Not to miss

Algiers

Once famed as one of Arabia's most beautiful cities, Algiers was never the same after years of colonial abuse. Today it's little more than a modern port town. Most people stay here just long enough to organise their transport to Tamanrasset and other parts of Algeria, Africa or Europe.

It's generally safe in Algiers - police are everywhere inside the ring road - but unfortunately most points of interest are found in the kasbah or medina district, off-limits to foreigners since the start of the troubles.

Ghardaia

Ghardaïa is actually a cluster of five towns in the river valley of the Oued M'Zab - Ghardaïa, Melika, Beni Isguen, Bou Noura and El-Ateuf. It is home to a conservative Muslim sect called the Mozabites, which broke from mainstream Islam some 900 years ago.

The area is famous for its carpets and the daily souq in the old town. It's worth visiting Beni Isguen, the religious fulcrum of the valley, 3km (1.9mi) from central Ghardaïa. Foreigners are not allowed to enter without a guide, and not at all on Fridays; it's also forbidden to wear shorts, take photos or smoke.

El-Oued

Tagged the 'Town of a Thousand Domes', El-Oued is the major town of the Souf region in the Grand Erg Oriental. Most of the buildings have domes, built to alleviate the summer heat. The town is also famous for its carpets, which often bear the traditional cross of the Souf. The daily souq in the old part of town is at its most animated on Friday.

Timimoun

Timimoun is a storybook Saharan oasis town. Its palmeraie counts over 400,000 palm trees and there are views of an ancient salt lake and distant dunes from the edge of an escarpment on which the town is built. The architecture here is a magnificent terracotta colour, with smooth shapes and soft lines curving around the windows.

A handy highlight which doubles as accommodation is Hotel Gourara built by the legendary French architect Fernand Pouillon in 1950s, who built practical structures whilst respecting local building traditions. The Gourara is an ochre, dilapidated building, with two swimming pools glittering amid palm trees. There are stunning oasis views from its terrace, especially at sunset, when sighing over the romantic atmosphere is obligatory.

Close to Timimoun is Tasfaoud village, a small oasis with a 13th century Almohad castle and a fascinating desert irrigation system, a gravitation point for all the village houses.

Martyrs' Monument

This concrete memorial to the struggle for Algerian independence, having been designed according to a somewhat brutalist aesthetic, isn't exactly pleasing to the eye. Yet it's undeniably striking - you won't fail to miss its imposing bulk from wherever you are in Algiers.

The monument was opened in 1982, on the 20th anniversary of independence, and it presides over an area containing the best views out over the city. There's a handy shopping centre nearby, too.

Look for the three stylised palm fronds - beneath them is an eternal flame guarded round the clock by armed soldiers.