# Roman Algeria — Tipaza, Djémila & Timgad (3 Days)

> Three days through Algeria's finest Roman heritage — the seaside ruins of Tipaza and Cherchell, hillside Djémila and the grid-planned streets of Timgad.

- Price: from €384 per person (private trip or small group)
- Duration: 3 days · 2 nights
- Starts: Algiers
- Best season: Spring & autumn — comfortable on exposed sites
- Guides speak: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, German, Russian
- Visa on arrival at Algiers airport possible: no — consulate visa with our invitation letter
- Web page: https://algeriacompass.com/tours/algeria-through-time-and-tradition/
- Book (request, no payment to enquire): https://algeriacompass.com/contact/?tour=algeria-through-time-and-tradition

## Overview

Algeria holds some of the best-preserved Roman cities anywhere, and this journey strings together the finest. You begin on the coast at Tipaza, where temples and bathhouses meet the Mediterranean, and at Caesarea (Cherchell) with its museum of statuary and mosaics. You cross to Djémila, draped over its hillside with colonnaded streets, monumental gateways and mosaic floors, and finish at Timgad — the textbook grid city Trajan founded for his veterans, with its theatre, forum and famous library. Three UNESCO-calibre sites, almost without crowds.

## Highlights

- The coastal Roman ruins of Tipaza
- Caesarea (Cherchell) and its museum
- Djémila's colonnaded streets and theatre
- Mosaic floors and monumental gateways
- Timgad's Roman grid and theatre

## Day by day

### Day 1 — Tipaza & Cherchell

The Roman streets, bathhouses, temples and necropolis of Tipaza, then Caesarea (Cherchell) and its archaeological museum.
- **Roman Tipaza**: A UNESCO-listed Roman port strung along the Mediterranean — basilicas, baths and a theatre with the waves at their feet.
- **Cherchell (ancient Caesarea)**: Juba II's old capital, whose museum holds some of Algeria's finest Roman and Greek mosaics and statuary.
- **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.

### Day 2 — Djémila (Cuicul)

Djémila's colonnaded streets, monumental gateways, Roman theatre, religious complexes and mosaic-floored houses, with the local museum.
- **Djémila’s colonnaded streets**: Monumental gateways and paved avenues of the Roman city in its mountain bowl.
- **The Djémila theatre**: A steep theatre set into the hillside, still commanding the valley.
- **The Djémila mosaics**: On-site mosaics among the richest in the Roman world, in the site museum.

### Day 3 — Timgad

The Roman theatre, forum and public library of Timgad, its famous grid plan, baths and temples.
- **Trajan's Arch**: The triumphal arch framing Timgad's main street — the city's iconic silhouette.
- **The Timgad library & theatre**: The ruins of a rare Roman public library and a 3,500-seat theatre still in use today.
- **Timgad’s grid, baths & temples**: The textbook Roman plan that gives Timgad its fame.

## Questions

**Are these sites UNESCO-listed?**
Tipaza, Djémila and Timgad are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites; Cherchell (Caesarea) is the related Roman capital.

**How much driving is involved?**
It is a touring itinerary across northern Algeria, with scenic road transfers between the sites.

**Is it suited to keen history travellers?**
Ideal — it is one of the most complete Roman itineraries in North Africa.

**When is the best time to go?**
Spring and autumn; the sites are open and exposed, so summer midday heat is best avoided.

## Booking & policies

- Request to book: dates are held free for 72 hours with no payment while availability, permits and flights are confirmed; a 20% deposit paid before arrival then secures the trip, and the balance is paid on arrival in Algeria. Payment by bank transfer, card or PayPal.
- 5% off when booked at least 60 days before departure.
- Free cancellation up to 5 days before departure, full refund. Within 5 days, committed costs may not be recoverable; the rest is refunded.
- If the visa is refused, everything paid to Algeria Compass is refunded.
- Visa: Consulate route: invitation letter 25 USD for a programme of at least 3 days with airport pickup and drop-off. Visa on arrival at Algiers airport for organised programmes that include the Sahara: authorisation 45 USD, plus the arrival stamp paid at the airport (by length of stay).