Hi, I am looking for advice about travel to where my daughter lives with her husband in Batna. I have not seen her for 5 years and I have a grandson who is 4 now. How easy is travel from Algiers, can I travel alone, so many questions! I cannot write in French or Arabic, so I am apologising now!
Any advice would be helpful.
Do you have any friends who can speak a little French? Because it would help if you had help to work your way through timetables.
There are, I believe, internal flights from Algiers to Batna, and they can be relatively inexpensive. In addition, flying would considerably cut down on your time spent travelling, and give you more time with your family. Alternatively, there is a rail network. I am not 100% certain, but I think Algiers-Constantine-Batna is the route you want. But to work out departure/arrival times, you really do need help with any timetables.
Flights and trains are safe enough, with the usual caution to any traveller anywhere in the world about keeping an eye on valuables at railways stations and in airport concourses.
Don't worry you'll find your way People in Algeria like to help when they see a foreigner and you'll be suprised that some actually do speak English
Like khiyal mentioned above don't wear any valubales on you! there are high risks that it maybe stolen off you..
All the best in finding your daughter
wa salam
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In the Qur'an, Allah says:
"When My servants ask about Me, I am indeed close to them. I listen to the prayer of every supplicant, when he calls on Me.
Let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me, so that they may walk in the right way" (Qur'an 2:186).
Good evening Al khiyal and Flower 25, thankyou so much for your advice, I hope I can gather enough information from Algerians because my own British embassy in Algiers isnt exactly encouraging me to travel to your country. However, I must try and get to see my daughter and grandson, I am aware of Muslim customs and hope I can make this trip at the summer. My visa application states I must tell the authorities where I will be staying but at present that is something I do not know. I hope you will continue to advise me, !!!
I'll be in Algeria around September so If I'm there I can act as a Mobile Translater
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In the Qur'an, Allah says:
"When My servants ask about Me, I am indeed close to them. I listen to the prayer of every supplicant, when he calls on Me.
Let them also, with a will, listen to My call, and believe in Me, so that they may walk in the right way" (Qur'an 2:186).
My visa application states I must tell the authorities where I will be staying but at present that is something I do not know. I hope you will continue to advise me, !!!
In the past, people often made an hotel booking, cited the hotel as 'where they would be staying', and then checked out after a night and headed off to wherever they felt like going. But there is a new law in Algeria now, and there is a closer scrutiny of visitors and their movements in the country. Perhaps if you emailed the British Embassy in Algiers and made a contact there, you could get up-to-date and useful advice.
Thinking laterally, why not consider flying direct to Batna from Marseille ? If you did that then you could cut down on the number of stages to your journey, and you could take the same route back. OK, France is another country you can't speak French in, but you wouldn't be there long. Think about it - use this link to check flight times.
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People in Algeria like to help when they see a foreigner and you'll be suprised that some actually do speak English
Think about it - use 
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