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Algiers

Algiers (Al-Jazaïr) never fails to make an impression. This is a city of rare beauty and of 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 Casbah. Labyrinthine streets spill down to the yawning big blue of the Bay of Algiers, sea and sky and green ravines glimpsed at every step. Though people often spend just enough time in Algiers to organise an onward journey, it’s a fascinating place well worth at least a couple of days’ exploration.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Casbah
Algiers
The heart of the city is its ancient Casbah, a steep and narrow maze of streets just west of the Pl des Martyrs. There are several magnificent Ottoman…
National Museum of Antiquities
Algiers
The richness of Algeria’s heritage is brought home in this museum. The collection of antiquities is drawn from sites around the city and throughout…
Jardin d'Essai
Algiers
These bayside botanical gardens date to the first years of French occupation and today they are a sprawling natural hothouse. It's a place of outstanding…
Bardo Museum of Prehistory & Ethnography
Algiers
The Bardo, which focuses on the prehistory of Algeria, is one of the best museums in Algiers. The collection is well-displayed with videos, models and…
Notre Dame d'Afrique
Algiers
One of the city's most famous buildings, this Catholic basilica still celebrates mass at 6pm daily, despite its dwindling flock. Its striking neo…
Djemaa Ketchoua
Algiers
Of all the mosques in central Algiers, the Djemaa Ketchoua has had the most turbulent history. Its date of construction is estimated as being around the…
Djemma Ali Bitchine
Algiers
The Djemma Ali Bitchine, which dates to 1622, is a mosque with an unusual domed design clearly influenced by Italian or Byzantine churches. That it should…
Djemaa el-Kebir
Algiers
The city's Grand Mosque has ancient heritage. It's built on a rise above the inner port where early Berber and Phoenician inhabitants built a place of…

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