Things to Do in Algiers (Algeria)
I landed in Algiers expecting a postcard, a white city above a blue bay. What I did not expect was how much it would pull me in. Algiers keeps its treasures low, hidden behind walls and along stairways, and the more I walked, the more it gave back. If you are planning a visit, here are the things to do in Algiers that made my trip memorable, in the order I would do them again.
Start in the Casbah, the white old town
The Casbah is where Algiers comes alive for me. I spent a full morning getting lost in its narrow lanes, which run uphill in a tangle of steps, arches, and half hidden doors. It is a UNESCO site and it feels less like a museum and more like a living neighborhood, with shopkeepers, kids, and the smell of espresso drifting out of tiny cafes. I hired a local guide for a couple of hours, and it was worth every dinar. He pointed out the Ketchaoua Mosque, the Ottoman palaces, and the old Ottoman houses now back in the hands of families. Do not rush it. The Casbah is the soul of the city.
Climb up for the view of the bay
From the Casbah I followed the old ramparts toward the gardens that crown the hill. Near the top sits the Jardin d’Essai, a botanical garden that goes back to the 1830s and turned out to be one of my favorite breaks in the whole city. It is leafy, calm, and a little humid, full of bamboo, palms, and giant ficus trees. I walked the shaded paths for nearly two hours and barely noticed the time. If you want the classic Algiers view, keep climbing to the heights above the bay and look out over the rooftops and the sea. That is the image you carry home.
Stand beneath the Martyrs Memorial
No trip to Algiers feels complete without seeing the Martyrs Memorial, called Maquam Echahid. It sits high on its plateau and rises in three concrete palm leaves, with an eternal flame at its base. I went at golden hour and the light turned the whole thing warm and dramatic. The monument honors those who died in the war for independence, and it sets the city’s history in plain sight. Right next to it is the Museum of Modern Art of Algiers, which I would pair with the memorial in the same afternoon. The mix of heavy history and bold contemporary art sums up the city well.
Wander the French colonial center and the Grand Post Office
Down toward the water, the city center shifts into a grand European grid from the French colonial years. My favorite stop was the Grand Post Office, the Grande Poste, a white building with a clock tower and a distinctive style that locals just call the Post Office. The lines inside are real, because Algiers still does a lot of business there, but the facade alone is worth the walk. Around it, the streets of Didouche Mourad run past bookshops, cinemas, and pastry windows. I grabbed a coffee and watched the city move. It is the everyday Algiers, and I loved it.
Drive the Corniche and feel the sea air
For a change of pace, I drove the Corniche, the coastal road that hugs the bay and curves out past the seawall toward beaches on the eastern edge. The breeze alone was worth it after the hot uphill streets. I stopped near the beach at dusk, when families come out and the cafes along the water light up. It is the calm, social side of the city. If you have a car, the Corniche is an easy way to spend an afternoon; if not, taxi drivers know the route well.
Taste the street food and the coffee
Food turned out to be one of the biggest surprises. I ate my weight in chickpea and potato cakes called karantika at a corner stall, and a couscous plate with lamb that I still think about weeks later. The old cafes in the Casbah and the center pour strong espresso served with a glass of water, and the mint tea sweetens the afternoons. I also tried makroud, little date pastries, for breakfast and never looked back. Do not leave Algiers without eating your way through these. The city rewards people who stop and eat where the locals eat.
Take the cable car to Notre Dame d’Afrique
The last thing I did was take the cable car up to the Basilica of Notre Dame d’Afrique. It is a big church with blue mosaics, perched on a cliff above the bay, and it offers one of the most open views in the whole city. In a country that is mostly Muslim, this church stands as a symbol of how many histories have passed through these streets. I sat inside for a while as the light came through the windows, then rode back down as the sun dropped over the water. It was the perfect way to close my time in Algiers.
Plan before you go
A few practical notes from my own trip. You need a visa, and you are required to have a bank card on you. Public transport is rough, so plan on taxis, which are cheap and plentiful, or a rental car for the Corniche. Learn a few words of French; it goes a long way. And most importantly, give the city time. Algiers does not show itself in a day. Between the Casbah and the memorial, the gardens and the coffee, the sea and the food, I found a place that surprised me at every turn. These things to do in Algiers gave me a real city, not a postcard, and I would go back tomorrow.
