Algiers: What to Know Before You Go

Short answer: secure your Algerian tourist visa before departure, bring crisp euro or US dollar notes to exchange for Algerian dinars on arrival, download the local Yassir ride-hailing app, and use the underground Metro and aerial cable cars to conquer the city's steep coastal ridges.

Visas, Algerian dinar cash and bank cards

Unless you hold a passport from a handful of visa-exempt neighbours, you must obtain an Algerian visa from an embassy or consulate in your home country before travelling, supported by a confirmed hotel reservation or an invitation letter from an accredited Algerian tour agency. Once you land, remember that Algeria operates almost entirely as a cash economy for everyday spending. International Visa and Mastercard cards are accepted at major international five-star hotels, but almost all restaurants, museums, cafes, Metro ticket windows and taxis take only Algerian dinar (DZD) notes. Bring clean, untorn euro, pound or US dollar banknotes to exchange at official bank counters at Houari Boumediene Airport or in central Algiers, and keep your official exchange slips.

How Algiers is laid out: bay level and cliff ridge

Algiers wraps around a west-to-east semicircle facing the Mediterranean. Because the Saab hills rise sharply right behind the port, walking inland means climbing steep flights of stairs. Instead of walking uphill, ride Algiers Metro Line 1 parallel to the sea between Place des Martyrs, Tafourah-Grande Poste and the Jardin d'Essai, and use the city's network of aerial cable cars (téléphériques) to soar effortlessly from the lower boulevards up to the Martyrs' Memorial, Palace of Culture and Notre-Dame d'Afrique.

Exploring the Casbah and Friday schedules

Algeria's weekend falls on Friday and Saturday. On Friday mornings and early afternoons, avenues are peaceful and many shops close until after congregational prayers, making Friday afternoon a lovely time to stroll the Jardin d'Essai du Hamma. The lower Ottoman palaces around Place des Martyrs and Bastion 23 are easy to visit independently, while hiring an accredited local heritage guide for the upper Casbah lanes unlocks private courtyards, woodcarver workshops and rooftop views. Compare bases in where to stay in Algiers.