Algeria · City Tours

4-Hour Algiers City Tour with the Casbah and Key Historic Landmarks

4 Hours Round trip from Casbah Easy pace

View all 12 photos

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Walk through the historic Casbah of Algiers, founded on the ruins of old Icosium
02 Explore Le Palais des Raïs, one of Algiers' most important historical monuments
03 Visit the National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions and discover Algeria's rural and traditional heritage
04 Admire the famous Basilique Notre Dame d'Afrique overlooking the sea
05 See Maqam Echahid, the national monument commemorating Algeria's war of independence
06 Enjoy a retreat to the Botanical Garden of Hamma and its remarkable plant collection

Discover Algiers through its layered history, culture, and architecture on this tour of the Casbah and some of the city's most emblematic landmarks. Explore the historic Casbah, visit Le Palais des Raïs and the National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions, admire the famous Basilique Notre Dame d'Afrique, see the Martyrs' Memorial, and enjoy the beautiful Botanical Garden of Hamma. Rich in heritage and character, Algiers offers a memorable experience for travellers interested in the city's past and present.

Discover Algiers through its layered history, culture, and architecture on this tour of the Casbah and some of the city's most emblematic landmarks.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 4 Hours

Tour type Private

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Not included

Transport Not included

Wheelchair access No

City Algiers

Languages Arabic, English, French

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Explore the Historic Casbah of Algiers

The Casbah was founded on the ruins of the old Icosium in the 10th century.
It was a city built on a hill, stretching towards the sea, and divided into the "High city" and the "Low city."
The Casbah was the essential location of the "Battle of Algiers" in 1957.
The film La Bataille d'Alger was shot in the Casbah with a hand-held camera, and surviving fighters from the 1957 "Battle of Algiers" served as technical advisors.

Day 02

Visit Le Palais des Raïs

The Palais des Raïs is one of the most important historical monuments in the city of Algiers.
Moreover, it represents one of the last physical witnesses to the extension of the Casbah of Algiers towards the sea until the 19th century.

Day 03

Discover the National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions

The National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions occupies the palace known as Dar Khedaoudj el Amia in Algiers.
It dates back to the 16th or 18th century.
It is located in the lower Casbah.
The palace had several owners before it was established as a National Museum on September 29, 1987.
The museum aims to introduce people to the rural and traditional heritage of Algeria.
The works kept at the museum are dedicated to daily life, such as clothing, jewellery, carpets, pottery, basketry, goldwork, ceramics, embroidery, brassware, miniatures, furniture, as well as several other exceptional pieces of Algerian crafts.
In addition to ethnographic objects, there is a documentary collection of more than 20,000 photos at the museum, divided between old photographs and black-and-white photos.

Day 04

Admire Basilique Notre Dame d'Afrique

The Basilica Notre-Dame-d'Afrique is one of the minor basilicas of the Catholic Church, located on a promontory overlooking the sea at an altitude of 124 m.
It was built in the Roman-Byzantine style and was consecrated on July 2, 1872.
The exterior is characterized by a high dome fixed on a cylindrical drum. This basilica has the particularity of having the apse in the southwest rather than in the east, as usual.
It is considered "the twin sister of the Marseille basilica Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde."
The basilica is nicknamed "Madame l'Afrique" or "Lalla Myriem" by local residents, and it constitutes a "symbol of cultural mixing and religious cohabitation for 160 years."
This is evidenced by the famous inscription in the choir: "Our Lady of Africa, pray for us and Muslims," as well as another sentence written in French, Arabic, and Kabyle: "Brotherly love comes from God. He is God himself."

Day 05

See the Martyrs' Memorial

The Martyrs' Memorial, or Maqam Echahid, is a concrete monument commemorating the Algerian War.
The monument was opened in 1982, paying tribute to the 20th anniversary of Algeria's independence.
It is fashioned in the shape of three standing palm leaves, which shelter the "Eternal Flame" beneath them.
At the edge of each palm leaf is a statue of a soldier representing a stage of Algeria's struggle for independence.

Day 06

Relax at the Botanical Garden of Hamma

The Botanical Garden of Hamma (in French: Jardin d'Essai du Hamma) is a 32-hectare botanical garden (38 hectares of gardens and 20 hectares of arboretum). It was established in 1832.
It is estimated that there are currently around 1,200 different species of plants in the garden.
The film Tarzan was filmed in the Botanical Garden of Hamma.
In Tarzan, Johnny Weissmuller, who played Tarzan, had to shoot certain scenes in Algiers in the botanical garden.
This incredible location served as the setting for several shots in the film. Moreover, the Tarzan tree is still present even today.