[Note: Based on feedback, I've decided to enter 2019 by switching formats to memorialize my travels. Rather than posting a sentence or two and 20-something photos with descriptions on Facebook, I'll try to balance my desire to document with others' requests for informative travel content. Pardon the dust as I work things out...]
SUMMARY
- Stay: 3 nights in Algiers
- Experience: non-toursty cultural immersion
- Getting around: easy to walk/take metro for self-guided wandering
- Budget: dirt cheap (other than the visa)
A CONVENIENT DESTINATION
I began my monthlong multi-stop African wanderings in Algeria, chosen based on an Air France open-jaw fare that allowed the ticket to begin and end in different North African countries for the same price as any of the single-destination sales.
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A view from the hills
to the waterfront. |
Algiers made for a nice way to stretch out for a few days between long travel legs from the States and to the next stop in South Africa. I found it to be a non-touristy experience that was budget-friendly...other than a $160 visa.
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| The Grand Mosque |
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| Casbah district |
My stay was in the old city, a location chosen for two reasons: (i) its midpoint between the most popular attractions--Casbah and Martyrs' Square in the north, and the gardens and Martyrs Memorial on the southern end; and (ii) its close proximity to the metro line connecting those places.
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A map of the key
attractions relative to
the hotel and metro line |
I'd describe Algiers as if Marseille and Cairo had a baby; the French's fingerprints are all over the architecture and boulevard design, and it has a quality of a north African city not named Marrakech. It's an industrial city where the port, not beaches, dominate the waterfront.
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| El-Hamma Jardin d'Essai |
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Martyrs Memorial
on New Year's Eve |
Centuries of Mediterranean-area influences-- including the Berbers, the Ottomans, Romans, and the French--have made Algiers like many crossroads cities--full of history and culture. It makes for some beautiful architecture and museums full of historic relics.
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National Museum of
Antiquities and Ancient Islamic Art |
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| Bardo National Museum |
SUMMARY
I found Algieria to be a nice alternative to more popular destinations like Morocco and Egypt; it provides an opportunity to explore North Africa's rich history without the distractions that come with a tourism-driven economy.
TIPS/SOMETHING DIFFERENT
- If taking a taxi, insist on using the meter. Also, airport to city center should cost 600 to 800 dinar, not the 2,000 they'll repeatedly describe as a "good price". I only managed to negotiate 1,500 inbound, and I paid 1,000 on the return with arrangements through my hotel.
- There's a black market currency exchange that, while illegal, is very commonplace. While the ATM provided an official rate of 119 DZD per USD, one could get up to 180 in the street if they are savy. I went with a safer middle ground, getting 160 from a hotel staffer...still a 35% increase in purchasing power. Just don't exchange more than you need; at the end of my trip the bank wouldn't change back, and the street offer was a terrible 50% of the official rate.
LOGISTICS
- Air: open-jaw SFO-ALG//TUN-PAR-SFO; booked with ~37k points in lieu of the $550 sale fare
- Lodging: 3.0 TripAdvisor reviewer rating (#10 of 32 B&B's), booked for $33/night +tax on Expedia
- Visa: required for US citizens; $160 and involves mailing a paper application to the embassy
BUDGET
With $36/night lodging, metro rides for 40¢ each and meals as low as $2, Algeria made for a very inexpensive stay. I've included an expense breakdown below.
