The Soul of Algeria — 4 Days

Overview

A balanced four-day introduction to Algeria's range. You take in the Bardo Museum, Notre-Dame d'Afrique, the Martyrs' Memorial and the UNESCO Casbah in Algiers; the seaside Roman ruins of Tipaza and the Cherchell museum; and the oasis town of Bou Saada on the Saharan edge. Culture, antiquity and desert in a short, comfortable trip with hotels included.

Highlights

• The Bardo Museum and Notre-Dame d'Afrique
• The Martyrs' Memorial and the UNESCO Casbah
• Roman Tipaza and the Cherchell museum
• The oasis town of Bou Saada
• A short journey across cultures and landscapes

Why this trip is different

• Three worlds in four daysCapital, Roman coast and oasis without the long haul.
• The Casbah and the BardoThe capital's headline culture in one stay.
• A desert tasteBou Saada brings the Sahara within reach.
• Comfortable paceFour nights with hotels and a traditional lunch.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day 1 Algiers

   The Bardo Museum and its mosaics, Notre-Dame d'Afrique above the bay, and the Martyrs' Memorial.

   • The Bardo Museum — Prehistory and ethnography inside a graceful Moorish villa, from Saharan rock-art casts to silver jewellery and everyday Algeria.
   • Notre-Dame d'Afrique — A 19th-century basilica — 'Our Lady of Africa' — on the cliffs above the bay, inscribed for Muslims and Christians alike.
   • 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

   The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania, the Roman archaeological park of Tipaza, and the Cherchell museum.

   • 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.
   • 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.
3. Day 3 Bou Saada

   South to Bou Saada for its fortress and panoramas, the town museum of crafts and relics, and its historic mosque.

   • Bou Saada panoramas — The fortress and viewpoints over the oasis town.
   • The Nasreddine Dinet Museum — The museum of the Orientalist painter who made Bou Saada famous, with his works and relics.
   • The historic mosque — The old town mosque at the heart of Bou Saada.
4. Day 4 Algiers

   Back to Algiers for the UNESCO Casbah, the Hamma botanical garden, and the Museum of the Mujahideen.

   • The Casbah of Algiers — The UNESCO-listed Ottoman citadel — a steep white labyrinth of palaces, mosques and courtyard houses climbing above the bay.
   • The Hamma Botanical Garden — The grand 19th-century Jardin d'Essai, one of the finest botanical gardens in Africa.
   • The Museum of the Mujahideen — The story of the independence fighters, told beneath the Martyrs’ Memorial.

Good to know

Best season

Spring & autumn; October–April for Bou Saada

Pace

Moderate

Style

Private, guided, 3 nights in 4-star hotels with breakfast

Bring

Modest dress for the Casbah, sun protection, comfortable shoes