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Cairo: Old Coptic Churches & St Simon Cave Church Private Tour

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1/29

Duration4h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · AR +1

PickupAt your hotel

Walk ancient Coptic streets then climb Mokattam for St Simon’s Cave

You’ll wander Old Cairo’s ancient churches with a local guide who knows every story behind each stone, step into hidden crypts where history lingers, then drive up Mokattam Mountain to see St Simon’s vast Cave Church carved by Cairo’s Zabbaleen community. Expect honest moments—sometimes noisy or raw—but always real connections with people and place.

Step-by-step itinerary

Pickup from Cairo or Giza hotel
Visit Babylon Fortress
See the Hanging Church
Visit the Holy Crypt Church
Explore Ben Ezra Synagogue
Visit St Simon the Tanner Monastery Cave Church

The Experience

We were already winding through Old Cairo’s narrow lanes when our guide, Hany, pointed to a crumbling stone arch and said, “That’s part of the Babylon Fortress—older than most of this city.” I could smell bread baking somewhere, mixed with incense from a nearby church. The Hanging Church felt almost weightless above us, perched on those old Roman towers. Inside, it was cool and dim; someone whispered a prayer in Coptic. It made me pause longer than I expected. There was this little mosaic of Mary and Jesus—tiny gold tiles catching the dusty light—and I thought about how many people must have stood right here over the centuries.

After that we ducked into Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, where Hany explained the Holy Family supposedly hid for three months. He showed us the crypt—low ceiling, rough stone walls, faint echo when you speak. I tried to imagine Joseph worrying about breakfast or Mary humming to herself in this dark space. Then we crossed over to Ben Ezra Synagogue (I totally mispronounced it; Hany just smiled), and he told us about Moses and the old Jewish community in Cairo. The stories sort of blurred together in my head after a while—so much happened in these few blocks.

The drive up Mokattam Mountain was bumpy and loud—honking horns, kids waving from alleys in what people call ‘garbage city.’ You can’t really prepare for that part: piles of plastic bottles everywhere, but also families chatting on doorsteps like any neighborhood. Then suddenly you’re at St Simon’s Cave Church. It’s enormous inside—a real cave carved out by hand by the Zabbaleen community in the 1970s. Our voices bounced off the stone walls; it smelled faintly of dust and candle wax. Hany told us about St Simon moving the mountain (I didn’t quite get all the details), but standing there with sunlight slanting through holes in the rock ceiling—I don’t know, it felt peaceful somehow. We sat quietly for a minute before heading back down.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup from Cairo or Giza by private car with an Egyptologist guide leading you through Old Cairo’s historic churches and synagogues—all entry fees covered—and either lunch or a felucca boat ride before returning comfortably to your hotel at the end.

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Hesham Egypt tour guide