Grand Tour of Algeria 2026-27
ALGIERS–TIPASA–CHERCHELL–TLEMCEN–GHARDAIA–EL OUED–TIMGAD–CONSTANTINE–DJEMILA
Grand Tour of Algeria 2026-27 is a Guiness Travel escorted group tour: 12 days by plane, with a tour leader from Italy. 5 departures scheduled, from 15 October 2026 to 17 April 2027. Participation fee from 3.800,00 € per person. Required document: INDIVIDUAL PASSPORT with at least 6 months’ remaining validity + Consular Visa issued on arrival at the airport..
Grand Tour of Algeria 2026-27
ALGIERS–TIPASA–CHERCHELL–TLEMCEN–GHARDAIA–EL OUED–TIMGAD–CONSTANTINE–DJEMILA

12 days starting from
3.800,00 €
Departures
Legend
Plus Guiness
- a guide accompanying the group for the entire tour, from day 2 to day 12
- all scheduled entrance fees included
- 10 lunches in restaurants
- entry visa
- excellent flight times with ITA Airways from Rome and connections from all over Italy
- travel in exclusive style with a maximum of 30 participants
Why this tour?
- to see the very best of the largest country on the African continent
- to discover Algiers, a refined and elegant city full of contrasts
- to get to know the vibrant, thousand-year history of a proud and hospitable people
Description
Algeria, a stone’s throw from Europe, has only recently opened up to tourism. This means it is still profoundly authentic, well off the usual mass-tourism circuit. The travel experience is highly rewarding, aimed at the most curious travellers and at lovers of history. We find ourselves in a land that was one of the most important provinces of the Roman Empire, of which unmissable traces remain to this day. It is precisely this historical blend that is one of the reasons for Algeria’s allure. Punic and Roman archaeological sites sit side by side, such as beautiful Tipasa, or Timgad, the archaeological site founded at the behest of Trajan and the best preserved in the whole country. Alongside these and other places, traces of Berber culture surface (suffice it to say that the name “Djemila” means “the beautiful one” in the Berber language). The big cities do not disappoint: Algiers is a very beautiful metropolis, made up of striking contrasts that thrill and disorient even the most seasoned traveller. A very turbulent recent history is reflected in its eclectic architecture: in its rational geometry of boulevards reminiscent of France, in its socialist-style districts, in its Muslim heart, the picturesque Casbah. In the north of the country there are truly breathtaking stretches of coastline, where a tolerant lifestyle open to Western influences goes hand in hand with the hospitality of the inhabitants. Nor does Algeria neglect the palate. The national drink is mint tea, or coffee. Bourek, a little pastry parcel filled with meat, appears very frequently on every table, together with the celebrated tajine, a stew of meat, vegetables and spices served with couscous.
Ghardaia is truly one of the finest experiences Algeria has to offer, so much so that it was chosen as a “top experience” by the famous Lonely Planet. We are in the valley of the Oued M’zab river, on the edge of the Sahara. Ghardaia in fact designates five different towns, all sharing a very similar architecture. Exploring the five ksour of the Mozabite pentapolis (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) allows you to grasp the purity of the forms and colours of this corner of Algeria in the desert. It is no coincidence that the famous architect Le Corbusier drew inspiration from Ghardaia for some of his most celebrated works. Exploring Ghardaia means journeying into a temporal dimension suspended as if by magic, as winding streets and unexpected little squares open up before your eyes. In the main square, the local market comes to life every day, a wonderful opportunity to discover the rhythms of daily life. Here, you have to haggle to buy a colourful rug, or rest in the cool shade of the date palms. Despite the reserve and gentle discretion of its inhabitants, Ghardaia is a pleasant and welcoming destination, a wonderful cultural synthesis of a people.
Djemila, “the beautiful one” in the Berber language, sits in a fantastic mountain setting, amid shades of ochre and an unexpectedly intense green. Together with Timgad, it can be counted among the most beautiful archaeological sites in Africa, easily able to rival Libya’s Leptis Magna. The monuments are in an excellent state of preservation, protected too by the favourable climate. Majestic temples, imposing baths, streets with their original paving, early-Christian basilicas and dazzling mosaics combine with memorable views and a “genius loci” that certainly makes Djemila one of the most fascinating and vibrant places of all.
Itinerary
Day 1
ITALY – ALGIERS
Departure on scheduled ITA Airways flights to Algiers – transfer to the hotel on arrival – dinner at the hotel - overnight stay.
Day 2
ALGIERS - TIPASA “Punic-Roman city, UNESCO World Heritage Site” – CHERCHELL – CHLEF
Breakfast at the hotel – departure for Tipasa – guided visit of the city founded by the Phoenicians and turned into a Roman colony by the Emperor Claudius (archaeological site and UNESCO World Heritage Site) – lunch in a restaurant – visit to the Cherchell Museum – arrival in Chlef in the evening – dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 3 · 390 km.
CHLEF – ORAN – TLEMCEN
Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Oran – short panoramic tour of the city – lunch in a restaurant – arrival in Tlemcen in the evening - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 4 · 330 km.
TLEMCEN “the Granada of Africa” – EL BAYADH
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Tlemcen (the Great Mosque, the Mechouar Palace) - lunch in a restaurant – arrival in El Bayadh in the evening - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 5 · 400 km.
EL BAYADH – LAGHOUAT – GHARDAIA
Breakfast at the hotel - departure for Laghouat - short panoramic tour of the city – lunch in a restaurant – arrival in Ghardaia in the evening - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 6
GHARDAIA “the five ksour of the Mozabite pentapolis, UNESCO World Heritage Site”
Breakfast at the hotel – full day devoted to the guided visit of the five fortified settlements, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in the M’zab Valley, of which Ghardaia is the most important centre (visit to Ghardaia, capital of the pentapolis, and to the other fortified citadels perched on the highest hills of the valley, all built to the same plan) - lunch in a restaurant - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 7 · 400 km.
GHARDAIA - EL OUED
Breakfast at the hotel - departure for El Oued – lunch in a restaurant en route – arrival in El Oued in the evening - dinner at the hotel – evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 8 · 370 km.
EL OUED “the city of a thousand domes” – TIMGAD
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of El Oued, whose name means “the river” in Arabic, as the town stands on an oasis fed by an underground river (the Sidi Salem Mosque, the market) – continue to Timgad – lunch in a restaurant en route – dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 9 · 150 km.
TIMGAD “Roman archaeological site, UNESCO World Heritage Site” – LAMBAESIS – CONSTANTINE
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Timgad, the city founded by the Emperor Trajan in 101 AD (the best-preserved archaeological site in the country and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – of particular note, and perfectly visible, are the decumanus and the cardo, the so-called Arch of Trajan, 12 metres high, a theatre seating 3,500 and a temple dedicated to Jupiter Capitolinus) – lunch in a restaurant – stop en route at Lambaesis to visit the ancient legionary fortress of the Roman province – arrival in Constantine - dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 10 · 60 km.
CONSTANTINE “the city of suspended bridges” & TIDDIS “the clifftop town”
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Tiddis (a site of Roman origin 30 kilometres from the city, perched in a spectacular position) – lunch in a restaurant – in the afternoon, visit to Constantine (the city of many bridges spanning the deep gorge of the Oued Rhumel - visit to the remains of the old kasbah) - dinner at the hotel - evening at leisure - tour leader on hand – overnight stay.
Day 11 · 440 km.
CONSTANTINE – DJEMILA “the beautiful one, UNESCO World Heritage Site” – SÉTIF – ALGIERS
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Djemila, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (archaeological site and Museum with an extraordinary collection of mosaics) - continue to Sétif – lunch in a restaurant – arrival in Algiers in the evening – dinner in a traditional restaurant with music - overnight stay.
Day 12
ALGIERS “the White City, capital of Algeria” – ITALY
Breakfast at the hotel – in the morning, guided visit of Algiers, the capital of Algeria (a stroll through the old city, the Casbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then along the elegant seafront with its French boulevards and buildings and examples of Moorish architecture) – lunch at leisure – transfer to the airport - departure on a scheduled ITA Airways flight back to Italy.
Prices
- return journey Italy/Algiers on scheduled ITA Airways flights
- airport/hotel transfers and vice versa
- Algeria tour by GT coach
- accommodation in 3/4-star hotels on a half-board basis as per the itinerary
- buffet breakfasts
- 10 lunches in restaurants
- Italian-speaking guide accompanying the group for the entire tour
- taxes and VAT
- entrance fees to all the sites listed
- consular visa
- tour leader from Italy, departing from Rome
- tour leader Algiers/Algiers for those departing from other airports
tips (in Algeria tipping is a very important custom: on arrival, the tour leader collects a single amount of approximately €40.00, from which tips are given to all the service providers during the tour), drinks with meals, and anything not expressly mentioned.
Our hotels
ALGIERS
HOTEL NEW DAY or similar, 4-star
CHLEF
HOTEL DE LA VALLEE or similar, 4-star
TLEMCEN
HOTEL STAMBOULI or similar, 3-star
EL BAYADH
HOTEL BOURENANE or similar, 3-star
GHARDAIA
HOTEL LE BELVEDERE or similar, 4-star
EL OUED
HOTEL LA GAZELLE D’OR or similar, 4-star
TIMGAD
HOTEL TRAJAN or similar, 4-star
CONSTANTINE
HOTEL PROTEA BY MARRIOTT or similar, 4-star
Info and schedule
N.B. The scheduled visits may be swapped between days according to museum opening hours or for technical reasons, but the programme remains unchanged.
- Required document: INDIVIDUAL PASSPORT with at least 6 months’ remaining validity + Consular Visa issued on arrival at the airport.
Flight times
Frequently asked questions
How long is the tour?
The tour lasts 12 days by plane, with a Guiness tour leader from Italy.
When does it depart?
5 departures scheduled, from 15 October 2026 to 17 April 2027.
How much does it cost?
The individual participation fee starts from 3.800,00 € by plane.
What does the price include?
return journey Italy/Algiers on scheduled ITA Airways flights; airport/hotel transfers and vice versa; Algeria tour by GT coach; accommodation in 3/4-star hotels on a half-board basis as per the itinerary; buffet breakfasts; 10 lunches in restaurants; Italian-speaking guide accompanying the group for the entire tour; taxes and VAT; entrance fees to all the sites listed; consular visa; tour leader from Italy, departing from Rome; tour leader Algiers/Algiers for those departing from other airports
What is not included in the price?
tips (in Algeria tipping is a very important custom: on arrival, the tour leader collects a single amount of approximately €40.00, from which tips are given to all the service providers during the tour), drinks with meals, and anything not expressly mentioned.
Which documents are required?
INDIVIDUAL PASSPORT with at least 6 months’ remaining validity + Consular Visa issued on arrival at the airport.
Can I cancel?
Cancel without penalty up to 45 days in advance
How do I book a Guiness tour?
You can request a quote directly from each tour page with the “Get your quote” button, save it and send the booking request: we will get back to you. How to book
How do I pay for the tour (deposit and balance)?
Payment terms (deposit and balance) are set out in the quote; we accept the main payment methods. Terms and conditions


