Notre-Dame d'Afrique, the Grande Poste and White Boulevards

South and west of the medieval Casbah, the architecture of Algiers shifts dramatically into two signature styles: the 19th-century cliffside arcades and wrought-iron balconies of the French seafront, and the early-20th-century Neo-Moorish (Jonnart) revival, which blended Andalusian and Maghrebi stucco, domes and zellij tilework into grand civic landmarks.

The Grande Poste, Rue Didouche Mourad and Place de l'Émir Abdelkader

Begin at the heart of Alger Centre at Tafourah-Grande Poste Metro station. Rising above the palm trees of Square Port Said and the gardens of the Horloge Florale (Floral Clock) stands the Grande Poste d'Alger, completed in 1910 by architects Jules Voinot and Marius Toudoire. Its gleaming white horseshoe-arched portico, geometric stonework and intricately fretted plaster cupolas inside make it the flagship monument of the Neo-Moorish style.

From the post office steps, walk uphill along Rue Didouche Mourad, the liveliest commercial and intellectual artery in the capital, lined with seven-storey Haussmannian apartment buildings, independent bookshops, pastry counters, the historic Milk Bar and pavement espresso terraces around Place Audin and the University of Algiers. A parallel stroll along Rue Larbi Ben M'hidi leads to Place de l'Émir Abdelkader, dominated by the equestrian statue of the 19th-century Algerian scholar and resistance leader.

Seafront Boulevard Zighoud Youcef and the White Arcades

Walk toward the harbour from Place Port Said onto Boulevard Zighoud Youcef and Boulevard Che Guevara. Built on massive vaulted stone ramps above the port docks in the 1860s by architect Frédéric Chassériau, this continuous two-kilometre promenade of white limestone arcades looking straight east across the Mediterranean is the vista that earned the capital its nickname Alger la Blanche. Halfway along stands the striking white modernist curves of the Wilaya d'Alger and the Algerian National Assembly.

Riding the cable car to Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Afrique

On the northern headland of the city, perched on a 124-metre cliff high above the popular district of Bab El Oued, stands the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Afrique. Designed by Jean-Eugène Fromageau in Romano-Byzantine style and consecrated in 1872, it is reached effortlessly via the Oued Koriche aerial cable car or by taxi. Inside, beneath a blue-and-gold ceramic apse framing a bronze statue of the Black Virgin, runs the famous French, Arabic and Kabyle inscription: Notre Dame d'Afrique, priez pour nous et pour les Musulmans (Our Lady of Africa, pray for us and for the Muslims). Outside, the cliff esplanade commands an unforgettable view over the northern bay before you head south to the Jardin d'Essai du Hamma.