Business Travel in Algeria

Means of Transport Recommended in Town

Recommendation

The public transport system in large Algerian cities is quite modern even if it is disorganized in some cases. It is recommended that foreign visitors use taxis, especially for trips inside a Wilaya (a department).

Maps of Urban Networks

Transportation From Airport to City Centre:

Airport	Distance	Taxi	Bus	Train	Car Rental
Algiers (ALG)	18 km / 11 miles	DZD 300 / 20-25 min	DZD 20 / 30 min	DZD 15 / 25-30 min	-
Oran (ORN)	8 km / 5 miles	Available	-	-	Available
Constantine (CZL)	8 km / 5 miles	Available	Available	-	Available
Annaba (AAE)	10 km / 6 miles	Available	Every 30 min	-	Available
Batna (BLJ)	27 km / 17 miles	-	-	-	-

Means of Transport Recommended in the Rest of the Country

Recommendation

For safety reasons, using long distance public road transport is highly inadvisable. Until the east-west motorway is operational (some time in 2009), travelling by plane is recommended.
Air Algérie serves most large (and medium sized) Algerian cities and has attractive fares.
Rail transport has again become an attractive means of transport, both in terms of fares and keeping to the timetable.

Rail Companies

National Rail Transport Company

Airlines

You Can Consult the List of Airlines Banned Within the EU. Look Also at the rating of the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Traveling By Yourself

Recommendation

Traveling on your own is unsafe. Fake roadblocks set up by armed groups must still be feared on a certain number of roads, including well traveled roads, often at nightfall. Moreover, the number of road accidents appears to be particularly high, but this is less because of the state of the road network, which is good on the whole, than because motorists do not observe the highway code.

Road Maps

Michelin map of Algeria
Map of Algiers

Find an Itinerary

Multimap

Different Forms of Tourism

Historical

Many museums and monuments reflect Algeria's historic past.
In Algiers: the National Museum of Antiquities, the History Museum, the War Museum, the Martyrs' Monument.

Cultural

28 museums including the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions (Algiers) and the Cirta National Museum (Constantine).

Nature

The coastal band, the Atlas mountains, the Oases of the Sahara, the Hoggar mountains in the south, the mountainous massifs of Great Kabylia, Saharan Algeria with its plains and mountains, and the many UNESCO World Heritage sites (see the list ).

Religious

Algeria is home to some 15 000 mosques, including a certain number of very old ones. The Great Mosque of Algiers was built in 1018, that of Tlemcen in 1102, the mosque of the Pasha, in Oran, in 1797. See also the mosque of Constantine.

Thermal

Algeria has more than 200 hot springs, some of which date from Roman times.

Beach

Algeria has 309 authorized beaches over all its coastal towns.

Winter Sports

Not far from Blida there is a ski slope at Chréa (altitude 1 500 m).

Outdoor Activities

Trekking, expeditions in 4x4s, rides on camels, etc. See further information on the Algeria.com. website.

Shopping

Local items that tourists can bring back from Algeria are: carpets, gypsum flowers ("Roses of the sands"), darboukas (percussion instruments), dates. Terracotta or copper items made by local craftsmen are becoming rarer and rarer.

Tourism Organizations

Algerian Tourism

Health and Safety

Health Precautions

A certificate of vaccination against yellow fever is required for travelers over 1 year of age coming from contaminated areas. There is a limited risk of malaria. A small outbreak (of P.vivax) has been reported at Ihrir (dep. of Illizi) but the place is isolated and difficult to get to.

Health risks are low, except for illnesses linked to a lack of hygiene ( typhoid, hepatitis A, diarrhea...). The traveler really should be vaccinated against typhoid and hepatitis A and B. In any case be very careful about what you eat or drink. Avoid drinking tap water or non industrial drinks. Wash fruits very well (or, even better, peel them) and eat cooked meat dishes (couscous, tajines, spit roast lamb).

International Hospitals

The British medical insurance company Bupa recommends the El-Bordj clinic (near Algiers), as a point of reference.

For Further Information on Sanitary Conditions

The information pages on the World Health Organization website.

For Further Information on Safety Conditions

The "Travel warnings" of the US State Department
The "Travel reports" of the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The recommendations of the US State Department

Time Difference and Climate

Time and Time Difference

It is %T:%M %A In Algiers (GMT+1)

Summer Time Period

None