Navigating Old Cairo without a guide can be hectic. Soak up the atmosphere without the hassle on this door-to-door private tour that focuses on Cairo’s Christian heritage. Visit the 7th-century Hanging Church then tour the crypt where some believe Mary, Joseph, and Jesus rested below the Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus. Finally, explore the Ben Ezra Synagogue before enjoying a local restaurant lunch.
Inclusions & Exclusions
✔ Private transportation
✔ Hotel pickup and drop-off
✔ Private tour
✔ Entry/Admission - Coptic Cairo
✔ Bottled water
✔ Entrance fees to all sites
✔ Egyptian Food (koshary, mix of macaroni, rice and lentil with tomato sauce and many other additions)
✔ Qualified Egyptologist guide
✖ Gratuities
Pickup Locations
1. Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino
2. Hilton Cairo Zamalek Residences
3. Cairo Airport Hotel
4. Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski Cairo
5. Wake UP! Cairo Hostel
6. Tolip El Galaa Hotel Cairo
7. Cairo Inn
8. Panorama Pyramids Inn
9. JW Marriott Hotel Cairo
10. Barcelo Cairo Pyramids
11. Novotel Cairo Airport
12. New President Hotel Cairo
13. Movenpick Hotel Cairo - Media City
14. Great Pyramid INN
15. Four Seasons Hotel Cairo at Nile Plaza
16. Le Meridien Cairo Airport
17. Holiday Inn & Suites Cairo Maadi, an IHG hotel
18. Sonesta Hotel, Tower & Casino - Cairo
19. Cairo City Center Hotel
20. InterContinental Cairo Semiramis, an IHG hotel
Additional Info: The Tour guide will pick you up from your hotel Lobby in Cairo or Giza .
Itinerary
1
Coptic Cairo
Your tour guide will pick you up from your hotel in Cairo or Giza and head directly to visit the Coptic Cairo .
Coptic Cairo is a unique area with Old Cairo that has a concentration of Christian churches and other sites that date from the centuries between the decline of the pharaonic religion and the arrival of Islam when Egypt had a Christian majority. Coptic Cairo is largely built around the fort of Babylon on upon the remains of its walls.
Duration: 2 hours
2
Hanging Church (El Muallaqa, Sitt Mariam, St Mary)
then move to visit The most famous site in Coptic Cairo is the Church of the Virgin Mary, better known by its nickname, the Hanging Church. This name comes from the fact that it was built atop the walls of the 4th century BC Roman fortress of Babylon, the remains of which are still visible about Coptic Cairo
Although the effect is significantly diminished today by the fact that the ground level has risen over 30 feet over the centuries due to the accumulation of trash and dust, originally this church towered above its surroundings on the high walls of the fortress.
Duration: 30 minutes
3
Synagogue Ben Ezra
Ben Ezra Synagogue is the oldest Jewish temple in Cairo, dating from the 9th century AD. Like almost all of Egypt’s synagogues, it is simply a tourist attraction today following the departure of nearly all of Egypt’s significant Jewish community during the 1950s after the founding of Israel and the Free Officers’ Revolution, but this site still holds great importance in the contemporary history of Judaism.
The 19th-century discovery a huge cache of documents, the synagogue’s treasury, which recorded the history and transactions of Cairo’s Jewish community since the 11th century, provided the most complete account of medieval Jewry anywhere in the world. These documents, however, are now held at Cambridge University in England.
Duration: 30 minutes
4
Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-As
Amr Ibn Al-Aas is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of Egypt because he introduced Islam to Egypt. He founded a new city just north of the Roman fort of Babylon called Fustat. Today, the Mosque of Amr Ibn Al-Aas still marks the site of this city. The structure has been renovated several times and none of the original structure remains today, but it is still the site of the oldest mosque in Egypt and the entire continent of Africa.
Islam arrived in Egypt and the entire continent of Africa in 640 AD with General Amr Ibn Al-Aas of the Rashidun Islamic Caliphate. The religion was only a couple of decades old at the time and expanding quickly with the influence of the Rashidun Caliphate, which had been formed following the death of the Prophet Mohammed in 632 AD. At the time, Coptic Christianity had recently surpassed the religion of Ancient Egypt to become the dominant religion. then you will have a Local Egyptian Lunch then transfer back to your hotel .
Duration: 20 minutes
Additional info
• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• Vegetrian food
