Things to Do in Algiers in February

The UNESCO-listed Casbah is at its best in February's cool air, when climbing the steep maze of stairways between Ottoman houses and Andalusian doorways doesn't leave you soaked through. You'll hear cats, dripping gutters, and the muffled clack of a backgammon game behind a blue door; you'll smell woodsmoke and frying semolina. Winter empties the lanes of the few tour groups that come, so the descent from the upper citadel down to the harbour feels like the living neighbourhood it is rather than a set-piece. Go on a clear morning after rain, when the whitewash is luminous and the steps have dried.

About 70 km (43 miles) west of Algiers, the seaside Roman city of Tipaza spreads its columns and basilicas right to the edge of the Mediterranean. February's washed-clean light and total lack of crowds make it the ideal month to wander the site slowly, with the smell of wet pine and salt and waves breaking just below the ruins. The trade-off is weather luck: pick a clear-forecast day, because the exposed coastal site offers little shelter when a squall rolls in.

Cool weather is exactly when Algiers' kitchens come into their own. This is chorba season, the spiced lamb-and-vermicelli soup that locals ladle out against the damp, alongside hearty couscous and h'mis, a slow-cooked pepper-and-tomato stew. A guided wander through Marché de la Lyre or Marché Ali Mellah puts you among pyramids of blood oranges, glistening olives, mountains of fresh coriander, and the sizzle of merguez on a grill. February's citrus glut makes the produce stalls worth the visit.

The basilica of Notre-Dame d'Afrique stands on a bluff above the western bay, and February's storm-cleared days deliver the kind of long-range views over the water that the hazy summer months never offer. It pairs naturally with the Maqam Echahid memorial on the opposite heights for a low-effort, indoor-and-out itinerary that works even when the temperature sits around 50°F (10°C). The contrast of the cliff-top church, the Mediterranean wind, and the white city below is the signature Algiers panorama.

When the rain sets in, Algiers rewards you indoors. The Bardo Museum, the Musée National des Beaux-Arts (one of Africa's great art collections), and the restored Ottoman palaces of the Casbah such as Dar Aziza give you tiled courtyards, cool stone, and centuries of layered history without a drop falling on you. February's frequent showers make a museum-led day not a fallback but a smart core plan, and the galleries are blissfully quiet this month.

February rain greens the hills behind the capital, and a trip up toward Blida and the Chréa range, roughly 50 km (31 miles) south, trades the coast for cedar forests and, on cold snaps, a dusting of snow on the higher slopes around 1,500 m (4,920 ft). It's a side of Algeria most first-timers never picture: cool, pine-scented, and a complete change of scene from the white seafront city. Conditions can turn quickly at altitude, so this is a clear-day, flexible-plan outing.