Houari Boumediene is Algeria's main gateway, and for a visitor it is two airports in one: Terminal 4 for international arrivals and the older Terminal 1 for the domestic flights that carry you on to the Sahara. All three Algerian operators sell SIM cards in the public part of the airport at the same prices as in town, which is rare. The catches are practical ones: you need dinars, your passport and some French or Arabic, and the counters do not publish their hours for late arrivals.
The city is close, about 17 kilometres away, with a train to Agha that takes around twenty minutes. A travel eSIM installed before departure gets you through the arrival, the forecourt and the ride into town without any of the counter steps, and leaves the local card as an option for later.
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Terminal 4, Terminal 1 and Why It Matters
Houari Boumediene sits in Dar El Beida, about 17 kilometres east-southeast of central Algiers, on the site of the old Maison Blanche airfield. It has three passenger terminals in use, and knowing which one you are in saves a lot of confusion.
| Terminal | What uses it | Notes for your phone |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal 4 | International flights, Air Algerie and foreign airlines | Opened 29 April 2019. The large modern building where almost every visitor arrives. Operator counters and ATMs are in the public arrivals area. |
| Terminal 1 | Domestic flights in Hall 1; some Middle East and Gulf services in Hall 2 | The older building. This is where you will catch an Air Algerie flight on to Tamanrasset, Djanet, Ghardaia or Oran. |
| Terminal 2 | Charter and Hajj flights | Seasonal; most visitors never see it. |
Terminal 4 was built to take ten million passengers a year and has 84 check-in counters and 21 jet bridges, so it rarely feels crowded outside the summer peak, when the diaspora flies home from France. The Hyatt Regency stands directly opposite and is linked to it, which makes it the obvious choice for an overnight connection.
The terminal split matters most if you are connecting to the Sahara. Your international flight lands at Terminal 4 and your domestic flight leaves from Terminal 1, so you clear immigration and customs, collect your bags and walk or ride across to the other building. That transfer is the moment you will most want a working connection: to check whether the Tamanrasset flight is on time, to message the agency meeting you at the other end, and to confirm a gate that is often announced late.
The Operator Counters in Arrivals
Djezzy, Mobilis and Ooredoo all sell SIM cards in the public part of the airport, after passport control and customs. None of them sells a tourist package; you buy the same card and the same passes as an Algerian would, at the same prices as in town, which is unusual and welcome. A Mobilis Navigui card costs 300 dinars with 3 GB included, a DjezzyNet monthly pass 500 dinars for 12 GB, and an Ooredoo monthly pass 500 dinars for 6 GB.
Get dinars first
The counters deal mainly in cash. There are bank ATMs and an exchange office in the arrivals hall. The dinar is a closed currency, so change only what you need for the first days.
Hand over your passport
Your passport, with the visa or arrival stamp, is registered against the new line. Agencies in town sometimes ask for a local address too; have your hotel's details on your screen just in case.
Ask for a specific pass
Staff speak Arabic and French. Asking for DjezzyNet 1500 or a Navigui card by name is quicker than explaining what you want.
Check it works at the counter
Ask the agent to activate the pass and load a page before you walk away.
What none of the operators publishes is the opening hours of its airport counter. Many European flights arrive in the evening, and the first ones from the Gulf and Istanbul arrive in the small hours. We could not confirm that the counters are staffed for every arrival, so if you land late, assume you will be relying on whatever you installed at home until the next morning.
Terminal 4 WiFi
Terminal 4 offers free WiFi in the public areas and the departure lounges, according to travellers' reports updated in late 2024. We could not verify the current network name or whether it asks for a phone number to send a login code, which some airports in the region do and which would leave a visitor with no local number stuck. Treat it as something that may help while you wait for bags, not something to plan your arrival around.
Where the airport WiFi stops helping
The moment that matters most is not in the terminal at all. It is outside on the forecourt when you are trying to find your driver, open Yassir or check the train time, and on the 17 kilometre ride into the city when your host wants to know when you will arrive. A connection that only exists indoors does none of that.
The Hyatt Regency opposite Terminal 4 has its own guest WiFi, useful if you are staying overnight before a domestic connection. Terminal 1, where domestic flights leave, is older and its WiFi has a weaker reputation.
From the Terminals to Algiers: Train, Bus, Taxi, Yassir
Algiers is close by the standards of African capital airports, and you have four realistic ways in.
| Option | Time | Fare | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| SNTF train to Agha | About 20 minutes | 80 DA at the last published fare | The station sits between Terminals 1 and 2, about five minutes on foot from Terminal 4. The 2019 timetable ran from 05:30 to 21:35 from the airport, via Bab Ezzouar and El Harrach. Check the current timetable with SNTF. |
| ETUSA bus 100 or 39 | About 50 minutes | Around 50 DA, cash to the driver | Line 100 runs to Place des Martyrs at the foot of the Casbah, line 39 toward Audin in the centre. Slow in traffic but very cheap. |
| Taxi from the official rank | 25 to 45 minutes | Commonly reported around 2,000 to 2,500 DA to the centre | Use the rank outside, not the men offering rides inside the hall. Agree the price before you load bags, and pay in cash. |
| Yassir ride-hail | 25 to 45 minutes | Quoted in the app before you book | Needs live data on the forecourt and an account set up in advance; often cheaper than the rank. |
The train is the best deal by far in daytime, quick and immune to the motorway traffic that builds up around El Harrach and the eastern interchanges in the evening rush. The longer-term plan is a metro connection: Line 1 is being extended from El Harrach to the airport with nine new stations, but it was still under construction in autumn 2026. Coverage on all the routes into the city is continuous on every network.
The Case for Landing With a Working Line
At Algiers the argument for installing an eSIM before you fly is less about the price of local data, which is low, and more about the shape of the arrival. You clear a passport check that can be slow, often with a paper form to fill in. You then need cash for the counter, a language for the transaction and an open counter at your arrival time. And if you are going on to the Sahara, you may have only an hour or two before your domestic flight from the other terminal.
Installing an eSIM at home
What you give up
A small plan is enough to solve the arrival problem. Airalo's 1 GB for three days at 4.50 dollars or Nomad's 1 GB for a week at 4 dollars will get you through the airport, into the city and through the first evening, after which you can decide calmly whether you want a local card.
Counter Prices in Dinars Against the eSIM Plans
The table puts the cards you can buy in arrivals next to the travel eSIM plans you can install before you leave. Dinar prices are converted at the official rate of roughly 135 to the dollar.
| Option | Price | Data | Validity | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobilis Navigui SIM | 300 DA (about 2.20 dollars) | 3 GB | 30 days | Mobilis |
| DjezzyNet monthly pass | 1,500 DA (about 11 dollars) | 60 GB | 30 days | Djezzy |
| Ooredoo monthly pass | 1,500 DA (about 11 dollars) | 40 GB | 30 days | Ooredoo |
| Nomad eSIM | 16 dollars | 10 GB | 30 days | Ooredoo |
| Airalo eSIM | 20.50 dollars | 10 GB | 30 days | Ooredoo and Mobilis |
| Holafly eSIM | 39.50 dollars | Unlimited | 7 days | Djezzy and Ooredoo |
The local passes win clearly on price, and the SIM card itself costs little; the passes above are added to whichever card you buy. The gap is narrower than in most of Africa, though. On a five-day trip the difference between Nomad's 5 GB plan at 11 dollars and a Navigui card is under ten dollars, which is roughly the price of the taxi into town. For a long stay, or a trip into the south where you want a second network, buying a local card is worth the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which terminal will I land in at Algiers, and how do I get to a domestic flight?
International flights use Terminal 4, opened in 2019. Domestic flights to Tamanrasset, Djanet, Ghardaia and the other Algerian cities leave from Terminal 1. After clearing immigration and customs in Terminal 4, walk across to Terminal 1 and check in again. Leave at least two hours between flights.
How far is the airport from the Casbah and the city centre?
About 17 kilometres. The SNTF train reaches Agha station, close to the centre, in around twenty minutes, while a taxi takes 25 minutes off-peak and 45 or more in the evening rush. ETUSA bus 100 goes to Place des Martyrs at the foot of the Casbah in about 50 minutes.
Are the SIM counters open when my flight lands at night?
We could not confirm that. The operators do not publish airport opening hours, and many international flights land in the evening or early morning. If you land after about 22:00, plan on a travel eSIM for the first night and buy a local card in town the next day if you still want one.
Do I need dinars before I can buy a SIM at ALG?
Yes, in practice. The counters work mainly in cash. There are ATMs and an exchange office in the arrivals hall. The dinar cannot be bought abroad, so you will be changing money at the airport in any case.
Does an Algeria eSIM work as soon as I land on a flight from Paris or Marseille?
Yes, as long as you installed it at home and turned on data roaming for that line. It connects to Ooredoo, Mobilis or Djezzy depending on the brand as the aircraft taxis in. Nomad's profile uses Ooredoo, Airalo's can use Ooredoo or Mobilis, and Holafly's lists Djezzy and Ooredoo.