When to Visit Algiers

Winter delivers Algiers at its coolest, with sporadic rain drumming the whitewashed walls of the old city. The sea air turns crisp, and the streets empty compared with peak season.

February mirrors January's damp chill yet hints at spring, almond trees bloom in the Jardin d'Essai and soft light stretches long shadows across French colonial façades.

Spring tiptoes in with longer daylight and shrinking rainfall, though dawn can still bite. City gardens revive in green waves, and orange-blossom perfume drifts on the breeze.

April may be the city's finest hour: long dry spells and temperatures that beg you to linger at sidewalk cafés while golden late-day light sets the Casbah's terracotta roofs aglow.

The dry season locks in, giving warm days and evenings that rarely demand more than a thin layer. The sea invites swimmers, and the corniche swells with after-dark strollers.

Summer settles with near-total dryness and rising heat. Yet coastal breezes spare the capital from the suffocating inland temperatures. Midday glare bleaches the city's palette.

Peak summer brings the year's highest readings and almost no rain. Humidity thickens the afternoons. Locals vanish into siesta, and the beaches turn into the city's living room.

August tops the thermometer. The old city's alleyways can feel stifling until dusk brings relief. The sea becomes the only refuge, its surface glittering under relentless sun.

September eases the heat, days cool by small degrees and clouds stage a quiet comeback. The water still holds summer's warmth, making the month a favorite for those who know Algiers well.

Autumn settles in with heavier showers. Yet temperatures stay kind to explorers. Light softens, and the hillsides begin their slow shift toward winter tones.

November unleashes the year's wettest spell, rain can fall for days, and nights turn noticeably colder. The season favors hammams, museums, and the arcades of the lower city markets.

December brings winter back with frequent rain and the shortest daylight, though midday pockets of mild air still appear. The city decks itself for year-end festivities, and roasted-chestnut smoke curls from street stands.