Algiers for The Thrill Seekers: a Friday-to-Monday weekend

Start at the top terraces and drop through staircases and covered lanes to the port. A local guide from the Casbah association costs little and saves you wrong turns.

The Almoravid mosque of 1097, among the oldest in the Maghreb, a forest of white arches. Visit as the light fades and the fishermen head home.

Hot chickpea flan in a flatbread with harissa, eaten standing at a counter. The cheapest and best fuel before a morning run in the hills.

Walk the cliff path under the mountain above the sea, with Roman Tipaza spread out below. Bring water; there is no shade and the climb is steep in places.

Grilled sea bream and salad on the terrace above the ruins, the right reward for a morning on the hill. Order the fish by weight.

Basilicas, a theatre and a paved street running into the sea. Walk the full loop along the water, then finish at the museum by the entrance.

Hike through cedar forest in the Blidean Atlas, with wild macaques on the verges. Take a taxi from Blida to the plateau and bring layers.

Ride the glass lift up the tallest minaret in the world, 265 metres, and look down over the bay. Go late, when the haze lifts.

Grilled sardines and calamari with bread and lemon in the old fishermen's quarter by the harbour. Eat early; the best fish goes first.

Several kilometres of seaside promenade, flat and empty at dawn. Run with the bay on your left and the huge new mosque ahead.

Climb the plaza steps to the three concrete palm fronds, then walk the underground museum of the independence war. Flat, cool and quick.

A recovery plate of merguez, fries and salad before the airport, with a lemonade and a strong coffee.