Algeria Intensive Discovery — 5 Days

Overview

For travellers short on time but long on curiosity, this intensive five days hits Algeria's greatest sights: the Casbah, Bardo Museum and Martyrs' Memorial in Algiers; the Roman coast at Tipaza and Cherchell; Constantine's bridges; the UNESCO Roman cities of Timgad and Djémila; and a desert excursion at Bou Saada. It moves briskly, with a licensed guide and all meals, to pack the country's icons into one trip.

Highlights

• The Casbah, Bardo Museum and Martyrs' Memorial
• Roman Tipaza, Cherchell and Cleopatra Selene's mausoleum
• Constantine's suspension bridges and palaces
• The UNESCO Roman sites of Timgad and Djémila
• A desert excursion at Bou Saada

Why this trip is different

• The greatest hitsThe capital, Roman cities, gorges and a desert taste in five days.
• Two UNESCO Roman citiesTimgad and Djémila on one route.
• Full-board and guidedAll meals and a licensed guide throughout.
• Efficient by designA brisk pace for travellers with limited time.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1 Algiers city tour

   Airport welcome and transfer, then the Bardo National Museum, a walk through the UNESCO Casbah, and the Martyrs' Memorial with its view over the capital.

   • The Bardo Museum — Prehistory and ethnography inside a graceful Moorish villa, from Saharan rock-art casts to silver jewellery and everyday Algeria.
   • The Casbah of Algiers — The UNESCO-listed Ottoman citadel — a steep white labyrinth of palaces, mosques and courtyard houses climbing above the bay.
   • The Martyrs' Memorial (Maqam Echahid) — Three soaring concrete palm-fronds raised in 1982 over the city, honouring the dead of the war of independence.
2. Day 2 Tipaza & Cherchell

   West along the coast to the Roman ruins of Tipaza and the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania, then Cherchell's museum and old harbour.

   • Roman Tipaza — A UNESCO-listed Roman port strung along the Mediterranean — basilicas, baths and a theatre with the waves at their feet.
   • The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania — A great stone drum on a hill above the sea — the 1st-century-BC tomb of Berber king Juba II and Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra of Egypt.
   • Cherchell (ancient Caesarea) — Juba II's old capital, whose museum holds some of Algeria's finest Roman and Greek mosaics and statuary.
3. Day 3 Constantine & Timgad

   East to Constantine — its suspension bridges and Ahmed Bey Palace — and on to the Roman city of Timgad.

   • Constantine's bridges — The 'City of Bridges' spanning the dizzying Rhumel gorge, the Sidi M'Cid footbridge slung high above it.
   • Ahmed Bey Palace — The early-19th-century Ottoman palace of the last bey, with painted galleries and shaded courtyards.
   • Timgad — Trajan's grid-planned colony of AD 100 — the 'Pompeii of the Aurès', laid out across the open plain.
4. Day 4 Djémila & Sétif

   The UNESCO Roman city of Djémila with its forum, theatre and mosaics, then the Aïn El Fouara fountain at Sétif.

   • Djémila (Cuicul) — A UNESCO Roman city in green mountains, superbly preserved — forum, temples and a steep theatre.
   • The Djémila mosaics — On-site mosaics among the richest in the Roman world, in the site museum.
   • Aïn El Fouara, Sétif — The beloved 1898 fountain at the city's heart, Sétif's enduring symbol.
5. Day 5 Bou Saada & return

   South to Bou Saada, gateway to the Sahara, for its oasis and a desert excursion among the dunes, before the road back to Algiers.

   • Bou Saada oasis — The gateway to the Sahara, with a desert excursion among the dunes.

   Then the road back to Algiers.

Good to know

Best season

Spring & autumn

Pace

Active — full days with daily transfers

Style

Private, guided, 4 nights; all meals included

Bring

Comfortable shoes, sun protection, modest dress for the Casbah