Constantine

Constantine (Arabic: قسنطينة, Qusantinah; Berber: ⵇⵙⵏⵟⵉⵏⴰ, qsnṭina) is a city in Northeast Algeria and the capital of Constantine Province. It is a famous tourist spot known for its breathtaking canyons, magnificent bridges, and picturesque location.

Sidi Imsid

Understand

Constantine is one of the world’s oldest cities. Founded by the Phoenicians, it became the capital of the Numidian Kingdom under the name Cirta.

Etymology

The city was renamed to "Constantine" in 313 AD by the Romans, in honour of Constantine the Great.

History

Completely destroyed by Maxence in 311CE, it was rebuilt shortly afterwards by Emperor Constantine who named it after himself. Constantine has preserved the historic relics of three millennia of Numidian, Roman, Muslim, Ottoman and colonial occupation. The ancient city has been listed as an Algerian national heritage site since December 2004.

Get in

By plane

1 Mohamed Boudiaf Airport (CZL  ^IATA). The main airport of Constantine, which is situated 12km from the city centre.

• Air Algérie (Basel, Istanbul, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris CDG, Paris ORLY)
• Air Algérie Seasonal (Toulouse and Nancy)
• Tassili Airlines (Strasburg)
• Transavia (Lyon, Montpellier, Paris ORLY)
• Tui Fly (Charleroi)
• Tunisair (Tunis)
• Turkish airlines (Istanbul)
• Volotea (Marseille)

By train

The train station is near the city centre and it connected to several Algerian destinations.

• 2 Constantine railway station (Gare de Constantine). (updated Oct 2021)

By car

The distance between Constantine and Algiers is 318 km. The road distance is almost 400 km.

By bus

There are regular buses coming in from Algiers (5 hours) and Sétif (2 hours).

Buses and shared taxis coming from Sétif arrive at the Gare Routière Ouest south of town. There's a tram stop nearby. Taking it to the terminus would cover about half the distance to old town.

Transport from Batna arrives as the Gare Routière Est.

• 3 Gare Routière Est (East Bus Station) (About 1 km north east of the west bus station.). (updated Mar 2022)
• 4 Gare Routière Ouest (West Bus Station) (Next to tram stop 'Zone Industrielle Boussof'). Station for buses and shared taxis. (updated Mar 2022)

By boat

• Skikda port: 80 km from the city center; connected to Marseille (France).
• Annaba port: 150 km from the city center; connected to Marseille (France).
• Tunis port: 250 km from the city center; connected to Naples, Genova & Rome (Italy).
• Algiers port: 450 km from the city center; connected to Marseille & Sete (France), Naples (Italy), Barcelona & Alicante (Spain).
• Bejaia port: 250 km from the city center; connected to Marseille (France)

Get around

By tram

There's a long tramline starting south of the city center and passing by the Emir Abd Elkader mosque and gare routière ouest before crossing the river. Tickets should be bought at a kiosk near the stops.

See

View of Constantine

The city is framed by a deep ravine and has a dramatic appearance. The city is very picturesque with a number of bridges and a viaduct crossing the ravine.

• The city center bridges: this city is very famous for 7 bridges, especially the Gantaret El Hibal (also called Sidi M'Cid) bridge which is the 2nd highest suspended bridge in the world. It's a perfect place to do a bungee jump. Also the pedestrian 1 passerelle Slimane Mellah has great views.
• 2 Gustave Mercier Museum. Displays of ancient and modern art. (updated Mar 2024)
• 3 Ben-Badis Mosque. (updated Mar 2024)
• the 4 Casbah
• 5 Emir Abdel Kader University & Mosque. (updated Mar 2024)
• 6 Soumma Mausoleum (Khroub). (updated Mar 2024)
• 7 Palace of Ahmed Bey. (updated Mar 2024)
• 8 Ruins of the Antonian Roman aqueduct. (updated Mar 2024)

Nearby are the Roman city of Tiddis and the megalithic monuments and burial grounds at Djebel Mazala Salluste.

• 9 Emir Abd Elkader Mosque. Large mosque and park to the south of the city center. (updated Aug 2020)
• 10 Théâtre Régional de Constantine Mohamed Tahar Fergani. (updated Aug 2020)
• 11 Bois de la Légion d'Honneur. Large park. (updated Aug 2020)
• 12 Salah Bey Viaduct. Futuristic looking viaduct crossing the Rhummel gorge, it is often considered the "eighth wonder" in a city with 7 bridges. (updated Aug 2020)
• 13 Sidi M'Cid Bridge (Pont Sidi M'Cid). 24/7. Suspension bridge, held the record of the highest bridge in the world at 175 m until 1929. Also called Gantaret El Hibal bridge. Free. (updated Mar 2022)
• 14 Passerelle Slimane Mellah (Entry from the old city is through a building with a staircase.). Foot bridge connecting the old town with the train / bus station on the other side. Stunning views of the gorge. Wobbles when people set foot on it. (updated Mar 2022)
• 15 Ahmed Bey Palace. (updated Aug 2020)

Learn

• 1 Mentouri University. (updated Mar 2024)
• 2 Annex Zerzara University. (updated Mar 2024)
• 3 Emir Abdelkader University of Islamic Sciences.  
• 4 University of Constantine 2 Mehri. (updated Mar 2024)
• 5 University of Constantine 3 Boubnider. (updated Mar 2024)

Eat

Budget

These food are cheap and can be brought for no more than 150 dinars.

• Local pizza. As in all northeast and central Algeria, pizzas in these regions is different. Pizzas in Constantine usually served with tuna, chicken, cheese, or vegetables. Pizzerias in Constantine usually don’t serve ketchup or mustard but instead harisa (a spicy sauce) or mayonnaise.

• BBQ. BBQ, usually known as shewa by locals, is a variety of barbecue and grills. Can be meat or vegetables. And if you want. It can be served as a sandwich.

Mid-range

These food are usually sold for not an expensive price nor cheap price. And the quality is good.

• Bouzelouf. A very popular meal in the city. Served with meat, chickpeas, and tomato soup. Can be found in the city center.
• Baklava. Locals pronounce it as Baklawa. is a layered pastry dessert made of filo pastry, filled with chopped nuts, and sweetened with syrup or honey. usually served In cafeterias.

Splurge

Here are the best food you can find in Constantine. Usually expensive than other types of food or dishes.

• Couscous. An Algerian meal made from small steamed granules of rolled durum wheat semolina that is usually served with vegetables and a portion of meat.
• Shakshuka. Shakshuka is a simple dish made of gently poached eggs in a delicious chunky tomato and bell pepper sauce. Said to have originated in Tunisia, this breakfast recipe is popular in many parts of North Africa and the Middle East. It is so satisfying, you can serve it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Drink

• Tea with mint. Usually called (Atay) by locals.
• Leben. A kind of heavy milk, it looks like liquified yoghurt.

Sleep

Mid-range

• 1 Hotel Marriott Constantine, ☏ +213 31-731073. Check-in: 15:00, check-out: 12:00. Five-star hotel. (updated Mar 2024)

Splurge

• 2 Grand Hotel Cirta, ☏ +213 31 92 93 64. Four-star hotel in city center. +213 31 219696 (closed for renovation as of February 2019) (updated Jul 2022)
• 3 Novotel hotel and 4 Ibis Hotel are the closest accommodations to the "Casbah" or old city.

Stay safe

Constantine is somewhat considered a safe place. And common sense will alleviate 99% of problems: try to look as little like a tourist as possible, do not flash large quantities of cash, and so on. Faux guides are much less of a problem here than in the rest of Algeria and are limited mainly to the area around the city. It is inadvisable to walk alone in Constantine at night. Sole women, as in all Algerian cities, should dress modestly to avoid harassment (which almost always consists of lewd comments, but nothing physical).

Pickpocketing and moto-drive-by theft seem more to be a problem here—hide your valuables!

Go next

• 1 Tiddis , a Roman city and one of the most important archaeological sites in the region.