Oran runs on small money: the Murdjadjo cliff paths and Sidi El Houari alleys are free, a loaded sandwich oranais lands under 300 DA, and the tram crosses the whole city for 50 DA. Three days here rarely breaks 4,000 DA a day.
The 1850 chapel below the fortress sits on a free public terrace 380 m above the bay — the best Oran panorama without paying the fort's entry. Walk up from Ras El Aïn instead of taking a taxi; the path takes 50 minutes through pine and prickly pear.
The grilled-meat sandwich shops along Ben M'hidi build a baguette with kefta, chips, harissa, olives and cheese for 250-350 DA — a full lunch. Order at the counter, pay after, eat standing. Karantika slices go for 60 DA at the same windows.
Oran's oldest district, below the Casbah slope: Ottoman mosque of the Pasha (1796), the Spanish-era Bey's Palace ruins, crumbling Andalusian doorways and the Scalera steps. Entirely walkable and free; the Santé Maritime bathhouse ruins face the water.
The clifftop promenade above the port runs from Place de la Perle toward the Bastion. Locals line the railing at golden hour watching cargo ships; benches, no entry fee, and a mint tea from the kiosk cart runs 50 DA.
Oran's working produce market: Relizane oranges, Mostaganem tomatoes, barrels of olives and sacks of harissa. Prices are per kilo and negotiable — dates 400-800 DA/kg, oranges around 120 DA/kg. Vendors open from dawn and thin out by 13:00.
Karantika — the Oranais chickpea-flour flan baked in wide trays, cut hot, dusted with cumin and harissa — is the city's cheapest filling meal at 50-80 DA a slice in bread. Standing room only; the trays sell out by mid-afternoon.
The 19th-century 'new town' built for Oran's Muslim population is now the bargaining heart of the city: textiles, spices, copper, counterfeit trainers and stacked tea glasses. Free to wander; a kilo of loose mint tea runs about 250 DA.
Gambetta's café terraces play raï loud and charge café-terrace prices: 40-60 DA for a coffee, 100 DA for a fresh orange juice, and no cover charge when a singer turns up. Nurse one drink for two hours — nobody rushes you.
The 18.7 km tram from Sidi Maârouf to Es Sénia costs 50 DA flat and takes about 50 minutes, cutting through neighbourhoods no tour reaches. Air-conditioned, runs 05:30-22:30, and doubles as a cheap city orientation loop.
Public beach 25 km west, reached by bus from Place des Victoires for around 100 DA each way. Sand is free, umbrellas are not — bring your own shade. Grilled sardine plates at the shore shacks go for 400-500 DA.
The 1796 Pasha Mosque with its octagonal minaret is free to view from the courtyard outside prayer times; from there the old Spanish sea wall runs toward the port. Modest dress required, shoes off if entering.
The dry ravine of Ras El Aïn — Oran's original water source — has free footpaths up to the ridge below Fort Saint-Philippe, where the sun drops behind Murdjadjo over the whole bay. No gate, no ticket, no crowd.