Constantine

Introduction

Constantine is the capital of Constantine Province in northeastern Algeria. During Roman times it was called Cirta and was renamed "Constantina" in honour of emperor Constantine the Great. It was the capital of the same-named French département until 1962. Slightly inland, it is about 80 kilometres from the Mediterranean coast, on the banks of the Rhumel river.

Regarded as the capital of eastern Algeria and the centre of its region, Constantine has a population of about 500,000 (total urban area about 1 million), making it the third largest city in the country after Algiers and Oran. There are museums and important historical sites around the city.

It is often referred to as the "City of Bridges" due to the numerous picturesque bridges connecting the mountains the city is built on.

Constantine was named the Arab Capital of Culture in 2015.

Sights and Activities

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 - the city is very famous for 7 bridges, especially the Gantaret El Hibal bridge which is the 2nd highest suspended bridge in the world. It's a perfect place to do a bungee jump.
• Gustave Mercier Museum (displays of ancient and modern art)
• Ben-Badis Mosque
• the Casbah
• Emir Abdel Kader University & Mosque
• Soumma Mausoleum, at Khroub
• the Palace of Ahmed Bey
• ruins of the Antonian Roman aqueduct
• Emir Abd Elkader Mosque & University: the monument located in city center.

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

Weather

Constantine has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, moist winters.

Getting There

By Plane

Mohamed Boudiaf Airport (CZL/DABC). 9 kilometres from city centre, provides several daily flights from other major European cities such as Paris, Geneva, Istanbul, Marseille, Brussels, Lille and Lyon. From the airport it is fairly easy to rent a car or take a shuttle to the city centre.

By Train

The train station is near the city centre and it connected to all Algerian network.

By Bus

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

Drink

• Tea with ment.
• Leben. A kind of heavy milk, itlooks like liquified yogourt.

Sleep

• Hotel Cirta. Four-star hotel in city center. +213 31 219696 (closed for renovation as of February 2019).
• Hotel Protea Marriott. four-star hotel in city center.
• Novotel hotel and Ibis Hotel are the closest accommodations to the “Casbah” or old city.

View our map of accommodation in Constantine

Learn

Constantine is very famous for it universities (Mentouri Zerzara Elamir Abd El Kader).

Keep Connected

Internet

There are Internet cafés in all larger towns and cities.

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

• The country calling code to Algeria is: 213
• To make an international call from the Algeria, the code is: 00

Post

Algeria Post offers fairly reliable though relatively slow services. Mail posted in any of the main cities along the coast takes three to four days to reach Europe; posted elsewhere, it could take much longer. Parcels sent by surface mail may take up to two months to reach Algeria. You might get better and faster deals with international couriers like DHL, TNT or UPS. Post officies are generally open from Saturday to Wednesday from 8:00am to 5:00pm and Thursday from 8:00am to 12:00pm, but the main post office in Algiers (5 boulevard Mohamed Khémisti) is open 24 hours.

External Links