Algeria Tours from the UK: Flights, Visa & Planning (2026)

For British travellers Algeria is the nearest genuinely unvisited country: closer than the Canaries, and with more Roman heritage than most of Italy’s tourist circuit, seen almost alone.

This page gathers what matters when you are travelling from the UK: getting there, the visa, time and money, when to go, and which of our private tours fit best. Every tour is private, on your own dates, with a licensed local guide. All our guides speak English.

Getting there

Algiers is only about three hours from London, and direct flights have operated from London for years. From regional airports, connect through Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Istanbul. Check current schedules when you book — routes and frequencies change by season.

The visa

Visitors from the United Kingdom need a visa for Algeria. There are two routes:

1. A tourist visa from the Algerian embassy or consulate that serves you, applied for before you travel. Consulates want an invitation letter and a confirmed programme from a licensed Algerian operator — we prepare both with any programme of at least 3 days that includes airport pickup and drop-off (the invitation letter is $25).
2. The Saharan visa-authorisation, for organised trips that include the Sahara, such as Djanet or Timimoun — whichever airport you fly into. We issue the authorisation ($45) and the visa sticker is issued on arrival at Algiers airport; the arrival stamp is a separate fee paid at the airport.

Send us your nationality and travel dates and we will tell you which route applies. The details are on our entry and e-Visa page and in our visa guide.

Time, power and money

• Time: Algeria runs on UTC+1 all year, with no daylight saving. It is one hour ahead of the UK in winter and the same time in summer — no jet lag at all.
• Power: Algeria uses 230 V power and European Type C and F plugs, so bring a UK-to-Europe adapter.
• Money: Our tour prices are in euros, and you pay us before the trip. On the ground Algeria runs on cash: bring euros in clean notes to change — they are far easier to change than sterling. Cards are rarely accepted outside big hotels — see can I use credit cards in Algeria?

When to go

The short flight changes what is possible. A long weekend in Algiers works — our private day tours run from €30 — and so does a week of winter sun in the Sahara, which is travelled from October to April. Christmas and New Year in the desert are special: see our winter guide.

Tours that suit travellers from the UK

• Algiers Culture Walk — Casbah Day Tour — 1 day, from €30 per person
• Algeria Cultural Tour — 5 Days — 5 days, from €900 per person
• Tadrart Rouge — 7 Days in the Red Sahara — 7 days, from €920 per person
• Complete Algeria — 10-Day Grand Tour — 10 days, from €1,176 per person

For the top end, the 5-Star Collection is eight days all-inclusive — internal flights, five-star hotels, all meals and a private 4WD fleet — from €1,615 per person.

Every price is per person, published on the tour page, and fixed: it changes only if you ask for a custom itinerary or extra days. Cancellation is free up to 5 days before departure — see our booking terms.

Safety

The north of Algeria, the M’Zab Valley and the organised Sahara routes are calm and very welcoming; our safety guide sets out the evidence. Check the FCDO’s Algeria advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice before you book, as you would anywhere. Travel and medical insurance is required on our Sahara tours.

Plan it with us

Tell us your dates and how you like to travel, and we will build the trip around you — or answer the visa question first, before you commit to anything.