The Pont Sidi M’Cid, a suspension bridge dating to 1912, is the most arresting — step onto it and the gorge opens beneath you like a wound in the earth. At the Pont El Kantara, built on Roman foundations, the view back toward the city is one of those sights you find yourself mentally revisiting for years. The Ahmed Bey Palace, constructed in the early 19th century, is a riot of Andalusian tiles, painted ceilings and marble columns, the last grand statement of a Bey who knew the Ottoman era was ending and wanted, at least, to go out in style.
For religious architecture, the Emir Abdelkader Mosque is one of Algeria’s largest and most graceful — a modern building that manages not to look like it was designed by committee. Wander the old Medina’s narrow streets at golden hour, eat a plate of chakhchoukha at a local restaurant, and let Constantine work on you at its own pace. It is a city that rewards patience.
3. Oran — The Radiant Magic
Oran is Algeria’s second city and, by general consensus, its most relaxed. There is something in the air here — a coastal looseness, a Méditerranée easy-goingness — that distinguishes it sharply from the intensity of Algiers or the gravity of Constantine. This is the city that gave the world Raï music, that raw, hybrid sound born from the collision of traditional Bedouin chant, Andalusian melody, French chanson and electric guitar. Khalid, one of its greatest living sons, still conjures it like a force of nature.
