# Algeria Intensive Discovery — 5 Days

> Five days across Algeria's headline sights: the Casbah, Roman Tipaza, Constantine's bridges, Timgad and Djémila, and a desert taste at Bou Saada.

- Price: from €732 per person (private trip or small group)
- Duration: 5 days · 4 nights
- Starts: Algiers — Airport
- Best season: Spring & autumn
- 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-intensive-discovery-tour/
- Book (request, no payment to enquire): https://algeriacompass.com/contact/?tour=algeria-intensive-discovery-tour

## 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

## Day by day

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.

### 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.
- **The Moulin Ferrero**: The old mill on the Oued Bou Saada beside the gorge and the palm gardens that Étienne Dinet painted.
- **The dunes south of Bou Saada**: A short excursion onto the sand — the first real Sahara on the road south, and the turning point of the day.

## Included

- Airport meet & assist and transfers
- Air-conditioned tourist vehicle
- Accommodation in selected hotels
- All meals during the tour
- Licensed tour guide
- Entrance fees to the sites
- Desert excursion at Bou Saada

## Not included

- International flights
- Personal expenses

## Questions

**Is the pace demanding?**
Yes — it's intensive by design, with early starts and daily travel.

**Which UNESCO sites are included?**
Timgad, Djémila and the Casbah of Algiers.

**Are meals included?**
Yes — all meals during the tour, plus entrance fees and the Bou Saada excursion.

**Can the pace be eased?**
Yes — tell us and we can extend it into a more relaxed itinerary.

## Booking & policies

- Request to book: dates are held free for 72 hours with no payment while availability, permits and flights are confirmed; a deposit then secures the trip and the balance is due before departure. 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).