Algeria in cash.
The Maghreb's giant is earned — and paid — in cash: foreign bank cards serve almost nowhere. Between white Algiers, the M'Zab oases and the infinite Sahara, every liquid dinar counts.
Helvetica Exchange prepares your DZD travel envelope at Rue Pierre-Fatio 19, 1204 Geneva (Rive district) — the posted rate, no separate commission, Monday–Friday 08:30–18:30 and Saturday 09:00–17:00. Reserve and your rate is held for 3 hours during opening hours; ID from the LBA thresholds.
The cities, chosen.
Algiers
The white city terraced above its bay — Ottoman casbah, Haussmann seafront and cafés where time stretches.
The Casbah — A UNESCO maze of palaces and sea-view terraces — richer and safer with a local guide.
Notre-Dame d'Afrique — The basilica blessing the sea since 1872, immense panorama.
Oran
The radiant west, homeland of raï — Spanish, Ottoman and French at once.
Fort Santa Cruz — The Spanish lookout above the city — sunset over port and corniche.
Djanet & the Tassili
The gate to the deep Sahara — red dunes, canyons and ten-thousand-year rock art.
Tassili n'Ajjer — A UNESCO lunar plateau, bivouacs beneath the stars — 3–5 day 4×4 circuits.
Erg Admer — The great dunes at sunset, mint tea by the fire with the Tuareg.
Getting around.
Air Algérie domestic flights reach the deep south (Algiers–Djanet ~2 h). Between northern cities: corail trains and shared taxis. In town, yellow taxis are negotiated before boarding.
Cash & banknotes.
Plan the whole stay in cash, dinars first. The official rate takes bank patience on arrival — landing with dinars already in your pocket spares you the first queue; round out with a few euros in reserve.
| Rate reservation | held 3 hours, during opening hours |
| Counter hours | Mon–Fri 08:30–18:30 · Sat 09:00–17:00 |
| Commission | none — the margin lives in the posted rate |
Before you go.
Bank card or cash?
Cash, almost everywhere — foreign cards work only in a few grand Algiers hotels. Plan the whole stay in liquid, dinars first.
Is changing locally simple?
The official rate takes patience at the bank — arriving with dinars in pocket spares the first queue; keep a few euros in reserve.
Indicative amounts — rate reservable for 3 hours · Rue Pierre-Fatio 19, Geneva · Guide complet en français