Due to safety risks in parts of this area, travelers should review the latest guidance and information from government agencies.

City of the Dead (Al-Arafa) Tours and Tickets

Q: How much does it cost to visit City of the Dead in 2024?

It’s free to visit the City of the Dead, but most people book a tour that includes transportation and the services of a guide. Tours often visit other attractions in the area, such as the Cave Church, and while prices vary, many cost around US$90 per person.

Q: How do I get to the City of the Dead from Cairo?

The City of the Dead is a short drive from Cairo, and while you can take a taxi, you're better off joining a tour that includes round-trip transportation from your hotel. Many tours include visits to other attractions, such as the Cave Church.

Q: What is the best month to visit the City of the Dead?

The best time to visit the City of the Dead is typically winter (December–February), when temperatures are pleasantly warm, but rarely too hot. However, this time of year does typically attract crowds. If you don't mind slightly warmer weather, consider a spring or fall visit, when there are typically fewer tourists.

Q: Are there guided tours available at the City of the Dead?

Yes, there are guided tours of the City of the Dead—it’s best to prebook a tour, rather than hoping to find a guide on arrival. Many tours include transportation from your hotel, or you can choose a private tour for added flexibility.

Q: What are the main attractions within the City of the Dead?

The City of the Dead is full of mausoleums, pantheons, and tombs, as well as homes, shops, mosques, cafes, and even a post office. The main draw for visitors is the chance to explore on foot and see how an entire community lives among the funerary sites.

7 results

Best Seller

Private Half-Day Tour to City of the Dead and Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo

4.0

(23)

Private Half-Day Tour to City of the Dead and Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo

4 hoursFree Cancellation

from $37

Unusual 4 hours Tour Garbage & City of the Dead, St Simone church

In this tour you will explore an area known as "Garbage City, " which is a slum settlement at the base of Mokattam Hill on the outskirts of Cairo, and inhabited by the Coptic Christians, Within the Garbage City seven churches and chapels are hidden within a series of caves. While walking the chaotic streets of Garbage City, you will st Simone or the cave church,enjoy the beautiful sculptures made very recently and describes the holy Family journey to Egypt, & then you will explore the City of the Dead, where the deceased take up residency among the living.

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4.6

(31)

Unusual 4 hours Tour Garbage & City of the Dead, St Simone church

3 to 4 hoursFree Cancellation

from $45

Price varies by group size

Cave Church, and The City of the Dead In Cairo

See three of Cairo’s most atmospheric sights in just half a day on this fascinating tour of the Cave Church (St. Simon the Tanner Monastery), carved into Mokattam Mountain. You’ll pass by the area known as Garbage City, where struggling workers scrape together a living on mounds of stinking trash, and the City of the Dead (Northern Cemetery), where poor folk live among medieval tombs.

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4.5

(2)

Cave Church, and The City of the Dead In Cairo

4 hoursFree Cancellation

from $110

Price varies by group size

Private Day Tour of Cairo's City of the Dead and Cave Church

See two of Cairo’s most unusual sights in one fascinating door-to-door tour: the Cave Church, a 20,000-capacity church excavated by Coptic Christian garbage collectors, and the City of the Dead, an ancient cemetery where some unfortunates live today. Your private guide will talk you through the areas’ colorful stories and guide you on a drive through the district where the garbage people live. Your day includes a restaurant lunch.

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3.7

(9)

Private Day Tour of Cairo's City of the Dead and Cave Church

6 hoursFree Cancellation

from $120

Price varies by group size

Experiencing the real Cairo–the one behind the tourist landmarks–can be daunting independently. This private half-day tour delivers: showcasing three sometimes-neglected sights: the Cave Church, also dubbed the St. Simon Monastery; Garbage City–a district of trash collectors–and the City of the Dead, where Islamic-era cemeteries co-exist with inhabited houses. Visit the stunning rock-cut church and pause outside the other neighborhoods as your driver-guide explains their stories, providing compelling perspective and insight that most tourists miss.

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3.0

(5)

Cave Church, and The City of the Dead In Cairo

4 hoursFree Cancellation

from $104

Price varies by group size

Egyptian Museum, Citadel & Mohamed Ali Mosque & City Of The Dead.

Your Egypt Royal Tours-Tour guide will be waiting you. They will be holding a sign of Egypt Royal Tours, You do not need to look for them–they will be waiting for you and will find you, Start your tour visiting The Egyptian Museum which has more than 250,000 pieces display a rare collection of Egyptian art Over 5,000 years, as well as Tutankhamen room which has treasure, jewelry and gold’s which was enclosed in his tomb over 3500 years before it was discovered in 1920 when his tomb was excavated. After that, move to visit the Citadel of Salah El Din After that visit Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque, which was designed by the architect Yousif Boushnaq, a Turkish man who came specially from Istanbul and built this great mosque for Mohamed Ali, the ruler of Egypt (1805-1849) who ruled Over 45 years. Then move to get your lunch in nice restaurant, then you will go to see the city of the Dead which it is very big and old cemetery dates back to the 14th century AD, finally move to your hotel.

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5.0

(2)

Egyptian Museum, Citadel & Mohamed Ali Mosque & City Of The Dead.

6 to 7 hoursFree Cancellation

from $142

Price varies by group size

$Nilometer, Manial Palace And City Of The Dead\ Felucca Ride$

Nilometer, Manial Palace And City Of The Dead\ Felucca Ride

7 hoursFree Cancellation

from $141

Price varies by group size

What are people saying about City of the Dead (Al-Arafa)

Private Half-Day Tour to City of the Dead and Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo

Adrianus_V, Dec 2025

Recommended (and ask for Fatima) :)

We visited the mosques of Ibn Tulun and Al-Nasir Faraj Ibn Barquq after which we had a short stroll in a few streets of the city of the dead. Overall almost 4h start-to-end Our tour guide, Fatima Mohamed, actually made it into a great activity beyond our expecttation. Her knowledge and enthousiastic, direct approach to the history behind the areas visited was highly appreciated. Pick-up of the hotel and return all fine, we really enjoyed this trip, thank you Fatima :)

Unusual 4 hours Tour Garbage & City of the Dead, St Simone church

Smaranda_W, Dec 2025

You get to see parts of...

You get to see parts of Cairo that you wouldn’t venture into by yourself. There were just two of us on the tour and our guide Haitham and the driver were very accommodating. Haitham is very knowledgeable and was able to answer all our questions.

Unusual 4 hours Tour Garbage & City of the Dead, St Simone church

Mary_B, Jan 2026

Highly recommend, Hitham is an amazing guide

I loved our guide, he was so knowledgeable, informative and such a nice person, Hitham was definitely the best guide we have had to date in Egypt and made this tour memorable, loved our time. Would highly recommend doing any tour with him, even though we were doing garbage city his knowledge on Alexandria, pyramids and history surpassed the actual guides we had for those tours and we learned more about those places by just chatting to him than when we actually visited. Thank you Hitham you are the best

Private Half-Day Tour to City of the Dead and Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo

Ana_N, Oct 2025

Great trip and guide

First of all, we loved our tour guide Mimmo! He was very friendly and helpful, giving us several useful tips (this being our first experience in Cairo). He clearly had a deep knowledge of Egyptian history and culture. We enjoyed the trip to the city of the dead, where we drove through the streets and visited some mausoleums, as well as the visit to the mosque Ibn Tulum.

Cave Church, and The City of the Dead In Cairo

Heidi_P, Jun 2023

Amazing Cave Church

Our guide and driver were very helpful and polite. Driving through Garbage City to get to the Cave Church was eye opening. The Church itself was amazing. Interesting to learn about the Coptic religion from our guide. Driving through the City of the Dead was also interesting but you couldn’t see much. Tourists are not allowed to walk in there.