How much cash should I bring to Algeria?
Enough for the whole trip, because you cannot reliably top up. Work out your daily spending on food, taxis, entry tickets, tips and shopping, add a comfortable margin, and bring it in euro cash. Anything prepaid — hotels, guides, transport on an organised tour — comes out of that total.
Because cards barely work and ATMs are unreliable, the honest planning rule for Algeria is: bring the whole trip in cash, and bring it in euros.
Build the number from what you will actually pay on the ground, not from a daily average copied off a generic budget site. Start by subtracting everything already prepaid — on an organised programme that is usually accommodation, transport, guides and most meals, which removes the largest items. What remains is genuinely discretionary: meals not included, café stops, taxis, museum and site entry, tips, souvenirs and craft purchases, a SIM card, and a contingency for a change of plan.
Everyday costs in Algeria are low by European standards, so this total is usually smaller than travellers fear. What matters more is the margin: you have no easy way to add funds, so plan comfortably over rather than exactly.
Practical points. Bring euros first, dollars second, in clean undamaged notes — torn or heavily marked notes are refused or discounted. Include a mix of denominations. Declare cash above the customs threshold on your arrival form and keep the slip, because it matters when you leave. And change money in stages through your hotel or operator rather than all at once on arrival.
Our Algeria travel cost guide breaks down what individual items cost so you can build a realistic figure.
Key facts
| Bring | Euros in cash, undamaged notes |
| Cover | Your whole stay, plus a margin |
| Exclude | Anything already prepaid |
| Declare | Amounts above the customs threshold |