Landing at ALG Airport & Feeling Totally Lost
Just got off the long flight, super tired and dragging my suitcase. The airport (Houari Boumediene Airport, ALG) is big and kinda confusing, signs are everywhere but don’t always help. My first thought: Alright, gotta get downtown to my hotel, fast and cheap. How do I even do that? Started wandering around the arrival hall, looking lost probably.
Option 1: Haggling with Taxi Drivers – Nope!
Walked out the door, bam! Taxi drivers start shouting prices at me right away. One guy says “5000!” for downtown. Sounded high. Asked another, he grinned, “For you my friend, special price, 4000!” Something felt off. Chatted briefly with another traveler nearby who warned me – they might agree on 4000 but then demand way more when you arrive. Total scam potential. Also, traffic looked heavy outside. Realized taxis are faster but a total money pit and stressful with bargaining. Decided to explore other ideas.
Option 2: Hunting for the Mysterious Bus Stop
Heard there was a cheap bus. Wandered back inside, asked airport staff “Bus? Autobus?” Got pointed outside again, different exit. Finally spotted some bus-looking vehicles after walking for ages. Found the AeroNavette stand! Phew! Staff confirmed:
- Cost: Only 200 DA! (Massive savings vs taxi!)
- Goes to: Algiers main bus station downtown (1 Mai Place).
- Frequency: Every 30 minutes, they claimed.
Looked legit. Bought a ticket right there.
Waited near the curb. Bus finally showed up maybe 20-25 mins later, a bit later than promised. Luggage went underneath. Bus was clean enough, no AC though. Took forever crawling through Algiers traffic – probably over an hour. Fine for napping, awful if you’re in a hurry. Arrived at 1 Mai Place, still needed a short, cheap local taxi ride to the hotel front door (another 500 DA or so).
Option 3: The Shuttle Surprise?
While waiting for the bus, noticed some shared minibuses (shuttles) pulling up for other people. Looked organized, like private transfers. Asked one driver. Price was around 1000 DA direct to my hotel area. Definitely faster than the bus (point-to-point, no transfer), cheaper than solo taxi. Almost went for it but… no clear timetable, seemed like you needed to know which company serviced your hotel or book ahead maybe? Didn’t wanna get stuck waiting forever. Saw people pre-booking vouchers being collected, made me think maybe booking online first is smarter.
What Actually Worked for Me (The Cheap & Patient Route)
Final Verdict:
- Taxi: Ripoff unless you split with 3 people or love stress.
- Shuttle: Probably sweet spot if you pre-book or luck out. Faster & affordable-ish.
- Bus (AeroNavette): Slam dunk winner for saving cash, pain for saving time. Requires patience.
I was broke and had time, so I stuck with the bus. Cost me 200 DA + 500 DA final taxi = 700 DA total. Taxi alone could have been 4000-5000 DA! Win. Sure, it took forever and finding the stop was annoying, but saved enough cash for extra awesome couscous dinners later. Next time though, researching a reliable shuttle pre-book might be my move if funds allow.
