Practical Information for visiting Algeria

Algeria uses the dinar (DZD). This is overwhelmingly a cash economy: foreign cards are rarely usable, ATMs frequently do not accept them, and visitors should plan to bring hard currency and exchange it.

A parallel exchange market exists and operates at a markedly different rate from the official one; arrangements and legality are matters to understand before arrival rather than improvise on.

Tipping is modest and appreciated. Bring more cash than you expect to need, because topping up is not straightforward.

Coverage for mobile networks is good in the north and along main routes, and sparse in the Sahara. Local SIMs are available with passport registration.

Wi-fi is available in hotels and is often slow. Some services and applications are restricted at times, particularly around examinations and periods of unrest.

Internal flights link Algiers with the southern oasis towns and are the practical way to reach the desert; overland journeys are very long.

Algeria's northern cities are calmer than reputations formed in the 1990s civil conflict suggest, and every area the FCDO advises against is a frontier strip rather than a place on an itinerary.

The carve-out is geographic and narrow. The FCDO advises against all travel within 30km of the borders with Libya, Mauritania, Mali and Niger, and within 30km of the Tunisian border in Illizi and Ouargla provinces and the Chaambi mountains area; along the rest of the Tunisian border, within 30km, the advice is against all but essential travel. That is the whole list. Algiers, Oran, Constantine and the Roman sites are not on it.

A higher terrorism threat is a different thing from an advisory, and the two are easily confused. The FCDO records the threat from terrorism as higher in the southern border area, where the kidnap risk is concentrated, along the Libyan and Tunisian borders, in rural and particularly mountainous areas in the north and between Tunisia and Algiers, and across the Sahara. That is a gradient, not a prohibition: those northern mountain areas are not places you are told not to go. The threat comes from groups including Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which is active across the country and considers Western nationals legitimate targets.

The counterweight is printed on the same page and belongs here too. In the FCDO's words, the Algerian authorities conduct effective counter-terrorism operations and retain a strong, visible security presence across the country, with considerable attention given to the safety of visitors. You will meet that presence as checkpoints and police. Follow the instructions of local security authorities, and avoid political gatherings and demonstrations, which are subject to restrictions.

Kidnapping is a real risk in border and remote desert areas, concentrated on the southern and eastern frontiers with Mali and Libya. It is the reason deep Saharan travel belongs with a licensed operator on established routes rather than independently, and the reason the guide requirement exists at all.

Equipment, not only photographs. It is illegal to bring drones, binoculars, telescopes and certain types of photography equipment into Algeria without authorisation, so check with Algerian customs before travelling if you have any doubt about what is in your bag. Photographing government buildings, military sites and airports is a separate matter and is actively enforced.

Day to day, petty crime in Algiers, Oran and Constantine is low by regional standards, though bags still want watching in crowded markets. Rail travel is generally safe, with standards below UK ones and some risk of petty theft on trains. Independent travel is more bureaucratically involved here than in Morocco or Tunisia, and entry requirements change, so check them well before booking.

Hepatitis A and typhoid vaccinations are commonly advised. Tap water is not reliably safe; bottled water is standard.

Medical facilities in Algiers and the larger northern cities are adequate; in the south they are limited and evacuation would be the response to anything serious. Comprehensive insurance is essential.

The Sahara is the main environmental hazard: heat, dehydration and the absence of assistance. Desert travel should be with an established operator, which is in any case usually a legal requirement.

Visas are required for most nationalities and are genuinely difficult, typically needing an invitation or a confirmed tour booking. Start the process months ahead.

Travel in the far south and near several borders is restricted, and foreign visitors are often required to travel with a licensed guide or with a police escort on some routes. These are enforced requirements rather than suggestions.

Photographing military, police and government buildings is prohibited. Ask before photographing people.

Alcohol is legal but not widely available and not consumed in public. Dress modestly, particularly outside Algiers. During Ramadan, eating, drinking or smoking in public during daylight causes serious offence.

17 reaches the police in urban areas, 14 reaches the gendarmerie, which covers rural areas and highways, and 14 is also the number for many emergencies outside cities. For an ambulance, call 16 or 1021; 1021 is civil protection, which handles fire and ambulance.

Operators are unlikely to speak English; French is much more useful.

In the Sahara, your tour operator is effectively your emergency service — another reason the guide requirement exists. Satellite communication is standard for desert expeditions.