Secrets of Algeria

Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrival in Algiers

Welcome to Algeria! Upon arrival, you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is yours at leisure. This city is sure to leave a lasting impression on you. This is a city of rare beauty and thrilling, disorientating, and sometimes brutal, contrast. The country’s turbulent history is writ large in the city’s richly textured architecture: wide French-built boulevards and elegant apartments and villas, Socialist-era monuments and public buildings, and an enduring Islamic heart secreted in the steep, hillside Kasbah. Labyrinthine streets spill down to the yawning Bay of Algiers.

Accommodation: 2 nights El Djazaïr Hotel or similar

Day 2 - Algiers

After breakfast, enjoy an orientation of the city which includes a visit to the Kasbah of Algiers, which is a fortified old town in the heart of Algier. Get lost in its tangle of alleyways, and witness the perfect blend of French colonial architecture against an Islamic core. This UNESCO World Heritage site is home to the Palace of the Dey, Khalifa’s Mosque, and several other ancient buildings.

Next, admire the colonial Cathedral of Notre Dame d’Afrique, a historic Catholic church overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Built between 1858 and 1872, it combines Neo-Byzantine and Romanesque architectural styles. Though it was originally built to serve French colonial Catholics, it remains an important symbol of Algeria’s religious and cultural history.

Today, Notre Dame d’Afrique is still used for religious services and is a significant tourist attraction. It holds a special place for both Catholics and Muslims, with a statue of the Virgin Mary facing towards France as a symbol of the historical connection between the two countries.

After lunch, you will visit the National Museum of Antiquities providing a wonderful base and insight to the start of your historic journey with exhibits from prehistoric, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: El Djazaïr Hotel or similar

Day 3 - Sétif 
Enjoy breakfast at your hotel this morning before setting off for an early drive to Sétif.

Sétif’s history goes back to Roman times, during the reign of Emperor Nerva between 96 and 98 AD. Parts of a cemetery were uncovered in the 1960s and a small section of the Roman circus built in the settlement remains visible, but sadly no attempts were made to preserve these historical treasures.

Spend time exploring the museum and after lunch, you will visit Djemila, an archaeological site that is sure to leave you speechless at its beauty.

Exploring Djemila in Algeria is like stepping into a vivid time capsule of the Roman Empire’s splendour. Renowned for its stunningly preserved ruins that date back to the 1st century AD, wander through the ancient city’s cobblestone streets lined with the remnants of grand temples, basilicas, and triumphal arches that tell tales of a bygone era. The Temple of Augusts and the expansive Forum showcase intricate carvings and commanding stone structures that hint at the city’s former significance. Transfer to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Overnight at Best Western Plus or similar

Day 4 - Sétif  - Timgad

After breakfast, you will drive to Batna where you will have a brief visit to Madghassen, a royal mausoleum temple of the Berber Numidian Kings before continuing to the archaeological site of Timgad – the ruins of the largest Roman settlement ever built in North Africa. Here you will visit the museum which houses excellent mosaics – some of the best preserved in the world.

Timgad showcases the grandeur of Roman urban planning and architecture. Founded by Emperor Trajan around 100 AD, this UNESCO World Heritage site stands as one of the best-preserved examples of a Roman colonial town. As you stroll through the expansive grid-patterned streets, you’ll encounter the striking Arch of Trajan, an imposing gateway that welcomes you into the heart of the ancient city. The Capitol, with its towering columns and intricate stonework, and the vast amphitheatre, which once hosted thousands of spectators, capture the essence of Roman cultural life. The detailed mosaics scattered throughout the ruins tell stories of myth and daily life, showcasing the artistry and sophistication of Timgad’s inhabitants.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation : Overnight at Trajan Hotel or similar

Day 5 - Timgad to Constantine

After breakfast, drive to Constantine. This city is one of the grand spectacles of the north, made by nature but embellished by man. Over time, the Oued Rhumel carved out a deep gorge around an outcrop of rock, creating a natural fortress that was already occupied in Neolithic times. Since then Constantine (Cirta as it was known in antiquity, Qacentina as it has also been called) has always been a city of political, cultural and economic significance. The Numidians made it their capital and after Julius Caesar defeated the army of Juba I at Thapsus, it remained the capital of Roman Numidia. The Romans destroyed the city after a rebellion in AD 311, but Emperor Constantine then gave orders for it to be rebuilt – and renamed, using his name.

The French writer Alexandre Dumas called it ‘a fantastic city, something like Gulliver’s flying island’. The sense of fantasy has still not left it, for however much building has gone on around, the heart of Constantine remains on that upland shelf, reached by bridges. It is a cosmopolitan place that, over the centuries, has attracted traders, as well as invaders, from around the Mediterranean including Jews from France and Spain, Ottoman Turks, Genoese and others. From the 16th century, after the Turks conquered much of what is now Algeria, Constantine – Qacentina – became an important, independent beylik, and even after the last bey was chased from his palace by the colonising French, the bey continued the struggle from elsewhere in the region until resistance became impossible, for a while. On 8 May 1945 (a date commemorated in street names across the region) it was here, and in neighbouring Sétif and Guelma, that the independence movement started.

You will explore the 6 bridges including the Roman Kantara Bridge. From here continue on to see the ruins of the Antonian Roman Aqueduct and the Great Mosque of Constantine. A visit to the Kasbah is a must as well as the 19th-century Ottoman Palace of Ahmed Bey and Constantine’s Museum.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: Overnight at Protea Hotel or similar

Day 6 - Constantine - Tiddis - Béchar - Taghit

Tiddis
Following breakfast, drive to Tiddis where you will visit the fascinating archaeological site before pausing for lunch and continuing to the airport for your flight to Béchar via Algiers which lies on the northern reaches of the Sahara.

Béchar to Taghit
Béchar’s former European quarter contains a military station and has modern buildings, while the traditional quarter has covered narrow streets. Surrounded by date palm groves watered by the Wadi Béchar, the town is noted for its leatherwork and jewellery. Continue to Taghit where you will overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation Overnight at Saoura Hotel or similar

Day 7 - Beni Abbes and Taghit

Exploring the Berber villages of the Sahara is an immersive dive into the heart of Algeria’s Saharan culture and history. Nestled against the backdrop of sweeping golden dunes and rugged escarpments, these villages are a testament to the resilience and rich traditions of the Berber people. Wandering through their narrow, sunbaked alleyways, you’ll encounter mud-brick homes adorned with simple yet striking geometric patterns and hear the melodic hum of Berber dialects spoken by locals who greet you with warm smiles. The villages are surrounded by lush palm groves, fed by ancient qanat irrigation systems that bring life to this arid landscape.

Beni Abbes
After breakfast, drive to Beni Abbes, exploring the dunes that surround the oasis. Visit the Sahara Museum and the typical clay fort of Charles de Foucauld who installed its first “brotherhood” in 1901 and is still occupied by monks of the order. In the oasis, you will also visit the old Ksar.

Taghit
Continue to Taghit, and visit the caves situated on the cliffs of Taghit and the old Ksar Taghit. The village is an old mud-brick town that meets the modern side of the village which is slowly developing. This is all set in between green palm groves.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation: Overnight at Saoura Hotel or similar

Day 8 - Taghit to Oran

Continue to Béchar where you will fly to Oran. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Accommodation: 2 nights Colombe Hotel or similar

Day 9 - Oran

After breakfast, it is time to explore Oran. Oran is a beautiful coastal city mimicking the French Riviera town of Nice with its French colonial-style buildings. Enjoy a city orientation tour where you will visit La Cathedrale du Sacre Coeur and Santa Cruz Fort.

Fort Santa Cruz sits on Mont Murdjadjo around 400 metres above sea level. The fort was built by the Ottomans and Spaniards in the 17th century in a strategic location overlooking the city, the Mers El Kébir port and the Mediterranean Sea.

There is a magnificent castle and chapel on site, as well as a massive statue of the Virgin Mary. The statue is said to be a replica of the one at Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseilles.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: 2 nights Colombe Hotel or similar

Day 10 - Tipaza to Algiers

Tipaza
After breakfast drive to Tipaza. Here you will spend the afternoon exploring the ruins of Tipaza and discover the history of the ancient civilisations in Algeria. What makes the ruins of Tipaza so extraordinary, is the fact that they not only showcase the architectural style of one group of rulers but show the influence the Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantine and Christians had on the construction of this lost city and the role they played in the development of Algeria. The ruins of Tipaza are nestled against the stunning backdrop of the azure sea, where the rhythmic sound of waves crashing against the shore complements the timeless grandeur of its stone amphitheatres, temples, and basilicas. Olive and fig trees dot the landscape, adding a touch of verdant charm that contrasts with the rugged remains of Roman columns and walls.

Cherchell
Continue on to Cherchell with a visit to Cherchell Museum. The Cherchell Museum houses what are widely considered to be some of the best examples of Roman and Greek antiquities on the African continent. Cherchell was established by the Carthaginians in the 4th century BC and was captured by the Romans in 25 BC who made it into the capital of the Mauritania province, naming it Caesarea in honour of Caesar Augustus. The town was ruined by the Vandals in the first century CE and later restored to its former grandeur by the Byzantines. A series of conquests by various invaders saw Cherchell change hands a number of times before becoming a French territory in 1840. Many artifacts from these various periods of Cherchell’s history have been uncovered by archaeologists, a large number of which are on display in the Cherchell Museum.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Accommodation: Overnight at El Djazaïr Hotel or similar

Day 11 - Departure

Today is yours at leisure until it is time to transfer to the airport for your onward flight.

Meals: Breakfast