Algeria

Visa requirements for Algeria depend on which passport you hold. Check the Traveller visa tool to see whether your passport needs a visa and, if so, how long you can stay.

October–November and March–April are the windows — mild for the Sahara (Tassili n'Ajjer UNESCO — prehistoric rock art, sand seas, and canyon formations), the Roman ruins of Timgad and Djémila (both UNESCO, among the finest in North Africa), and the Casbah of Algiers (UNESCO). Summer in the Sahara is extreme heat (50°C+). Algeria's visa process is complex — start well in advance.

• Modest dress throughout — Algeria is a Muslim-majority country
• Women: cover arms and legs; headscarf appreciated in traditional areas

• Algeria is the largest country in Africa (following Sudan's partition) — 90% of the country is Sahara desert; the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau contains 15,000 prehistoric cave paintings, the most important rock art site in the world
• Algerian hospitality is extraordinary — being invited into someone's home is a serious honour
• The French colonial presence (1830–1962) left deep architectural and linguistic traces; French is widely spoken alongside Arabic and Berber (Tamazight)
• Algeria is an underexplored destination with world-class Roman ruins (Timgad — often called the 'Pompeii of North Africa') and Saharan landscapes that dwarf those of Morocco or Tunisia

• LGBTQ+ activity is illegal with up to 2 years imprisonment
• Photography of government buildings, military, and police restricted
• Bringing drugs into Algeria carries severe penalties