Located along the Maghreb coasts, the port of Algiers is one of the most important seaports in the country and in North Africa. Inside the port area - which in recent decades has undergone a process of expansion and restyling - there is a whole series of infrastructures that make it possible to efficiently manage both freight (food , oil) and passenger traffic. One of the main shipping companies operating in the port of Algiers is Corsica Linea, which guarantees connections between mainland France and Algeria (Marseille-Algiers).
Once you arrive in Algiers, there are various ways to move from one point of the city to another or to the neighboring towns. Below we list the main solutions.
Bus
The road public transport (urban or rural) is managed by the company ETUSA. For more information on lines, timetables and fares, we recommend that you take a look at the company's official website.
Metro and tram
Since 2011, the capital of Algeria has both a metro network (1 line, 19 stations, 18.5 km) and a tramway (1 line, 32 stations and / or stops, 20 km), which are managed respectively by RATP El Djazaïr and Setram.
Train
The railway service is guaranteed by the SNTF company: the trains allow travelers to reach other Algerian centers, such as Oran and Constantina. For more information and to stay constantly updated, connect to the portal of the Algerian State Railways.
Car
If you have a car (owned or hired), you can move easily not only in the city, but also in the suburbs and towards the main Algerian centers.
The city of Algiers is served by the "Houari Boumédiène" international airport. Named after the former Algerian president (in office from 1965 to 1978), the airport is located 20 km from the capital. To reach Algiers there are various solutions. Here are the main ones:
Car
Several companies operate within the Algiers airport at whose offices you can rent your car and move in complete autonomy on the Algerian territory.
A bus and shuttles
Some lines operated by ETUSA allow you to reach Algiers.
A shuttle bus (for a fee) to the city center / airport leaves every 30 minutes from 8am to 5.30pm.
Taxi
Taxi service is available 24 hours a day. The pitch is located in front of terminals 1 and 2.
For more information, please visit the airport's official website (available in French and English).
The Algiers railway station is located within the port area. Once you get off the train, therefore, you can easily reach the maritime station.
Corsica Line
Agence de Alger - 28 boulevard Zirout-Youcef - 16000 Alger.
Near the port there are a whole series of commercial activities from which to shop during your stay in Algiers. The most characteristic shops , however, are located in the perimeter of the medina , the old quarter of the city.
Algiers is a very interesting city from a historical and cultural point of view. Walking along its streets, in fact, you will find numerous places and monuments that will not fail to capture your attention.
Not far from the port area is the qasba, the fortified citadel that corresponds to the medina of Algiers. In 1992 the old city - made up of narrow streets and steep stairways - was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco. One of the most important buildings in the medina is certainly the Ketchaoua mosque: built at the end of the eighteenth century, in 1832 it was converted into a cathedral by the French. It returned to the mosque more than a century later, in 1962, when Algeria gained independence.
Near the old quarter, a few meters from the sea, stands another historic building in Algiers. We refer to Bastion 23 (also called Q 'asr Rouy' ): residence of the Algerian admirals during the Ottoman period, today the palace houses a museum. A few kilometers from the medina, on a promontory accessible by cable car, you can admire the church of Notre-Dame d'Afrique, built in neo-Byzantine style.
In addition to the aforementioned Ketchaoua mosque, other important places of Islamic worship stand on the territory of Algiers: the great Jamaa-el-Kebir mosque (the oldest in the city), the new Jamaa-el-Jedid mosque (dating back to the 17th century) and the Djamaa el Djazair (the third largest in the world).
Returning to the center, do not miss the opportunity to take a walk in the Jardin d'Essai, park and botanical garden of Algiers. In the vicinity of the Jardin are the suggestive Villa Abd-el-Tif and the Maqam Echahid, a commemorative monument to the Algerian War of Independence built at the beginning of the 1980s.