Country Information

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

None.

Annaba Rabah Bitat Airport (AAE)The airport is 12km (7.5 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: A bus service departs to the city every 30 minutes. Coach service is available on request and taxis are also available.

Algiers Airport (ALG). (www.egsa-alger.dz) The airport is 20km (12 miles) east of Algiers. To/from the airport: Buses and trains operate to the city from 0600-1900 (journey time - 30 minutes). Taxis are also available.

Mohamed Boudiaf International Airport (CZL)The airport is 9km (6 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: There are bus and taxi links with the city.

Oran Airport (ORN)The airport is 10km (6 miles) from the city. To/from the airport: Taxis are available to the city.

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

Regular shipping lines serve Algiers from Mediterranean ports. Algérie Ferries (www.algerieferries.com) runs passenger services connecting Algeria to Marseille (France) and Alicante (Spain).

There used to be a daily train connecting Algiers with Tunis in Tunisia via Constantine and Annaba, however this is no longer a direct route. 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 into Algeria from mainland Europe will be a lengthy affair. The simplest drive is to drive through France, down to Marseille, and catch a car ferry from there. Both Algerie Ferries (www.algerieferries.com) and SNCM (www.sncm.fr) have routes departing Marseille and landing in Algiers on the north coast of Algeria. These depart around twice a week and the journey takes around 20 hours. Other landings are at Bejaia, Skikda, Annaba or Oran. Alternatively, there are also ferry routes from Alicante and Barcelona in Spain, to Algiers or Oran, and ferries from Italy to Tunisia, from where travellers can drive overland into Algeria. The main border post is at Hazoua.

An alternative journey would be to crossing at Gibraltar, over into Morocco. However due to historically poor diplomatic relations between the two countries, the border between Morocco and Algeria is closed, so this route is not viable. As relations thaw there has been recent talk of opening the border but as of 2013 it was still closed.

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.