Rue Didouche Mourad (formerly Rue Michelet) is the main commercial and social spine of modern Algiers, running uphill from the French colonial centre through the Belouizdad quarter. It is lined with bookshops, cafes, pharmacies, clothing stores, and the occasional patisserie. On an evening the pavement is crowded with people walking and socialising.
This is the street where Algerois see and be seen. The bookshops on Didouche Mourad are among the best in the country for French-language titles on Algeria. The cafes along the street — particularly in the shaded arcade sections — are good places to sit and watch the city go by. Most of the city's best-known bars are on or just off this street.