Skip the first Duty Free you see in T1 international
The better liquor prices tend to show up in the Duty Free shop deeper into Terminal 1’s international departures, past the earlier outlets by the main gates. This newer post‑2016 setup is a consolidated airside store of around 2,000 m², run by Salvo Grima Group, so you’re not dealing with scattered kiosks. It sits after security and passport control, so you need an international boarding pass in hand before you can reach it.
Stock is basic but covers the usuals: cartons of cigarettes, standard whisky labels, mainstream vodka, plus big‑brand perfumes. Travellers comparing receipts report that spirits can be a noticeable step cheaper in the last shop compared with the first one, even on the same whisky bottles. Perfume and cosmetics, on the other hand, price out as “OK compared to town” rather than a steal, and several TripAdvisor posts say they just buy those in Algiers city instead.
Regulars with time before boarding walk all the way down to the far‑end Duty Free, check liquor prices there, then decide whether it’s worth backtracking 5–10 minutes to the earlier store. The duty‑free zone itself feels small and basic compared with big European hubs, and comments from 2016 onward repeat that impression even after the second‑phase expansion mentioned by Algeria Press Service. Quick tip: if you only care about spirits, head straight to the last shop and do your price check there first; you can always grab cigarettes or perfume on the way back.