Tipaza and Cherchell Tour with Pickup & Local Fish Lunch

Tipaza Archaeological Park, Roman ruins by the sea

Tipaza, about seventy kilometres west of Algiers, began as a Phoenician and Punic trading post and grew into a prosperous Roman town in the first centuries AD. Its ruins were listed by UNESCO in 1982 as one of the most beautiful archaeological sites of the Mediterranean, mainly because of their setting: stone streets, columns and walls stand among umbrella pines and wild flowers on low cliffs right above the sea, with Mount Chenoua rising behind.

During about two and a half hours in the Tipaza area, your guide leads you through the Roman theatre, the forum, temples, seaside villas, baths and the large Christian basilica with its mosaic floors, explaining how the town traded across the sea. Many people ask whether the Tipaza Roman ruins are worth visiting: the mix of ancient stone, sea views and quiet paths makes it one of the highlights of any trip to Algeria. Spring and autumn are the best seasons.

Cherchell, ancient royal capital of Mauretania

Cherchell, about ninety kilometres west of Algiers, is the ancient Iol, renamed Caesarea when it became the capital of the client kingdom of Mauretania in the late first century BC. Its rulers turned it into a refined Hellenistic and Roman city with temples, a theatre, baths and a harbour, and it remained one of the most important cities of Roman North Africa. Today it is a lively fishing town where the old stones still appear between houses and along the shore.

Your guided visit of about an hour focuses on the Cherchell National Museum, which holds one of the richest collections of ancient sculpture in North Africa: marble statues inspired by Greek originals, portraits, columns and large, colourful mosaics showing farming, hunting and myths. Your guide brings these pieces to life and links them with what you see later at Tipaza. Time permitting, you also enjoy coastal views and local crafts in the town.

Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania

Standing alone on a hill about two hundred and sixty metres above the coast between Tipaza and Algiers, the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania is one of Algeria's most impressive ancient monuments. The circular stone tomb, about sixty metres across and still more than thirty metres high, is ringed by sixty engaged Ionic columns and topped by a stepped cone. Its design mixes local Numidian traditions with Egyptian, Greek and Roman influences, and it is traditionally attributed to the royal couple of ancient Mauretania.

Locally it is called Kbor er-Roumia, often translated as the Tomb of the Christian Woman, because of the cross-like patterns on its false doors. It forms part of the Tipasa UNESCO site. Your guide explains how the tomb was built, the long tradition of royal mausoleums in North Africa and the legends attached to it, while you take in the wide views over the plain and the sea.

The Mediterranean coast road and a fish lunch

The drive west from Algiers follows Algeria's Mediterranean coast past farmland, fishing villages and beaches, with about an hour and a half on the road to Cherchell and a shorter hop back towards Tipaza. Travelling in comfortable transport with a small group of no more than ten people, you have time to ask your guide about Berber, Roman, Andalusian and Ottoman layers of Algerian history and about life in the region today.

Lunch is part of the experience: a local fish meal featuring the fresh catch of the coast, prepared in Algerian style and served halal, as is natural in Algeria. If you do not eat seafood, the lunch can be replaced with another dish; simply tell us when you book. After the visits, you return to Algiers in the late afternoon, about six hours after pickup, at the address of your choice.