Good continuation Rach, with pleasure.
Thank you for posting this! This is a place we are really excited to visit but wading through all the outdated data and biased opinions online is tough. Our trip looks more like a cross-country bike tour, and if you have any suggestions or more information it would be greatly appreciated!! We are hoping to cross into Algeria from Morocco and exit to Tunisia 🙂 thanks again
Hi guys,
It sounds like an amazing trip you’ve got planned there. We’re pleased to hear that you’ve found this post useful. We’ve tried to include as much practical and essential information in this post as we could and we wrote it because we ran into the same problem. There is very little information found online, or info online in English. There is some information in French, but that isn’t very useful for non-French speakers.
As for border crossings, this information changes regularly. At the time we visited, crossing the border into Tunisia wasn’t possible.
We’d recommend joining up some overlanding Africa groups of Facebook. They can usually help with up-to-date information of travellers who are there now or have travelled here quite recently. We wish you the best trip!
And you’re probably already aware, but we’ve got some great practical information about travel in Tunisia too. We spent quite a bit of time travelling independently around Tunisia recently and you may find all the info and prices paid for local transport helpful.
Hello Rach,
Is it possible to use travel agent only when applying for visa & then travel independently (with couchsurfing) after we get into the country?
Hello,
There are visa companies that can assist with this. It depends whether you’re living in US, Australia or Uk, for example. Just google Visa Service Company for (entry your country here). Visa HQ and TravelVisaPro, or VisaLink are just a few to name that can help you with this. If you are from the USA, the Algerian embassy in Washington DC seems to be very helpful and most American citizens have no problem getting a visa.
Hope this helps 😉
Did you all find it safe? I am a female and I wasn’t sure how I would be if I traveled alone.
Hi Rach,
Based on that passport photo, it looks like you’re a US passport holder? (You mention Australia, but I see a US passport in the photo — maybe just a stock photo?). Anyway, if I understood right, you got a travel company to get you a letter of invitation and maybe book you some hotels, but you were free to go around without a guide/driver/minder on your own afterwards? My wife and I are also looking to go to Algeria to do a roadtrip, and we speak French and Darja, but having to deal with a driver or a minder/guide is a full stop for us. I guess we should just contact Wassim and see? We were also thinking of going in late Feb/early March, just before Ramadan next year. How was the weather? It looks kind of chilly, but otherwise sunny? I can’t quite tell your itinerary from here, looks like mostly Oran and Algiers focused. Any idea if the mountain roads are all drivable in late winter, like near Setif? We were thinking something like Algiers-Setif-Timgad-Constantine-Skikda-Kabylie-Algiers over about 16 days.
Hi Rach, thank you for your blog and helping us all with some great information and follow up replies to questions. I am looking at going to Algeria in May and would like to do it independently. I am finding it hard to find accommodation within a reasonable (read cheap) price range. Can you recommend anything in Algiers, Annaba or Constantine if you went there?
Also, how long did it take to get your visa from the Algerian Embassy in Canberra? Do you think that a hotel booking alone would have been enough as proof or were you asked for an invitation letter?
Thank you and safe travels
Hi Andrew,
Yes, reasonably priced accommodation in Algeria is difficult to find online, but once you arrive in these cities you will find them.
In Constantine, we stayed at Hotel El Maghreb (3 star) and it was very clean, comfortable, and very well-located. It’s not far from the Novotel, but much cheaper. We recommend this place. For Algiers, we stayed at City Hotel Alger. Not so cheap, but we were happy to stay here – good location, very clean and good breakfast too.
My visa took up to 4 weeks to process. Requirements were that I needed an invitation letter and to have booked a tour. If you send in your application with just a hotel booking, you may risk it being rejected. This is why we contacted Wassim to help us with the paperwork (the local operator I’ve mentioned in the blog).
Hope you have a great time in Algeria 😉
Hi Rach, thank you so much for your prompt and detailed answers to my questions. So good to have you helping us with all our queries.
I do want to ask. Now that you’ve seen every country in the world. What’s next?
All the best
Good question! We’d like to focus on building this travel blog so we can help more travellers like you. And..you can bet there will be some more travels coming up in 2023…and maybe enjoy a little rest too 😉 Who knows what else is next…we’re always up for a new challenge. Thanks Andrew!
Hi Rach, I don’t want to keep bothering you but just wanted to add that it’s a great travel blog so once again thank you. I first came across your blog some months ago when researching Haiti and made plans to visit based on your experiences as I’ll be in the Dominican Republic in April next year but matters have got worse in Haiti so gave up on that idea.
I used to think that it would have been great if Earth was the size of Jupiter so there would be so many more countries to visit. You probably thought that when you visited Samoa, your last country.
Looking forward to reading more of your blog and once again thank you so much for all your work and help.
Really good travel blog. Aussies know how to travel. You know how to write a good article too.
Thanks Mike 🙂
This is so helpful- thank you! I hope to visit Algeria someday and appreciate your advice and sharing you adventure with us.
You’re very welcome, Paul. We hope you do get to visit Algeria – it really is a fascinating country.
Hola Rach, I am planning a trip with Wassim! Yay!
I am debating if we should travel the north and Ghardaia. Or just the north.
Was Ghardaia incredible?
What time of year did you travel?
Thank you for this blog it’s so helpful and inspiring 🙂
Cheers
Hi Vanessa,
Yes, Ghardaia was amazing! Try and include it in your itinerary for sure. We travelled around Algeria in March 2022. We’re so happy to hear that you’ve found our blog helpful, and Wassim and his team will take very good care of you. Tell him we say hello, and we wish you an incredible time in Algeria.
Hi Rach,
Just discovered your blog. Love it! Many thanks for sharing your tips and tricks.
I found AlgeriaTours16 to be quite expensive, quoting in Euros and using black market rate when asking to pay in Dinars. Do you have any other local guide contacts that price more in line with local cost of living?
Many Thanks
Hi Roberto,
Glad to hear you love our blog! Unfortunately, we don’t have any other local guide details to pass on to you. Most of our arrangements were made with this company, and when we could travel on our own, without Police escorts/guides (which was quite difficult at the time we visited Algeria), we did manage to guide ourselves around other cities such as Oran. Wishing you a great time in Algeria!