The second largest country (next to Sudan) on the African Continent, Algeria has the largest swathe of the Sahara within its borders. It also has the intoxicating capital of Algiers – a city many travellers consider to be the most beautiful in the Mediterranean. It has relics and great buildings from the Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and French colonial periods, plus a fascinating Berber culture that produces mesmerising textiles and ornate silversmithing. Its coastline is renowned for its beautiful light and wild beaches and Algerians, still unaffected by medium and large-scale tourism, are genuinely welcoming.