Best Time to Visit Algiers

Sheltered by its coastal hills and facing north-east across a deep Mediterranean bay, Algiers enjoys sunny skies for much of the year. The most comfortable seasons for climbing the stepped alleys of the Casbah and strolling the open boulevards are April to mid-June and September to November.

Spring (April to June) brings fresh sea air, daytime temperatures rising gently from 20°C in April to 26°C in June, and ten hours of daily sunshine. This is the prime season to experience the 58-hectare Jardin d'Essai du Hamma at its greenest, when jacarandas, roses, hibiscus and bougainvillea bloom across the French and English gardens and visibility from the clifftop terrace of Notre-Dame d'Afrique stretches all the way across the bay to the peaks of Kabylia.

Summer (July and August) is hot, dry and virtually rainless, with average highs of 29°C to 31°C near the water (and higher when hot southerly sirocco winds blow briefly across the Tell Atlas). In summer, start your walks in the Casbah or at nearby Roman Tipaza early in the morning, spend midday inside the shaded stone courtyards of Bastion 23 or the air-conditioned galleries of the National Museum of Fine Arts, and join Algérois families on the café terraces of Rue Didouche Mourad and the fishing port of El Djamila (La Madrague) after sunset.

Autumn (September to November) rivals spring as the finest time to visit. September and October hold onto warm 24°C to 28°C afternoons and balmy evenings, ideal for outdoor seafood dinners west of the city and clear cable car rides up to Maqam Echahid before occasional Atlantic-Mediterranean rain systems return in late November.

Winter (December to March) is mild by European standards, with daytime highs of 16°C to 18°C and nights around 8°C to 9°C, though December and January are the wettest months (averaging 8 to 9 rainy days). Even in winter, bright sunny intervals between showers make museum-hopping and café culture a pleasure. Check what to wear in Algiers before packing.