Algeria layers Mediterranean coast, high plateaus and an immense Sahara. Along the north, Algiers tumbles whitewashed to its bay, Oran swings to raï, and ancient Roman cities sit half-forgotten in green hills. Beyond the Atlas and Aurès mountains the desert takes over: ergs of golden dunes, oasis towns of the M'zab, and the surreal sandstone forests and rock-art plateaus of the deep south. Vast, varied and still little-touristed, it rewards travellers willing to plan ahead.
"The Battle of Algiers" (Golden Lion 1966) was shot in the real Casbah with its residents — so realistic the film opens with a note stating it contains no newsreel footage.
Algeria is the largest country in Africa and the Mediterranean: over 2.3 million km², about 80% of it Sahara.
Algiers lives between Casbah and seafront, Oran moves to raï, Constantine hangs from its suspension bridges. An eSIM helps: local ride-hailing (Yassir), train times checked online, and a licensed guide is a must for the deep South (Djanet, Tassili).