The Roman ruins of Tipaza are located in a bay 40 miles west of Algiers. It was a Punic trading town, then a Roman and Byzantine outpost, until it was ravaged by the Umayyads in the seventh century and has since gathered dust. The ruined pillars of the Cardo Maximus seem to unfold themselves towards the dark blue sea as I stroll along it. Around me are the ruins of millennia-old dwellings and baths, studded with vivid red flowers and dark green wormwood; nature has partially taken over. The ruins of a once-mighty basilica sit on a rocky ledge across an inlet, a reminder that this was a Christian town for centuries.

over Tipaza, all one can hear is birdsong, the sound of waves crashing on the shore, and the tranquil chatter of the rare local couple gazing out over the Mediterranean Sea. It is a place of enchantment. It was here in 1943 that Charles De Gaulle and Minister-Resident in North Africa Harold Macmillan strolled and discussed the war’s destiny. And it is here, marked by a worn but well-maintained signpost overlooking the bay, that Albert Camus claimed he had a “wedding day with the world,” when he “understood what is meant by glory: the right to love without measure.”

Tipaza Roman Ruins

Surprisingly, I am the sole international visitor. The same can be said for my entire eight-day journey across Algeria, possibly the Mediterranean’s last undiscovered destination. Direct flights from London Gatwick take two hours and fifteen minutes. The FCO also considers the great majority of the country to be safe for visitors. It is the ideal combination of being unspoiled by tourism, safe enough to travel without a guide, and rich in attractions.

Before arriving in Tipaza, I travel to Constantine in the north-east. It is one of the most aesthetically striking cities I have seen, named for the Roman Emperor and continuously inhabited for thousands of years. It sits on a massive 600-foot plateau. Seven massive bridges, including the world’s largest stone bridge, cross the vast valley while the Rhumel River rushes deep below. For a day, racking up 30,000 steps, I am fascinated by this city – its combination of French and Algerian architecture, the Cirta Museum’s spectacular collection of prehistoric, Numidian, and Roman artifacts, and the panorama of expansive Algerian hills. I tour it with an eroded 1936 ‘Touring Club de France’ map from the country’s colonial era.

It concludes in a climb to the top of the oldest neighborhood, which has been largely gutted by French boulevards, to see the Bey’s Palace. This symmetrical, arched residence of the last Ottoman sultan muffles the sounds of the nearby markets. The walls are adorned with artwork depicting his maritime adventures. Another Constantine can be seen among his seascapes and cityscapes, the towering minarets of Constantinople’s Blue Mosque.