Coptic Cairo Tour: Cave Church of Saint Simon and Old Cairo Churches
by Egypt Tours Online
Choose from 3 available options
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.$30Overview
This four-hour private tour begins with hotel pickup in Cairo by a private, air-conditioned vehicle. The first stop is Coptic Cairo, also known as Old Cairo, where the guide spends about one hour exploring key Christian sites. Visitors see the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, built above a cave where the Holy Family is believed to have taken refuge. The area around the Babylon Fortress is part of this visit, a site of Christian pilgrimage. The tour continues with a 30-minute visit to the Church of Saint Barbara, a 3rd-century church dedicated to an early Christian martyr from the region of present-day Lebanon. Next, the group spends 30 minutes at the Hanging Church, which is located above the gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress. The church is accessed by 29 steps, and its nave is suspended over the fortress gate. Afterward, the tour includes a one-hour visit to the Ben Ezra Synagogue, known for the discovery of the Cairo Geniza, a collection of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Judeo-Arabic manuscripts now mostly housed at Cambridge University. The final stop is the Cave Church of Saint Simon, also called the Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner, located on El Mokattam Mountain. This site is associated with a Coptic Orthodox saint linked to a historic event during the Fatimid Caliphate. A bottle of water is provided during the tour. A guide and lunch at a local Egyptian restaurant can be included if selected. The tour concludes with hotel drop-off by the same private vehicle.
Highlights
What's included
What's not included
Itinerary
Coptic Cairo
The tour starts with pickup from the hotel to visit Old Cairo, also known as Coptic Cairo. This area is considered holy because it is connected to the Holy Family’s stay in Egypt. According to tradition, they took shelter in a cave above which the Church of Abu Serga (Saints Sergius and Bacchus) was built. This district, including the Fort of Babylon, is a pilgrimage site for both Egyptians and Christians worldwide, known for its atmosphere of devotion.
60 min
Coptic Church of St. Barbara
The Church of Saint Barbara is dedicated to the early Christian martyr from the 3rd century who was from the region of Heliopolis Phoenicia, now Baalbek, Lebanon. She is recognized in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara. Historical writings from early Christianity and Saint Jerome’s martyrology do not mention her, but her story remains important in this church.
30 min
The Hanging Church
This church is named for its position above a gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress. Its nave is suspended over a passage, and visitors reach it by climbing twenty-nine steps, which earned it the nickname 'the Staircase Church' from early visitors. Since Roman times, the land has risen about six meters, burying most of the Roman tower and lessening the visual effect of the church’s elevated placement.
30 min
Synagogue Ben Ezra
The Ben Ezra Synagogue is notable for the discovery of the Cairo Geniza in the 19th century, a storeroom filled with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Judeo-Arabic manuscripts, both secular and sacred. This collection was brought to Cambridge University by Solomon Schechter and is now split between several academic libraries, with the largest portion held at the Cambridge University Library.
60 min
St Simon the Tanner Monastery
This monastery is associated with Saint Simon the Tanner, a Coptic Orthodox figure connected to the story of moving the Mokattam Mountain during the Fatimid Caliph al-Muizz Lideenillah’s reign (953–975). The event took place while Abraham the Syrian was Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The monastery is located on El Mokattam Mountain near Cairo.
60 min
Meeting point
al haram
End point
al haram
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.
Additional info
Coptic Cairo Tour: Cave Church of Saint Simon and Old Cairo Churches
by Egypt Tours Online
Choose from 3 available options
How do you want to book?
✓Confirmation before Wed, 9 Sept - card's only charged if it's a yes. If it's a no, still time to book on Viator.
Book on Viator Confirmed right away, but you pay full price.$30Overview
This four-hour private tour begins with hotel pickup in Cairo by a private, air-conditioned vehicle. The first stop is Coptic Cairo, also known as Old Cairo, where the guide spends about one hour exploring key Christian sites. Visitors see the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, built above a cave where the Holy Family is believed to have taken refuge. The area around the Babylon Fortress is part of this visit, a site of Christian pilgrimage. The tour continues with a 30-minute visit to the Church of Saint Barbara, a 3rd-century church dedicated to an early Christian martyr from the region of present-day Lebanon. Next, the group spends 30 minutes at the Hanging Church, which is located above the gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress. The church is accessed by 29 steps, and its nave is suspended over the fortress gate. Afterward, the tour includes a one-hour visit to the Ben Ezra Synagogue, known for the discovery of the Cairo Geniza, a collection of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Judeo-Arabic manuscripts now mostly housed at Cambridge University. The final stop is the Cave Church of Saint Simon, also called the Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner, located on El Mokattam Mountain. This site is associated with a Coptic Orthodox saint linked to a historic event during the Fatimid Caliphate. A bottle of water is provided during the tour. A guide and lunch at a local Egyptian restaurant can be included if selected. The tour concludes with hotel drop-off by the same private vehicle.
Highlights
What's included
What's not included
Itinerary
Coptic Cairo
The tour starts with pickup from the hotel to visit Old Cairo, also known as Coptic Cairo. This area is considered holy because it is connected to the Holy Family’s stay in Egypt. According to tradition, they took shelter in a cave above which the Church of Abu Serga (Saints Sergius and Bacchus) was built. This district, including the Fort of Babylon, is a pilgrimage site for both Egyptians and Christians worldwide, known for its atmosphere of devotion.
60 min
Coptic Church of St. Barbara
The Church of Saint Barbara is dedicated to the early Christian martyr from the 3rd century who was from the region of Heliopolis Phoenicia, now Baalbek, Lebanon. She is recognized in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara. Historical writings from early Christianity and Saint Jerome’s martyrology do not mention her, but her story remains important in this church.
30 min
The Hanging Church
This church is named for its position above a gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress. Its nave is suspended over a passage, and visitors reach it by climbing twenty-nine steps, which earned it the nickname 'the Staircase Church' from early visitors. Since Roman times, the land has risen about six meters, burying most of the Roman tower and lessening the visual effect of the church’s elevated placement.
30 min
Synagogue Ben Ezra
The Ben Ezra Synagogue is notable for the discovery of the Cairo Geniza in the 19th century, a storeroom filled with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Judeo-Arabic manuscripts, both secular and sacred. This collection was brought to Cambridge University by Solomon Schechter and is now split between several academic libraries, with the largest portion held at the Cambridge University Library.
60 min
St Simon the Tanner Monastery
This monastery is associated with Saint Simon the Tanner, a Coptic Orthodox figure connected to the story of moving the Mokattam Mountain during the Fatimid Caliph al-Muizz Lideenillah’s reign (953–975). The event took place while Abraham the Syrian was Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church. The monastery is located on El Mokattam Mountain near Cairo.
60 min
Meeting point
al haram
End point
al haram
Languages
Cancellation policy
- Cancel at least 24 hours before start for a full refund.