Algeria offers architectural treasures, warm welcomes and authentic experiences

Despite having plenty of top attractions – a capital by the Mediterranean, ancient Roman ruins, and the Saharan desert – Africa’s largest country doesn’t draw big numbers from abroad, making me a novelty to my new Algerian-French friend.

There are reasons you don’t hear Algeria spoken about in the same breath as other North African destinations like Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. For one, it’s an oil-rich nation that doesn’t rely heavily on tourism. It has also suffered reputational damage from what’s known as ‘the Dark Decade’ when, in the ’90s and 00s, a brutal civil war between the government and Islamist rebel groups saw tens of thousands killed.

Add to that no visa-on-arrival option for European citizens (the visa application process with the Algerian embassy in Dublin takes at least two weeks), and suddenly those neighbouring countries are a much more attractive proposition.

But that’s not to say Algeria can’t compete.

Its capital, Algiers, is a vast, bustling city with an intriguing mix of French-style boulevards and Islamic architecture. The Unesco-listed Casbah is its beating heart, where you’ll find traditional homes, palaces and mosques still perfectly preserved. You can wander the twisting alleyways and discover a neighbourhood that was the key battleground in the 1956-’57 Battle of Algiers, compellingly brought to life in Gillo Pontecorvo’s 1966 film.

Algeria’s troubled history is still rooted in the minds of its people and marked widely across the city, such as in Martyrs’ Square, named in honour of the 4,000 Algerians who were killed defending the Ketchaoua mosque during different periods of French occupation.

At the Martyrs’ Memorial, you can learn about the country’s 132-year struggle for independence within its museum. The imposing concrete monument, represented by three standing palm leaves sheltering an eternal flame, stands 92 metres tall and can be seen from various vantage points in the city. It looks down on the 54-hectare Botanical Gardens (Jardin d’Essai), a tranquil oasis that includes over 2,500 species of plants and trees and was the film location for Tarzan in 1938. You can reach both from the centre by taking the city metro.

Among other notable landmarks in the capital are the Grand Mosque, the third biggest in the world; the Basilica of Our Lady of Africa; and the Grande Poste, a fine example of French-designed, early 20th-century Moorish architecture.

While over 99 per cent of Algerians identify as Muslim, there’s another dominant religion visible in Algiers – football. Particularly since the Fennecs brought an exciting brand of football to the 2014 World Cup with emerging talent such as Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani, locals can’t get enough. Murals adorn city walls displaying the crests and colours of the two local rival clubs, USM Alger and MC Alger.

My trip coincided with Algeria’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against Somalia, which meant I could see that religion on full display at the Nelson Mandela Stadium on the outskirts of the city. Named after the former South African president who once described Algeria as his second homeland, the new stadium is an impressive feat of modern design. In front of a raucous crowd of almost 41,000, Algeria got their qualifying campaign off to a winning start with a comfortable 3-1 victory.

Located on the Mediterranean coast around 70km west of Algiers lies Tipaza. Along with Djemila and Timgad, it’s one of three Roman sites in Algeria on the Unesco World Heritage List. Journalist-turned-guide Loubna takes me on a tour of the area, which once served as an important trading port for the Romans. Among the ruins dating back to the second century BC is a basilica, two cemeteries, baths, a theatre and amphitheatre. So quiet is the site, it feels like we have it all to ourselves, a far cry from the crowds you’d see at a similar attraction in Europe.

After a visit to the nearby Cherchell Museum, which houses some of the best examples of Roman and Greek antiquities in Africa, we head for some street food. The Algerian taco – a wrap stuffed with meat, cheese and fries, topped with a spicy sauce – hits the spot. Most Algerian cuisine is meat-heavy with bread on the side. Expect to see its national dish, couscous, on every menu, along with various tagines and its unique noodle dish called rechta. Of course, outside influences have shaped Algerian food, and you won’t go far without seeing a local carrying the ubiquitous French baguette.

On the way back to Algiers, we stop at the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania, said to be the resting place of Cleopatra Selene II and Berber Juba II, the last king and queen of the Mauretania Kingdom. Resembling a cross between Newgrange and the Egyptian Pyramids, the circular monument was built entirely from stone in 3BC. While visitors can’t go inside, it’s worth a stop just to see the exterior.

A 90-minute flight south of the capital takes me to Ghardaïa and the fortified villages of the M’Zab Valley in the heart of the Saharan desert. Another of Algeria’s seven Unesco sites, El-Atteuf, Bounoura, Melika, Ghardaïa and Béni-Isguen were founded between 1012 and 1350 and today possess a culture that has been preserved throughout centuries.

Following what felt like an unnecessary police escort from the airport (my driver tells me the police organise pick-up for tourists because they have nothing better to do), I get my first glimpse of the valley from above. Minarets, both in Arab and Berber architectural styles, pop out of a cluster of sandy-coloured dwellings.

This is a much more traditional part of Algeria, and upon entering the villages, it feels like you’re stepping back in time or walking onto the set of a Mad Max film. Men wear pleated baggy trousers called sarouel loubia, while women cover themselves with a traditional white garb known as the haik, which leaves nothing but an eyehole to peer out of.

In these villages, tourists must always be accompanied by official guides who are at pains to point out that locals should not be photographed. As one tourist snaps a street scene, our guide looks for assurance there’s no one in the picture. It’s a fair ask of tourists, as these people grapple with the tricky balancing act of opening their doors to visitors and protecting their traditions.

My guide for the village of El Atteuf, a charismatic 82-year-old named Ibrahim who speaks a mix of French, Arabic and English, does an excellent job of diverting attention away from locals onto himself, shouting “tourist photo!” whenever a good photo opportunity of him against a suitable backdrop appears. The Czech group of tourists with me lap it up and capture him at every angle they can get.

Later that day, another local guide, Khaled, takes me on a tour of Béni-Isgue. He explains how the village’s architecture was designed for community living – made simple, functional and adapted to the environment – and why it still serves as inspiration for urban planners today. I’m also treated to an auction in the village’s main square, a centuries-old tradition where men get animated over the sale of everything from scrap metal to home appliances, before finishing the day catching the sunset from the top of a minaret.

For my second day in Ghardaïa, we drive to the Mansoura District of the Saharan desert, which lies on the Trans-Sahara Highway. There, among the sand dunes beside the 4×4, my driver lights a fire and prepares sweet Algerian tea. The dunes look as you’d imagine in the Sahara – smooth, still and mesmerising. We do precisely what you might do in the middle of the desert – nothing, except guess which animal made prints in the sand and marvel at the vastness of it all.

Back in Algiers on my final day, I’m keen to do some exploring without a guide, so I ask my contact, Islam of Fancyellow Travel Services, if there’s another day trip he’d recommend. That leads me to Dellys, a small coastal town two hours from the capital. While it offers little in the way of attractions, it shows some promise. So much so that Islam plans to add a guided tour of the town to his agency’s itinerary.

It gets me thinking about Algeria as a whole and how it, too, still has some way to go before reaching anywhere close to its full potential. But perhaps that’s the beauty of it. What it lacks in tourism infrastructure, it makes up for in hospitality, and what you get is a very authentic experience of a North African country steeped in tradition.

As Tipaza guide Loubna puts it, “When you come to Algeria, you don’t feel like a tourist, you feel like a guest,” and that’s precisely how I feel when it’s time to leave.