Stand in Place Toute in the centre of Blida and the shape of the day becomes clear: cafes and pastry shops ring the plaza, children run across it, and the old market and Al-Kawthar Mosque sit within a short walk. This is a city of fountains and irrigated gardens at the base of the Tell Atlas, on the southern edge of the Mitidja Plain, and it has long been known as the city of roses.
Blida suits travellers who are already in Algiers and want a day or two beyond it, who are drawn to mountain scenery and wildlife rather than monuments, and who are happy to spend an afternoon over coffee and sweets. It also suits football followers, since the national team plays here.
This guide covers the places worth your time in the city and its immediate surroundings, and how to string them together if you have only one day.
Top things to do in Blida
1. Chréa National Park
One of the largest national parks in the country, within Blida and part of the Atlas Mountains. It includes one of the few ski stations in Africa with natural snow, and it protects the endangered Barbary macaque along with varied flora and fauna.
Give this the best part of a day rather than an hour, and bring layers, since the altitude changes the temperature. The Barbary macaque is also found in the nearby Chiffa gorge, so a sighting is possible in either setting.
2. Place Toute
The square sits in the centre of Blida, near Bab Es-Sebt, Al-Kawthar Mosque and the old market. You can settle into the many cafes, pastry shops, ice cream shops and other restaurants while children play in the plaza.
Come in the late afternoon, when the square is at its liveliest, and combine it with the mosque and the old market in a single walk.
3. Al-Kawthar Mosque
Located in the centre of the city at Bin Merah Square, known as the famous square of the Toot in Blida. The mosque is distinguished by its space, attracting more than twelve thousand worshippers on religious occasions.
Visit outside prayer times and on ordinary days if you want quiet. It is a few steps from Place Toute, so pair the two.
4. The old market
The old market sits in the centre of Blida beside Place Toute and Al-Kawthar Mosque. It is the natural place to see the trade of a fertile district whose commerce has long centred on oranges and flour.
Go in the morning for the fullest stalls, then take coffee at Place Toute afterwards.
5. Mustapha Tchaker Stadium
Catch a football game at the stadium, which is home to the Algeria national football team and the local Blida team.
Check the fixture list before you travel, since the ground is not in use every week, and build the rest of your day around the kick-off time.
6. The orange groves in blossom
In April the orange groves blossom. With over fifty thousand trees, it is a wonderful sensory experience, and the air for miles round is laden with the scent of the orange blossoms.
April is the month to plan around if this is your reason for coming. The groves lie in the fertile district around the city, so ask locally which edges of town are easiest to reach on foot.
7. The public gardens and their olive trees
In the public gardens is a group of magnificent olive trees. The city is known as the city of roses because of the large number of roses in its gardens, and the abundant water of the Oued el kebir supplies the town with its numerous fountains and irrigated gardens.
These gardens are a calm stop between the square and the market, and a good place to sit in the middle of the day.
8. The six gates and their names
Blida is surrounded by a wall of considerable extent, pierced by six gates, and the gates were Bab Er-Rahba, Bab Ed-Zair, Bab El-Khouikha, Bab Es-Sebt, Bab Ez-Zaouia, Bab El-Kbour and Bab El-Kseb. The gates themselves no longer exist, but their names are still in use by people in Blida as reference points to locate streets, places, schools and businesses.
Use the gate names when asking directions or reading a local address; Bab Es-Sebt, for instance, tells you that you are beside Place Toute.
9. Port Mimieh
Port Mimieh crowns a steep hill on the left bank of the river, and forms part of the city's defences alongside the wall.
Treat it as a viewpoint on a clear day and combine it with a walk along the river side of town.
10. Sidi El-Kebir
Sidi Ahmed El-Kebir, Blida's founder, is buried in Sidi El-Kebir, an area named after him. The present town was founded by Moors, principally by Sidi Ahmed El-Kebir, in the sixteenth century.
This is a quiet, residential-feeling stop rather than a formal sight, so go with an interest in the city's origins and keep your visit brief and respectful.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at the old market while the stalls are full, then step into Al-Kawthar Mosque at Bin Merah Square and walk the short distance to Place Toute. Use the gate names, such as Bab Es-Sebt, to orient yourself.
Afternoon: Head out to Chréa National Park for the mountains, the flora and fauna, and the chance of seeing the endangered Barbary macaque. If you are travelling in April, spend part of the afternoon among the orange groves in blossom instead, or in the public gardens among the olive trees.
Evening: Return to Place Toute for cafes, pastry shops, ice cream shops and restaurants while children play in the plaza. If a match is on, take in a game at Mustapha Tchaker Stadium.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to smell the orange blossoms?
In April, when the orange groves blossom. With over fifty thousand trees, the air for miles round is laden with the scent of the orange blossoms.
Where can you see the Barbary macaque?
The nearby Chiffa gorge is a habitat of the endangered Barbary macaque, one of only a few locations where populations of the primate are found. Chréa National Park also protects the species.
Can you ski in Blida?
Chréa National Park includes one of the few ski stations in Africa with natural snow.
Where do you go for cafes and restaurants in the centre?
Place Toute, in the centre of Blida near Bab Es-Sebt, Al-Kawthar Mosque and the old market, where tourists and locals can enjoy the many cafes, pastry shops, ice cream shops and other restaurants.
Decide whether you are coming for the April blossoms, a match at Mustapha Tchaker Stadium or a day in Chréa National Park, and start planning around that date.