Algeria Provinces
Authoritative travel guides to the wilayas of Algeria — history, culture, food, attractions and how to visit.
Algiers
Algiers (El Djazaïr) is Algeria's capital and largest city — a Mediterranean port famous for its UNESCO-listed Ottoman Casbah, white tiered waterfront, French-colonial boulevards, the vast new Great Mosque of Algiers, and grand monuments like Notre-Dame d'Afrique and the Maqam Echahid. It's the country's main gateway and a city best explored on foot, with a guide for the Casbah.
Béjaïa
Béjaïa is a coastal province in Kabylie where the Djurdjura mountains plunge straight into the Mediterranean. It's known for Gouraya National Park, the clifftop Cap Carbon lighthouse, the scenic Corniche beaches, deep Kabyle (Amazigh) culture, the dramatic Kherrata gorges, and a layered history — including its medieval role in transmitting Arabic numerals to Europe and the pivotal Soummam Congress of 1956.
Ghardaïa
Ghardaïa is the gateway to the M'Zab Valley — a group of five fortified oasis towns built by the Ibadi Mozabites from around the 11th century and inscribed by UNESCO in 1982. Its tiered, pyramidal towns, palm groves and arcaded markets are among Algeria's most distinctive sights, and the M'Zab's radical, egalitarian urban design famously influenced 20th-century architects including Le Corbusier.
Oran
Oran is Algeria's vibrant second city — a Mediterranean port on the west coast with a strong Spanish and Andalusian imprint, the birthplace of raï music, the Spanish-built Santa Cruz fort above the bay, a lively seafront, and easy access to the Andalusian heritage of Tlemcen and the western beaches.
Sétif
Sétif is a highland province in north-eastern Algeria, best known for Djémila — one of the world's best-preserved Roman cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. It sits at around 1,100 m on the High Plateaus, has a cool four-season climate, the cedar forests of Babor, the landmark Ain El Fouara fountain, and a defining place in Algeria's road to independence.
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