Day 1 Arrive Algiers. Transfer to hotel in central Algiers followed by orientation tour and dinner in former...[+]

Day 1 Arrive Algiers. Transfer to hotel in central Algiers followed by orientation tour and dinner in former hamman. Day 2 Walking tour of central Algiers including esplanade (panoramic views of port, art deco Hotel Safir, National Assembly, neo-Moorish Prefecture), Place des Martyrs (situated at the foot of the casbah and housing 17th century El Djedid Mosque) followed by Place Emir Abdelkader (with famous statue in honour of the founder of Algerian nation) and Grande Poste (Algiers' quintessential neo-Moorish building, adorned with minarets, triple arches and a huge cupola). Day 3 Whole-day excursion to the Tombeau de la Chrétienne (royal mausoleum of Mauritania, one of North Africa's most enigmatic archaeological survivals), Tipasa (UNESCO World Heritage site bordering the Mediterranean adorned with a Roman amphitheatre, 4th century basilica, forum, old port and delightful museum) followed by Bastion 23 (Ottoman Palais des Rais converted into art and architecture museum). Day 4 Anglo-Algiers including historic Hotel St George (where Eisenhower and Churchill planned allied invasions of southern Europe), series of beautiful white villas constructed by British architect Benjamin Bucknall, Church of the Holy Trinity (memorials commemorating the lives of Algiers' English residents from 1580 onwards), lunch in historic Hotel Safir (liberated by the British) followed by excursion to Sidi Ferruch (scene of the first landing by the French in 1830 and, in 1942, the site of American landings). Day 5 Monument to the Fallen (constructed in 1982 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Algerian war of independence against France), Museum of the Liberation, Museum of Fine Arts (one of the Mediterranean's great "undiscovered" art galleries with work by Algerian painters and canvasses by Pissarro, Gauguin and Monet) followed by Jardin d'Essai (vast complex of gardens, including a French and English garden, celebrated for its fine avenue of dragon trees). Day 6 Bardo Museum (prehistory and ethnography), Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts followed by visit to casbah, including lunch in private home and visits to mosque and Museum of Arts and Crafts. Day 7 Time at leisure (bookshops, shopping) followed by transfer to airport and return journey. Less than three hours from London, yet virtually unknown in the English-speaking world, Algiers is one of the Mediterranean's most mesmerising cities, a captivating mélange of faded French grandeur and neo-Moorish folly crowned by a legendary casbah. A lived-in, weather-warmed city, the Algerian capital is home to some of the most exuberant, playful art deco architecture anywhere in the world. Although the infrastructure in Algiers far from matches European or American standards, the city has a series of charming hotels, including the art deco Safir overlooking the port and, high above the bay of Algiers, the St George with its luxuriant gardens that will sweep you off your feet!

Our new Albert Camus tour, designed to coincide with the centenary of the great philosopher's birth, is all ...[+]

Our new Albert Camus tour, designed to coincide with the centenary of the great philosopher's birth, is all set to take you on a historic ride of Expert Algeria's circuit where your trip will include visits to many of the places associated with Camus' life and work, visiting scenes from, inter alia, l'Etranger, The Plague and The First Man.

This itinerary typically lasts twelve days, and will take you from the capital Algiers and Algeria's triumvi...[+]

This itinerary typically lasts twelve days, and will take you from the capital Algiers and Algeria's triumvirate of Roman UNESCO World Heritage sites – Tipasa and Timgad - to the far-flung expanses of of the Algerian Sahara, where the Tassili region around Djanet, including Tadrart, is known for its lofty dunes, stunning rock formations and ancient paintings and engravings. All you need to do is to sit back and enjoy the ride!