Coptic Cairo is a part of Old Cairo which encompasses the Babylon Fortress, , the Hanging Church, the Greek Church of St. George and many other Coptic churches and historical sites. It is believed in Christian tradition that the Holy Family visited this area and stayed at the site of Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga).[ Coptic Cairo was a stronghold for Christianity in Egypt until the Islamic era, though most of the current buildings of the churches in Coptic Cairo were built after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century.
Discover the allure of the Hanging Church (El Muallaqa, Sitt Mariam, St Mary) located on Shar'a Mari Girgis Street in Cairo, Egypt. This architectural masterpiece, also hailed as the Suspended Church, holds significant importance in Egyptian Christian history. Its striking features include an elevated position, intricate wooden motifs, and a breathtaking interior adorned with biblical frescoes and ornate icons. Immerse yourself in the serenity of this sacred site while gaining insights into the cultural and religious heritage of Egypt. A visit to the Hanging Church promises an enchanting experience that will leave a lasting impression.
The Ben Ezra Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת בן עזרא, Arabic: معبد بن عزرا), sometimes referred to as the El-Geniza Synagogue (Hebrew: בית כנסת אל גניזה) or the Synagogue of the Levantines (al-Shamiyin),[1] is situated in Old Cairo, Egypt. According to local folklore, it is located on the site where baby Moses was found.[2] This was the synagogue whose geniza or store room was found in the 19th century to contain a treasure of abandoned Hebrew, Aramaic and Judeo-Arabic secular and sacred manuscripts. The collection, known as the Cairo Geniza, was brought to the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England at the instigation of Solomon Schechter. It is now divided between several academic libraries, with the majority being kept at the Cambridge University Library.
Discover the majesty of the Abu-Sergah & St. Barbara Church, an iconic historical landmark that stands as a testament to Egypt's rich Coptic heritage. Immerse yourself in the captivating aura of this ancient church, renowned for its intricate architectural details and fascinating religious significance. Located in the heart of Cairo, this sacred site invites visitors to explore its hallowed halls and take a step back in time. Uncover the secrets of Abu-Sergah & St. Barbara, and embark on a journey that seamlessly blends spirituality, history, and artistry.
Al-Rifa'i Mosque is located in Midan al-Qal'a, adjacent to the Cairo Citadel. Now, it is also the royal mausoleum of Muhammad Ali's family. The building is located opposite the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, which dates from around 1361, and was architecturally conceived as a complement to the older structure.
The Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan is a monumental mosque and madrasa located in the historic district of Cairo, Egypt. It was built between 1356 and 1363 during the Bahri Mamluk period, commissioned by Sultan an-Nasir Hasan
The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th to the 19th centuries
Then Continue your day tour to Islamic Cairo that was Founded in 641 A.D By the First Muslam leader Amr Ibn Elas Over there in Islamic Cairo you will be able to Visit and Enter the Following Mosques `Masjid` Amr Ibn Elas Mosque that was built in 642 A.D By the Muslim leader Amr Ibn Elas at El FUSTAT area
Khan el-Khalili is a famous bazaar and souq in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike.
Dahlia was great - really nice and friendly. She went out of her way to look after us. It was a nice tour and we had a chance to visit mosques, churches and synagogues, and learn a little about its history. Lunch was fabulous. We didn’t expect such a treat. It was a 3 course set lunch with soup, main course of rice, chips and meat and dessert at a nice restaurant.
This was an amazing opportunity to learn about the history of Islamic Mosques, Coptic Orthodox churches and their history. Mahmoud Solomon was a great guide. He is very knowledgeable and welcomed my questions and curiosity. I came away with a basic understanding of the history and the important figures who played a pivotal role in forming its foundations. Mahmoud tailored the activities to my interests and went the extra mile by pointing out the best vantage points for photos. He took photos for me with my phone. This was very helpful as I was solo.
I am unsure if the the tour on Sept 6, 2026 itself was not good or it was the circumstances leading to it. The tour operator (EMO Tours) was great and made sure it all worked out. However I spent the first hour communicating with my tour operator rather than the tour. The guide was not the greatest. Though I had high anticipation for Coptic cairo, he showed mostly Islamic Cairo. I had to tell him that we wanted to see Coptic Cairo. He only had one church on his list. After communicating with my liason, we did see a few more churches. All in all, I think my expectations might have been too high and it wasn't what I thought it was. I wouldn't fault the tour operator but likely the guide was not as experienced.
Mizo was incredible he is one of the best tour guides ever, he is so funny and passionate about his work, he explains history through the human experience not through dates and boring facts. I loved visiting the churches, the Mosques I was not too excited about however they were actually beautiful and so interesting to learn about . I love the respect Mizo showed for the churches. I needed to buy a special gift at the church and he made sure I got what I wanted and also let me stay longer and enjoy the atmosphere
The sites are beautiful. My guide Haidy was very knowledgeable and we shared some great laughs . We had a sing along to Celine Dion and Whitney Houston on the way back to my hotel. Perfect way to end the day.
Amir took us to the Citadel and other three mosques me and my family learned a lot and had a great time. He speaks very well Spanish and knows a lot about the history of the city. Very recommended
Amazing tour, definitely a less visited gem in Cairo. We enjoyed the guide as well who provided personalized touches to the day to make it great
Amr, our driver was also a great guide! Gave us the inside information and then pointed out the sequence in which to view the sights, making the trip very efficient! Highly recommended.
Having a skilled private driver (Mohamed) and knowledgeable guide (Wagih) made a huge difference in what we saw and learned. We covered the main churches, synagogue, citadels, and mosques plus other sites. Appreciated their flexibility, they accommodated our pacing/request to go explore and we never felt rushed. Dreaded the hassle to see all the sights on our own so we’re so glad we booked this tour.
Fantastic day. Learned so much from the knowledgeable and passionate Hossein. Our driver was also very good
Our guide for the trip was amazing! Wagih was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about Egyptian history. He took his time explaining everything and answering all of our questions. We had so much with this tour. Our driver Ibrahim was prompt and safely delivered us to all of our destinations, waiting patiently to pick us up after every excursion. I highly recommend this tour and tour guide!
The trip was great and went very well. We enjoyed it very much. The guide Hussam explained in detail about the history and culture.
I went to Egypt via Tour Radar. overall experience was good. This trip required a lot of walking, often over sand.The only suggestion I had for the tour company was that the luggage should have been carried by their personnel.Many fellow travellers would have appreciated not having to carry heavy or multiple bags over long distances.Also travel within cairo can be difficult with few locals speaking english.
It was a great tour covering the Coptic and Islamic parts of the old Cairo. We were taken on a tour by an older guide, in his late 60s. He explained us the history of the monuments really well and gave us good amount of time to take our pictures.
I was waiting for 2 hours. I sent messages/ emails/ WhatsApp and filled up their form, but not answer at all. Wasting my vacation time and I lost the moment.
After pick up, we went to a gas station to fuel the car. During the 40 minute trip to Cairo the guide was talking to the driver and we have no idea what we were passing. The driver was unfamiliar with the route and we did multiple circles around the same place. We wanted to see another site and the guide asked for an additional 1,000 EGP. We didn’t mind that, but we were then too late to see the main church we were interested in. The guide should know closing times and plan accordingly. The back door of the car didn’t open from the inside. Between drop off and pick up at the market, the back window of the car was smashed. We continued the tour and returned to the hotel with a broken window (no big deal since there was a screen to catch the glass). The guide had her daughter join us for the last sites on the tour and she left from there. The driver took us back to our hotel. Honestly, we would have been better booking the driver only tour.
We did a tour of coptic cairo + islamic cairo + khan el khalili. They don't share the guide's number and all comm has to be through their central office. This caused a lot of confusion as we were not able to locate our guide and driver. They were waiting for us in a different lobby of the hotel. The guide had very basic information to offer. His language skills were rudimentary and he would just repeat the same 1 or 2 sentences. He did not add any value to the tour. He also said that khan el khalili was not part of the tour. Had to argue with him and get the central office to communicate with him before he and the driver agreed to stay back for the market. Overall not a good experience.
On the whole the tour is good. The guide is nice to show me the things I am interested, and relied my question as far as possible. The only hiccup is that the car went to the wrong place of Kemet hotel, so wasted about 20 mins. But the guide did make up for me with some overtime at the end. So I think it's a good tour on the whole.
Pierre and Braheem provided a stellar touring experience to include shopping at reasonable prices. Two thumbs up.
Our guide, Mario was very personable and knowledgeable and took the time to cover the material as well as our questions. Very informative tour that will encourage further study into the area. Many of the structures were simply awe-inspiring from within. Lovely tour!
It was the best! Makdy was very professional and made my trip super joyful and entertained. I recommend 100% this trip and the service they provided was exceptional!!! I will do it again next time I have the opportunity to comeback to Egypt.
Affordable private tour with guide and driver. Convenient pick-up and drop-off at the hotel. Although instructions said the guide would meet us in the lobby, the driver was waiting outside. Our guide Nour was very friendly and knowledgeable. We paid for our own admissions to 2 places (which was cheaper than booking with the admissions included). Ended up going 9am-4pm and felt it was totally worthwhile.
The tour is excellent. You visit all the must see places of Cairo. We had an amazing time with our guide Pierre. He took really good care of us and explained all the historic places. He made outstanding photos and prepared surprises to delight us during the tour. Our driver Abdaulla was careful and kind. We really recommend this tour.
Great part of Cairo that many people don’t discover on the basic Cairo tour. Our guide Mohamed went into great detail about the different mosques and churches we saw. Well organized and a must if you have an extra day
A must visit of church citadel mosque to know the culture of ejypt Beautiful places of worship and peaceful to visit Loved the Alabaster Mosque
Pierre was a fantastic guide, very attentive, had answers for all of our questions and very knowledgable. Pierre has been the best tour guide we’ve had in Egypt and wish we had time to book another with you and Pierre. Thank you!
We went on this tour with Hosam Kamel as our tour guide along with a safe, polite driver. Hosam is incredibly knowledgeable and fiercely proud of his country. He treated us like part of "his dynasty" for the day. His English is excellent and he clearly knows a lot about each site visited. The standard tour includes a visit to an Egyptian cotton store that didn't interest us, and we skipped the time at stores recommended by the tour companies. We opted instead to just visit the historic sites and then enjoyed a nice meal on the lake before heading back to our hotel.
I had a fantastic experience on the Cairo Private Day Tour with Emo Tours. As a solo traveller, I really appreciated how personalised the day felt—my guide, Muhammad, was incredibly knowledgeable, engaging, and paced the tour perfectly. He struck a great balance between sharing information and giving me time to take it all in, and was always open to questions. The tour itself covered a wide range of Cairo’s history. We started with Islamic Cairo, where highlights included the impressive Citadel and the beautiful Al-Hakim Mosque. We then moved into the Coptic quarter, exploring sites like St George’s Church and the historic Fortress of Babylon. To finish, we touched on Egypt’s roots with a visit to a papyrus workshop, where I learned about traditional techniques. This was a well-paced and flexible introduction to Cairo that left me excited for the rest of my trip. I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good introduction to the city.
Great tour and excellent guide. Covered Coptic part and Muslim part with an incredible passion and knowledge about both places. Showed us the most important and beautiful churches and mosques followed by fantastic information about the areas. Thank you!
A good and patient driver made the trip more pleasurable. Good value for the money as well. We got to see more of the recent history of Egypt - the Jesus time and the even more recent Mamluk dynasty periods.
The guide provided basic information which one could easily read on the placards provided by each site. The guide missed on few sites, upon requesting to visit the sites, he complied and hurried. The guide had limited knowledge and was disinterested in the tour. He made sure he favored the people who were fleecinv tourist on sites. Fir example one of the sites was selling plastic cover for shoes to enter the site. Instead of advising it as unnecessary he made me pay for his and my shoe cover, upon entering the site I found the other visitors weren't covering their shoes with plastic cover and were going around with socks!!! He was not bothered shielding from the harassment on the streets and Bazar and actively encouraged it. Please do not book this tour as the guide money is wasted. The driver drove like he was racing through the streets of Cairo narrowly missing crashing few cars.
Transportation from my hotel, which was out of the normal pick up zone, getting to each location, and getting back to my hotel was very nice and simple. Driver pointed out places of interest along the way and engaged in conversation which was great. Tour guide was passionate and knowledgeable, he really made the entire experience wonderful. The opportunity to go inside the multiple mosques and really get a better understanding and appreciation for the culture and art was my favorite part. All of the places we visited were filled with lots of history and beauty, truely greatful I went on this tour. I also really enjoyed the lunch as it was a buffet, allowing me to try lots of different items. Highly recommend this tour!
It was the first day in Egypt our guide Menna was waiting in the lobby... She was so kind and good hearth, She showed everyrhing in Copta Cairo and other Temples... The drivers was very Nice as well, Youseff... If you wants to know betrer Egypt just go with them.
The driver was very kind and polite. And he gave me me a helpful information about the places I visited.
Very enjoyable guide. RANIA was great explaining things with passion and joy. The best guide in town.
A big thank you to our tour guide Salwa Ebrahim who was not only a tour guide but an Egyptologist and specialist in Graeco-Roman archeology, very educated and we got more of the value we paid. A big thank you to our driver Walid that made this tour memorable plus the lunch was really delicious 😋 we recommend this amazing tour.
A driver was late and explanation was contradictory and rather false. I asked extra for a guide and they were confusing about the price and tricked me to include tickets in this. Shady practice. I would recommended sticking to a driver service only as you can easily purchase tickets (EGP770 per adult) and guide’s information was rather limited and not entertaining. A car was in a good condition.
This tour company is terrible! Practically a scam. 12 hrs before the tour they said they had no record of our booking (despite several emails). Viator customer care and tour company kept blaming each other and didn’t want to do anything. Definitely the last time I’ll ever book anything with Viator or Emo tours. In the end they sent us a guide who was ok and a car that was basically falling apart. Worst ever.
Isaac and our driver was amazing. Isaac explained everything thoroughly at each site and always had time for our questions. His knowledge of the city was beyond our expectations. He also gave us tips on how to navigate the city on our own. Would highly recommend him!
We had Mohammed as our Guide - he was very nice and told us a lot about the islamic and Christian background of Cairo. He was patient and chatty. It was a great experience. Thank you!
This was the most enjoyable tour we had in Cairo as we informed our guide immediately that we wanted to stick to the itinerary and not be taken to any shops. She thankfully stuck to her word and we had a really interesting morning finding out about both Islamic and Coptic Cairo.
Cairo is an incredible city that beautifully showcases Islamic and Coptic heritage. The mosques, especially the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, are breathtaking with their stunning architecture and peaceful ambiance. On the other hand, the Coptic sites like the Hanging Church offer a rich historical perspective and unique designs that are truly fascinating. I had a fantastic experience with the guide Hazem. He was knowledgeable and provided great insights into the history and significance of each site, making the exploration even more enriching. Hazem also took us to a restaurant for lunch to experience local 'soal food' which was a lovely addition. Overall, visiting both the mosques and Coptic sites in Cairo is a must for anyone wanting to appreciate the city's diverse culture and religious harmony.
Khalaf was a great guide. He showed us around the most important sites in coptic and islamic Cairo, explaining everything and answering all the questions we had. He was very accommodating in Khan al Kalili when we were wanting to shop for a few souvenirs. Additionally, he gave great typical restaurant recommendations!
Khalaf was a great guide. He showed us around the most important sites in coptic and islamic Cairo, explaining everything and answering all the questions we had. He was very accommodating in Khan al Kalili when we were wanting to shop for a few souvenirs. Additionally, he gave great typical restaurant recommendations!
We had a wonderful day. The tourgide Jer Min was good and took great care for us. The tour was adapted with the Cave curch included. It was a beautiful experience. Good organized.
Tour was good. Enjoyed what I saw. I would have preferred more understanding of Coptic Cairo. Our guide was light on this information. Also, guide was very quiet when speaking. She began speaking in the vehicle and I was unaware she was speaking to me.
Many thanks for the great tour today. All went very well and please send our thanks and gratitude to both the driver Abad Azem and guide Sayed Admin. Both the driver and guide were professional and courteous. The guide Sayed is a wealth of knowledge and makes one feel at ease. Both members are an asset to your organization. Best wishes Russell and Norma Harrod.
Incredible tour guide ! Thank you so much for everything. We had a lovely day and we hope to do another tour with you next time !
This was offered through EMO tours. Unfortunately the tour guide they assigned to us was pretty bad. His English was not up to mark, and he was nor engaging and enthusiastic about anything. His only motivation was how to take us to his "friends'" store in the market and give me a "good discount".... I think Emo tour should be more careful about choosing their guide if the care for their reputation. I cannot give more than 2 start for this trip.
Very interesting and enjoyable day out, our tour guide Sayed Mahmoud was very knowledgeable and accommodating, made the day a lot better. Would strongly recommend the tour!
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