Travel to Algeria

Flying to Algeria

Flights to Algeria are run by several major airlines including Alitalia (www.alitalia.com), Air France (www.airfrance.com) and Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com). The national airline is Air Algérie (www.airalgerie.dz).

The major airport is: Algiers Houari Boumediene Airport.

Flight times

From London to Algiers - 2 hours 25 minutes.

Departure tax

None.

Travelling to Algeria by Rail

There is no international train service to Algeria from either Morocco or Tunisia. Trains operate within both Tunisia and Algeria so you can take a train to Ghardimaou, cross the border via louage or taxi, and then catch another train from Annaba to Algiers. The closure of the border between Algeria and Morocco means it is no longer possible to catch a train running from Algiers to Marrakech.

Driving to Algeria

Driving into Algeria from mainland Europe is a lengthy affair. The simplest drive is to drive through France, down to Marseille, and catch a car ferry from there. Alternatively, you can catch a ferry from Italy to Tunisia, from where you can drive overland into Algeria. The main border post is at Hazoua.

Note that the border between Morocco and Algeria is closed, so this route is not viable.

Driving note

Please note that many desert 'roads' are up to 10km (6-mile) wide ribbons of unimproved desert and are suitable only for well-maintained 4-wheel drive vehicles.

Getting to Algeria by boat

The main ports are at Algiers, Annaba, Béjaia, Oran and Skikda.

Ferry operators

Both Algérie Ferries (www.algerieferries.com) and SNCM (www.sncm.fr) have routes departing from Marseille and landing in Algiers on the north coast of Algeria. Each departs around once a week and the journey takes about 20 hours. Other landings are at Bejaia, Skikda, Annaba or Oran. Algérie Ferries also runs a service from Alicante in Spain to Oran.