Batna

Timgad New Museum

Roman ruins around the Arch of Trajan, at Timgad

Batna is a city in Northeast Algeria. It is also the main city and commune of Batna Province. With a population of around 340,000, it is the fifth largest city in Algeria.

Get in

By plane

Only Air Algérie serves this city and they serve a domestic route and international routes.

Domestic: Batna-Algiers

International: Batna-Lyon, Batna-Marseille, And Batna-Paris Orly

Seasonal: Batna-Paris CDG

By train

There's at least one train leaving Algiers' Agha station at 12:33 arriving in Batna 19:09.

• 1 Batna Station (Gare de Batna). (updated Mar 2022)

By bus or shared taxi

Transport from Constantine arrives at the Gare Routière Nord. A shared taxi is DA400.

• 2 Gare Routière Nord (Nord Bus Station). (updated Mar 2022)

Get around

By taxi

Best and most popular way to get around is to use a taxi. There are no apps such as Uber, so you need to use the local taxis. Or you can rent your very own chauffeur.

By bus

Bus is also a very popular choice. Usually cheaper. And take also take you to far distances. Bus thieves are pretty common. So make sure to always check your pocket.

See

Batna is full of historical Roman places. Timgad is a ruined Roman settlement, sacked by Berbers around 700 AD, about 35 km from Batna. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site as it is an excellent example of Roman town planning.

• Aurès mountains, are mountains that has rugged peaks and ancient history sites

• Belzma National park has protected landscapes for animals and plants

• Ghoufi, a canyon that is history rich and has stunning nature.

• Madghacen (also spelled Medracen or Medghassen or Madghis) is a royal mausoleum-temple of the Berber Numidian kings which stands near Batna city in Aurasius Mons in Numidia.

Do

Batna has a lot of waterparks. Most popular one is Lompi Family Park, both a waterpark and a garden, between the high mountains, nature, and trees.

Amusement park Qadri, a theme park that has an impressive amount of ferris wheels and activities.

Buy

• Batna has a good quality of gold and jewellery at relatively cheap prices compared to other cities. There are all types of gold accessories such as bracelets, earrings, necklaces, etc.

• Algerian dates are among the best in the world, and are exported to other countries. Buying it from the date capital of Algeria is really worth it because the prices are much cheaper compared to Europe and The United States. You can buy a 1 kg box of fresh dates straight from the palm tree for €3.

Eat

There are tons and tons of restaurants in Batna. Restaurants usually serve grills and pizzas. Cafeterias serve coffee, Atay (Algerian tea), and Algerian and French desserts. There are very few vegan restaurants, but it isn’t that hard to find one.

Drink

Most popular things to drink in the area are coffee and Atay (Algerian tea). There are also bars which serve beers and local wine. Algeria has one of the best wines in the continent. Franchises such as Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts aren’t available. If you can’t choose which cafeteria to drink from then you can ask locals from the city and they will guide you there.

Sleep

There is a decent amount of hotels in Batna, from normal tents in the desert to high-end hotels in the middle of the city. Some budget motels and hotels can be found using major booking sites, but for many availabilities are not available online. Calling is required for those. Or simply ask locals who know the area very well. Plan before going.