Half-day Tour in Churches of Cairo
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Cairo, Egypt
- 5 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Marvel at Cairo’s UNESCO-listed treasures on a small-group tour of the city’s historic churches. Explore Coptic Cairo and the famous Hanging Church; visit the Cave Church, the Church of Santa Barbara, and Church of Saint Sergius; and learn more about Cairo’s rich religious history and heritage.
- 6-hour Churches of Cairo tour
- Admire the Hanging Church and historic monuments of Coptic Cairo
- Explore the ‘Cave Church' of Saint Simon in the Mokattam Hills
- Visit the Church of Saint George, the Church of Santa Barbara, and Church of Saint Sergius
- Great-value tour includes hotel pickup and entrance fees
- Small-group tour limited to 15 people ensures a personalized experience
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Gratuities
- Insurance
- The extra charge of Pick up from the hotels and points outside the city
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
- Centrally located Cairo and Giza hotels - Due to the church services on Fridays and Sundays, the pick up time will be 10.00 am from Centrally located hotels on those days only.
Itinerary
1
Coptic Cairo
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
The Hanging Church
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Coptic Church of St. Barbara
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
4
Holy Monastery of St. George
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
5
Synagogue Ben Ezra
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
6
Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
7
Cave Church
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Friday due to morning prayers and mass pick up time will be 10.00 am
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 253 reviews
Brian_I, Apr 2026
Fascinating. Very informative, a part of Cairo and Egypt that it’s easy to overlook. Good tour guide who knew his stuff.
Mike_G, Feb 2026
William knows his stuff. His recount of Egypt's history from both a religious and rulers perspective was invaluable. Couldn't ask a question he didn't know the answer too. Was also prompt and sent WhatsApp pre-pick-up note.
Liam_M, Feb 2026
Hazem was an excellent, friendly guide who taught me a great deal about Coptic history in Old Cairo. I learned about the Holy Family's stay in Egypt, and about other historical events in different Christian communities. I was given as much time as I needed to explore and to take photos, and I never felt rushed.
The only thing we didn't see was the Synagogue Ben Ezra, which was advertised in the Itinerary section of the Viator page. However, it is not in the Overview section, so maybe there is a miscommunication between the tour compan(ies) and Viator. I honestly forgot about it until afterward, and I don't believe that my guide was aware, so I don't want to fault him for it.
Overall, it was a wonderful experience! Thank you Hazem!
Justine_v, Jan 2026
This was an excellent tour. The guide was very knowledgeable. The area is great to walk around, with good food options for afterwards. Would highly recommend this to everyone
Regina_G, Dec 2025
It was a very interesting experience. Our guide was fantastic. He was great at storytelling and had a lot of knowledge.
He was also very open about his own experiences and opinions and it was a great eye opener for foreigners like us. We visited several churches and a synagogue which carry a massive amount of history.
I am not sure if it’s mentioned in the itinerary, to get to the last church you have to drive through the so called ‘garbage city’ - which is not for everyone- and so was visiting the city of the dead - but we are glad we did that as it’s a fascinating part of Cairo. Highly recommend this tour. Our tour guide was William - very knowledgeable!
P_R, Oct 2025
Our guide was friendly & professional and knowledgeable.
Our tour to the Old Hanging Church and Cave Church was incredible.
Also othe. It was a comfortable air-conditioned van. As far as the length of time we got back earlier than anticipated so, we could have had more time allowed at the places we stopped to see.
Over all a nice tour.
Gareth_F, Sep 2025
What an absolutely touching and life-changing tour with Ghada!! We were looking forward to this tour, and it did not disappoint at all! Ghada has a wealth of knowledge, and we thoroughly enjoyed the tour!!! We highly recommend doing this one with Ghada!
Richard_R, Aug 2025
The first thing I learned so much about the church when he was built who built it was happening with the church at this moment it was a great experience. I will never forget.
Ilham_M, Jul 2025
Very knowledgeable about history very nice attitude showed us everything with complete details 🙏🙏🌷🌷🌷
TingYan_N, Apr 2025
I am really disappointed that I could not enter the cave church because of the festival. If I was told earlier that the cave church did not open, I would definitely not to join the tour. I paid 80 USD for the tour that did not meet my expectations.
The major reason to join this tour is see the cave church, but it turned out I couldn't eneter. I was so disappointed.
Finally, the guide is nice and knowledgeable.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
We are sad that it is not meet his expectations.
The client went to the church but with orders of the priest no more people were allowed to go inside due to festivities and crowd we were not notified in advance and the priest has the right to make this action if he sees appropriate.
We did offer the client to make the missing of the church by providing the guest with free of charge guide and transportation to the cave church at any time he prefers but did not agree
We again apologies but this incident is totally out of our hands due to massive crowds in church during the feast.
Rose_M, Apr 2025
We were expecting a 5-6 hour tour but we were finished and dropped back at our hotel in less than 3 hours. Guide was ok but continually wanting praise. Didn't really acknowledge a female but spoke to my husband. Rushed us through everything. When asked if he could drop us off at the markets instead of the hotel he wanted extra money. The driver was so large that my husband had no leg room behind his seat and he didn't care. Grunted at us when we gave him a tip. I have requested a half refund due to false advertising but it has been rejected. They don't believe the customer, only the third party tour companies. Very poor customer experience and wouldn't book with Viator again.
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your review
After carefully reviewing your request, we regret to inform you that we're not be able to fulfill your refund request, as all what is mentioned in our review could have been solved on the spot during the tour and no issues has be addressed to us during the tour itself to take an action and find other alternatives
We understand this is not the outcome you were hoping for, the tour has been operated in full and all the agreed sights has been covered in a good time as your tour date was in a day off and the traffic smooth.
We hope to give us an opportunity to provide you with a better experience in the future.
We value your feedback and hope to serve you better in the future
Brian_G, Jan 2025
A fascinating tour of Coptic churches in Cairo along with an opportunity to learn more about the history of Christianity in Egypt. Our guide was terrific.
Jeffrey_G, Jan 2025
Zizou was an amazing guide. He was very knowledgeable about the religious history of Christians, Muslims, and Jews in Cairo. And he was nice to let us explore for as much - or as little - time as we wanted. And he arranged at the last minute to take us to the souk and gave us great tips for eating and shopping there.
We highly recommend Zizou.
Nancy_M, Dec 2024
Great guide, who was very informative. We were picked up on time. Driver and guide friendly and courteous.
Regina_D, Sep 2024
Bassam was my tour guide. He was patient and kind as he shared a tremendous amount of knowledge about the Coptic religion and churches. His enthusiasm was contagious and I found myself fully engaged. Bassam was ready and able to speak on other topics of Egyptian culture and modern life. I enjoyed this tour emensely.
pattyhargrave, Nov 2023
Mohammed was a fabulous guide. He was so knowledgeable and passionate about his country and it’s history. He was gracious and kind. Moved at the perfect pace, never felt rushed. I would highly recommend this tour. His driver was the best we have had in Egypt.
Frank_R, Oct 2023
Our tour guide Abanoub was exceptional. He contacted us right away and was prompt on his arrival. I explained that we had two ladies with disabilities and he was very compassionate about their needs. The tour was excellent since Abanoub spoke fluent English and was very knowledgeable about Coptic Cairo. He took the time to take group photos on our phones in multiple locations throughout our tour. I would definitely recommend that you select Abanoub as your Egyptologist when you visit Cairo Egypt.
Johnson_F, Sep 2023
I had a wonderful time at all the churches in Coptic Cairo and the guide did a great job providing us with the history of all the churches.
Fernando_R, Feb 2023
This is a fantastic part of the world and I am glad I got to do this tour. Mr. Gomaa and the accompanying driver did a great job. They arrived at my hotel for pick up at the appointed time (even a few minutes early, which was great). They explained to me everything and were accommodating to my requests to get back to the hotel a little earlier due to other commitments on my end. Mr. Gomaa explained the history behind the sites and beyond, and was attentive to my needs. He was polite and friendly. I would gladly recommend your tours to others. There was a slight miscommunication regarding a 60% extra charge for pick up outside central Cairo (this had nothing to do with Mr. Gomaa or the driver but rather the booking website). Even though the booking website indicates that pick-up is on centrally located hotels, it would be easy to indicate "surcharge applies when outside central Cairo or Giza"
It is a five star service, though, and well worth it. Thanks for the hospitality!
James_C, Oct 2022
The entire tour was fascinating! From the church sug into a mountain, garbage town and the downtown Coptic Churches. Our guide, Ahmed, gave us a thorough understanding of orthodox Christianity in Egypt
Sharon_S, Oct 2022
Ayman was a good and knowledgeable guide. The various churches and their history/stories were awe inspring. Ayman bought these to life well and to the right level of detail to keep us engaged
Jesse_D, Oct 2021
We originally booked to start our tour at 0800am; received a message about starting at 0900am instead which was not a big deal for us (all communication via email). Our guide was early and was waiting for us at our hotel; he even offered us extra time if we needed to get coffee or breakfast before departing. Our guide spoke English very well and showed passion when telling us about the creation of the Cave Church. We stopped at St Sergius and St Bacchus Church where it is thought that Jesus stayed while in Egypt. Last stop on our tour was unfortunately closed and we were not able to see. Tour lasted about 4 hours. Our guide aloud us some time to shop while we were out at our request; never felt rushed. Traveled by van; outstanding driver. Overall, a very enjoyable experience and one that Christians would highly appreciate!
Pamela_D, Jul 2021
Our guide, Moses, was excellent. His English was very good and you could tell he was well educated. He took time to answer our questions as well as giving us Egypt's history, in addition to our Coptic tour where we visited the Cave Church and the Hanging church and 2 more. He bought us water, smoothies and lunch too. I would highly recommend Moses and this tour.
Sarah A, Apr 2018
Had a wonderful tour with Henry. Really enjoyed learning all the history of the churches and especially enjoyed the cave church!
The only thing I would change is the start time is really early and it would be nicer to meet a little later.
Ulrike_M, Dec 2025
Nice guide, good information given.
The tour met my expectations., maybe want to see more churches. We would have had time.
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JaimeVicente_Z, Aug 2025
Great experience. Both driver and guide behaved phenomenally. The visits were very selected. Recomendable
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