The checklist as a PDF
Entry, health, money, transport and safety, laid out for print, with their sources and verification date.
Algeria
North Africa
Mediterranean beaches, Sahara desert and ancient monuments. Mediterranean shores, ancient cities and Saharan rock art.
- On the map
CapitalAlgiers
When to goFebruary to October
Suggested length8 days min.
CurrencyAlgerian dinar / Algerian dinar
LanguagesArabic +1
The Viafro verdict
For whom, and for which trip.
An editorial bearing, with no percentage and no rating: our criteria are written down, and every “good to know” links to its source.
- For which trip
- Alger · Constantine · Désert du Sahara · Oran
- Best season
- February to October, from Algiers’s normals
- Length
- Allow at least 8 days for these 4 essentials, one stop every two or three days. (Viafro’s rule of thumb)
Best time to visit
Twelve months, in colour.
Hover or tap a month: its reading and its source appear. Bars measure rain, the figure is the capital’s mean maximum.
Possible
November
Algiers: mean maximum 21 °C, 103 mm of rain · frequent rain.
- Mean maximum
- 21 °C
- Rain
- 103 mm
- Station
- Algiers
Source: Wikipedia (climate normals)
Before you go
The essentials, tab by tab.
Entry, health, safety, money and facts: dated official extracts, never paraphrased.
Visa, passport, customs
GOV.UK advice, written for British passport holders. French travellers: see France Diplomatie (https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/information-par-pays/algerie/conseils-aux-voyageurs-entree-sejour).
- To enter Algeria, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive. Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
- You must have a visa to visit Algeria. Check your visa details, including validity dates, before you travel. If you overstay, it is likely Algerian immigration police will detain you at the airport on departure. You may face criminal prosecution and up to 3 months in prison.
- To enter Algeria, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk. For full details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Algeria guide.
Vaccines, malaria, water
This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor or an international vaccination centre before you travel.
- At least 8 weeks before your trip: Altitude sickness is a risk in parts of Algeria. Read more about altitude sickness on TravelHealthPro.
- Facilities at private clinics are usually better than government hospitals. Make sure you have adequate travel health insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and repatriation.
Per the ministries
Viafro gives no safety rating: here are the zones and advice published by the French ministry (in French) and the official extracts, with their dates.
Vigilance zones published by France Diplomatie (in French) · page updated on 15 Sept 2026 · see the official map
- Red · Zones formellement déconseillées (rouge sur la carte)
Zones frontalières : l’Algérie compte 6 400 kilomètres de frontières terrestres, notamment avec des pays en situation d’instabilité et connaissant un risque terroriste élevé (Libye, Mali, Niger).
A l’est : il convient d’éviter la zone frontalière avec la Tunisie, à partir et au sud de Tébessa (présence de groupes terroristes) ainsi que la zone frontalière avec la Libye du fait de l’instabilité du pays.
- Orange · Zones déconseillées sauf raison impérative (orange sur la carte)
Wilaya d’Aïn Defla : des groupes terroristes subsistent dans la région.
Wilaya de Batna : des groupes terroristes résiduels subsistent dans les massifs montagneux.
- Yellow · Zones de vigilance renforcée (jaune sur la carte)
Sahara et zones désertiques (autour de Tamanrasset)
Il n’est pas possible de voyager sans guide dans le Sahara algérien. Des agences de voyage proposent des séjours organisés.
- Green · Zones de vigilance normale (vert sur la carte)
Alger et Oran sont en zones de vigilance normale
- There is a risk of pickpocketing, robbery and petty theft in the larger cities in Algeria. You can take precautions such as:
- There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. Stay aware of your surroundings at all times.
What the country’s law provides
Photography, alcohol, drugs, relationships: the rules published by the ministries, quoted as they stand, without comment.
- It is illegal to drink or be under the influence of alcohol in a public place.
Currency
Algerian dinar / Algerian dinarViafro publishes no price or budget range without a source: amounts will come from our own expenses recorded on the ground, dated and itemised.
- There are strict rules about goods you can take into and out of Algeria. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.
Express card
Structured data from Wikidata and the CIA World Factbook, re-checked at every site update.
- Population · 2025
- 47,435,312
- Time zone
- no time difference with Paris
- Plugs and voltage
- Type C, E and F plugs · 230 V
- Driving side
- Driving on the right
- Calling code
- +213
- Languages
- Arabic, Standard Algerian Berber
- Area
- 2,381,741 km²
- Highest point
- Mount Tahat, 2,908 m
- Main religions
- Muslim 99%, other 1%
Getting there and around
Airports, roads and transport.
- ALGAlgiers Houari Boumediene AirportAlger8 M passengers · official site
- ORNOran Ahmed Ben Bella AirportOran1.9 M passengers · official site
- CZLMohamed Boudiaf International AirportConstantine1.1 M passengers · official site
- AAEAnnaba Rabah Bitat AirportAnnaba553,349 passengers · official site
Direct flights from Paris are to be checked on the airport’s or airline’s website.
On the road
- If you are planning to drive in Algeria, see information on driving abroad. You can use a UK photocard driving licence to drive in Algeria for up to 3 months after you first arrive.
Destinations
The essentials.
Alger
Algiers ( al-JEERZ; Arabic: الجزائر, romanized: al-Jazāʾir, pronounced [al.d͡ʒazaːʔir], locally [(ɪ)ˈd͡ːzaːjir]; French: Alger, pronounced [alʒe]; Algerian Tamazight: ⴷⵣⴰⵢⵔ, romanized: Dzayer), officially Capital City of Algiers (Arabic: الجزائر العاصمة,…
Constantine
Constantine (Arabic: قسنطينة, romanized: Qusanṭīnah, Tamazight: ⵇⵙⵏⵟⵉⵏⴰ, romanized: Qsnṭina), also spelled Qacentina or Kasantina, is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria.
Désert du Sahara
Oran
Oran (Arabic: وهران, romanized: Wahrān; Tamazight: ⵡⴰⵀⵔⴻⵏ, romanized: Wahṛen, or ⵡⴰⵀⵔⴰⵏ, Wahṛan) is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria, 432 km (268 mi) west-southwest from the capital, Algiers.
Original: Hamza-siaDerivative work including rotation, conversion to sRGB, crop, minor adjustments, removal of hotpixel: Julian Herzog
Must-try food
Six dishes, and where to taste them.
Chorba
Chorba, shorwa, shurba, shurpa, shurbah or shorba is a broad class of stews or rich soups found in national cuisines across North Africa, The Middle East, Iran, Turkey, Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, East Africa and South Asia. It is often prepared
Couscous
Couscous is a traditional North African dish of small steamed granules of rolled semolina that is often served with a stew spooned on top. Pearl millet, sorghum, bulgur, and other cereals are often cooked in much the same way in West Africa, and the resulting
Chakhchoukha
Chakhchoukha or chekhechoukha is a traditional Algerian dish made from torn or rolled pieces of cooked semolina dough that are served in a tomato-based sauce. The dish consists of small pieces of rougag mixed with marqa, a tomato stew. The dish is typically ma
Matloue
Matloue, matlou’ , Also named khobz e-tadjine and khobz e-matlou, is a type of Algerian sourdough bread. It is made of semolina and a natural leaven called ghessen (n) temtount. It is cooked on a clay or cast iron tagine.
Kesra
Kesra is a traditional Algerian bread made from semolina. It is usually cooked on a flat grilling tajine over high heat. This bread can be eaten hot or cold, on its own or spread, stuffed or dipped in olive oil, accompanied by tajine, with different sorts of c
Tamtunt
Le tamtunt est un pain levé algérien de Kabylie. La particularité de ce pain est qu'il peut être préparé de deux manières. Il peut être frit dans de l'huile ou cuit au four. Sa friture lui donne une texture de pain mais aussi de beignet, tandis que sa cuisson (summary in French)
Culture and etiquette
Customs, dress, useful words.
- Salamسلامhello, peace
- Shukranشكراthank you
- Min fadlakمن فضلكplease
- Entries checked on Wiktionary.
- Religions: Muslim 99%, other 1%.
- Languages: Arabic (official), French (lingua franca), Tamazight (official) (dialects include Kabyle (Taqbaylit), Shawiya (Tacawit), Mzab, Tuareg (Tamahaq)).
Festivals and events
The big dates.
- National holiday
Independence Day, 5 July (1962); Revolution Day, 1 November (1954) ; independence: 5 July 1962 (from France).
Fixed dates and moveable events, each with its source; moveable dates change every year and are to be checked on an official calendar.
Did you know?
Three things to remember.
The country’s highest point, Mount Tahat, reaches 2,908 m.
47,435,312 inhabitants in 2025 on 2,381,741 km², about 20 per km².
Independence on 5 July 1962 (from France).
Gallery
See it before you go.
Real photographs: free images under a verified licence and Viafro images. Never a generated image. Credits in the footer.
Share your trip with #viafro: the best images will join this gallery, with your credit.
Live, work, invest
A few key figures.
Sourced data (World Bank). No investment advice.
GDP per capita (current US$)6.1World Bank · 2025GDP growth3.8 %World Bank · 2025Inflation (consumer prices)1.4 %World Bank · 2025Unemployment (ILO estimate)11.6 %World Bank · 2025International tourist arrivals591World Bank · 2020
World Bank data (World Development Indicators), consulted on 28 Oct 2026. Tourist arrivals are the latest year published.
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Sources and verification dates · 19 sources, checked on 28 Oct 2026
Travel advice · GOV.UK (FCDO)Entry, visa, safety: the official page, kept up to date by the ministry. Travel health · US CDCVaccines and precautions from a reference medical source. World Heritage · UNESCOThe country’s inscribed sites and tentative list. WikidataCapital and currency, verified structured data.
- Wikidata · Algeria (Q262)
- World Bank · World Development Indicators
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Algeria · Foreign travel advice · Entry requirements (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Algeria · Foreign travel advice · Health (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Algeria · Foreign travel advice · Safety and security (page updated on 19 Oct 2026)
- Wiktionary · Checked entries (Arabic)
- Wikipedia · Chorba
- Wikipedia · Couscous
- Wikipedia · Chakhchoukha
- Wikipedia · Matloue
- Wikipedia · Kesra (pain)
- Wikipedia · Tamtunt
- Wikipedia · Alger
- Wikipedia · Constantine (Algérie)
- Wikipedia · Oran
- CIA World Factbook · Algeria (public domain) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- France Diplomatie · Algérie · Travel advice · Security (zones, in French) (page updated on 15 Sept 2026)
- Wikidata · Airports of the country (IATA code, traffic) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia (climate normals) · Algiers · monthly normals (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
Information checked on 28 Oct 2026. Check the official source before you travel. Viafro gives no safety rating and publishes no price without a source.