Algeria Tours from Scandinavia: Flights, Visa & Planning (2026)

If the northern winter is the problem, the Algerian Sahara is the answer that few people know about: real desert, real light, and almost nobody else in it.

This page gathers what matters when you are travelling from the Nordics: getting there, the visa, time and money, when to go, and which of our private tours fit best. Every tour is private, on your own dates, with a licensed local guide. All our guides speak English.

Getting there

Plan on one connection into Algiers (ALG) from Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo or Helsinki — usually through Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Istanbul. Flying time is around 4 to 5 hours plus the connection. Check current schedules when you book.

The visa

Visitors from Scandinavia and the Nordic countries need a visa for Algeria. There are two routes:

1. A tourist visa from the Algerian embassy or consulate that serves you, applied for before you travel. Consulates want an invitation letter and a confirmed programme from a licensed Algerian operator — we prepare both with any programme of at least 3 days that includes airport pickup and drop-off (the invitation letter is $25).
2. The Saharan visa-authorisation, for organised trips that include the Sahara, such as Djanet or Timimoun — whichever airport you fly into. We issue the authorisation ($45) and the visa sticker is issued on arrival at Algiers airport; the arrival stamp is a separate fee paid at the airport.

Send us your nationality and travel dates and we will tell you which route applies. The details are on our entry and e-Visa page and in our visa guide.

Time, power and money

• Time: Algeria runs on UTC+1 all year, with no daylight saving: the same time as Denmark, Sweden and Norway in winter, and one hour behind in summer. Finland is one hour ahead of Algeria in winter and two in summer.
• Power: Algeria uses the same 230 V power and Type C and F plugs as the Nordic countries — no adapter needed.
• Money: Our prices are in euros, and you pay us before the trip. On the ground Algeria runs on cash: bring euros in clean notes to change — Nordic currencies cannot be changed in Algeria. Cards are rarely accepted outside big hotels — see can I use credit cards in Algeria?

When to go

The Sahara is travelled from October to April — exactly the dark months at home. Days in the desert are warm and bright, nights are cold and full of stars. Christmas and New Year there are special: see our winter guide.

Tours that suit travellers from the Nordics

• Tadrart Rouge — 7 Days in the Red Sahara — 7 days, from €920 per person
• Timimoun Desert Escape — 5 Days — 5 days, from €492 per person
• Ihrir & the Tassili — 7 Days of Oases and Ergs — 7 days, from €920 per person
• Algeria Grand Discovery — 14 Days, Coast to Sahara — 14 days, from €1,850 per person

For the top end, the 5-Star Collection is eight days all-inclusive — internal flights, five-star hotels, all meals and a private 4WD fleet — from €1,615 per person.

Every price is per person, published on the tour page, and fixed: it changes only if you ask for a custom itinerary or extra days. Cancellation is free up to 5 days before departure — see our booking terms.

Safety

The north of Algeria, the M’Zab Valley and the organised Sahara routes are calm and very welcoming; our safety guide sets out the evidence. Check your foreign ministry’s travel advice before you book, as you would anywhere. Travel and medical insurance is required on our Sahara tours.

Plan it with us

Tell us your dates and how you like to travel, and we will build the trip around you — or answer the visa question first, before you commit to anything.