Cave Church of Saint Simon and Hidden Churches of Old Cairo

5.0 (13 reviews) 4–6 hours Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

13 reviews

5.0

Cave Church of Saint Simon and Hidden Churches of Old Cairo — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Cave Church of Saint Simon and Hidden Churches of Old Cairo, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Visit El Mokattam Mountain Cave Church, or the Monastery of St Simon, on a private tour that also explores the magnificent churches of Coptic Cairo. You’ll see some of Cairo’s most important Christian sites, including the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, the Church of Saint Barbara, and the Hanging Church, while going beyond sightseeing for a glimpse of ‘garbage city,’ a fascinating Cairo neighborhood that most visitors overlook entirely.Private tour ensures personalized service Included lunch and entrance fees mean no extra tour costs Enjoy the comfort and security of traveling by private vehicle with convenient hotel pickup and drop-off in Cairo.

Day Trips Half-day Tours Bus Tours Private and Luxury Private Sightseeing Tours Cultural Tours Historical Tours Archaeology Tours

At a glance

Duration: 4–6 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–22
Guide: English, Spanish
Operated by: Kemet Tours

Ages: Infants (0–4 years) · Children (5–14 years) · Adults (15–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: Tour guide
Included: Pickup and drop off
Included: Private tour
Included: Entrance fees
Included: Local Lunch koshry or shawarma or chicken (if booked all inclusive)
Included: Comfortable & private car
Included: Bottle of water

Not included

Not included: Tipping

Itinerary

Coptic Cairo

one hour Admission included

At the requested time, pick up from the hotel by your guide to start your half-day tour of Old Cairo, also known as Coptic Cairo, which means Christian Cairo. It has been recognized as a holy place because some of its locations were visited by the Holy Family, where the spiritual impact of their presence is still strongly felt.

Although their stay was brief, the Governor of what was then Fustat, enraged by the tumbling down of idols at Jesus' approach, sought to kill the Child. However, they took shelter from his wrath in a cave above which, in later years, the Church of Abu Serga (St. Sergius) was built.

This church, together with the entire area of the Fort of Babylon, is a destination of pilgrimage not only for Egyptians but also for Christians from around the world. An air of piety and devotion pervades the whole district.
St Simon the Tanner Monastery

one hour Admission included

The Coptic Orthodox saint associated with the story of the moving of the Mokattam Mountain in Cairo, Egypt, during the rule of the Muslim Fatimid Caliph al-Muizz Lideenillah (953–975), while Abraham the Syrian was the Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
Coptic Church of St. Barbara

one hour Admission included

Saint Barbara Coptic known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in the 3rd century in Heliopolis Phoenicia, present-day Baalbek, Lebanon. There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the original recension of Saint Jerome's martyrology
The Hanging Church

one hour Admission included

The Hanging Church is named for its location above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress, the Roman fortress in Coptic Cairo (Old Cairo); its nave is suspended over a passage. The church is approached by twenty-nine steps; early travelers to Cairo dubbed it "the Staircase Church". The land surface has risen by some six metres since the Roman period, so the Roman tower is mostly buried below ground, reducing the visual impact of the church's elevated position.
Synagogue Ben Ezra

one hour Admission included

This was the synagogue whose geniza or store room was found in the 19th century to contain a treasure of forgotten, stored-away 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.

Meeting point and pickup

The operator picks every participant up from their accommodation or the points below.

Pickup points

Cairo Marriott Hotel
Giza Pyramids View Guest House
Giza Pyramids Inn
Sahara Pyramids Inn
Hilton Cairo Grand Nile Hotel
Marriott Mena House, Cairo
Cairo Intl Airport
Pyramid Front Hotel
Novotel Cairo El Borg
The St. Regis Cairo
Sofitel Cairo Nile El Gezirah

This will be pickup and drop off from hotels

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Not stroller accessible

Options

All inc & elkhalily market

Pickup included : Tourguide

Bottle of water

Lunch

Private car

Shopping tour

Pickup included
All inclusive

Pickup included : Tourguide

Driver

Car

Lunch

Bottle of water

Private car

Shopping tour

Pickup included
Car driver Tourguide

Pickup included : Tourguide

Driver

Car

Bottle of water

Expect

Lunch

Pickup included