Pricing policy
All prices are per person in US dollars and depend on the size of your group. Your quote lists the final price and what it covers. After the deposit, changes to your plan cost US$25 per request, plus any third-party fees.
Old Cairo Tour
A private day in Cairo's two oldest quarters: the Citadel of Salah El Din with the Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque, then the churches and synagogue of Coptic Cairo inside the walls of the Roman fortress of Babylon, with an Egyptologist guide, a private car, entrance tickets and hotel pickup.
- Duration
- 6 hours
- Tour type
- Private, your own group
- Pickup
- From your hotel
- Lunch
- Not included
- Guide
- Private Egyptologist, English-speaking
- Entrance fees
- Included
Overview
Before Cairo was Cairo, there was a Roman fortress on the Nile called Babylon, and a Christian and Jewish town grew up inside its walls. Centuries later, Salah El Din built a citadel on a spur of the Muqattam hills, and for nearly seven hundred years Egypt was ruled from it. This tour visits both: the Citadel with the domes and minarets of the Mohamed Ali Mosque, which you see from all over the city, and the lanes of Coptic Cairo, where some of the oldest churches in Egypt and the Ben Ezra Synagogue stand a few steps apart.
Your Egyptologist and driver collect you from your hotel in the morning. You start at the Citadel, when it is cooler and the view over Cairo is clearest, then drive about twenty minutes to Coptic Cairo for the Hanging Church, the Church of Abu Serga and the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and finish in the early afternoon. The pace is relaxed: about six hours door to door, with time for photos, a coffee and questions.
Who this tour suits
- Visitors who have seen the Pyramids and the museums and want Cairo's Islamic, Christian and Jewish history in one day.
- Travelers interested in the Holy Family's journey in Egypt, which local tradition links to the crypt of Abu Serga.
- Families and small groups who prefer a half-day pace with their own guide and car.
- Photographers: the Citadel terrace gives one of the widest views of the city.
It does not include the Islamic Cairo of the Mamluks, such as Al-Muizz Street and the Sultan Hassan Mosque, or the Egyptian Museum. To add those, see our other Cairo day tours, or ask us to extend the day.
Why a guide makes the difference here
The sites are close together but the story jumps across two thousand years. Your guide connects them: why the Romans built Babylon where they did, how the Coptic Church grew inside its walls, what the Cairo Geniza found at Ben Ezra revealed about medieval life, and how Mohamed Ali, an Ottoman officer, made himself master of Egypt in this Citadel in 1811 and built his mosque to say so.
What you will love
- The Mohamed Ali MosqueThe Ottoman-style mosque clad in alabaster, with its huge dome and the clock given by the King of France.
- The view from the CitadelA panorama over the minarets of medieval Cairo and, on clear days, the Pyramids on the horizon.
- The Hanging ChurchA church built over the gatehouse of a Roman fortress, reached by a stair from the street.
- The Holy Family traditionThe Church of Abu Serga, whose crypt local tradition holds sheltered the Holy Family in Egypt.
- The Ben Ezra SynagogueThe synagogue where the Cairo Geniza, a store of medieval documents, was found in the 19th century.
- Your own EgyptologistA private guide who links two thousand years of Cairo's history and answers your questions.
- Tickets and car includedThe Citadel ticket and a private air-conditioned car from your hotel and back.
Your stops
Stop109:00 The Citadel of Salah El Din and the Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque
After an 08:30 pickup from your hotel in Cairo or Giza, you reach the Citadel at about 09:00. Salah El Din began it in 1176 to defend Cairo against the Crusaders, and it remained the seat of Egypt's rulers until the 19th century. Inside the walls you visit the Mohamed Ali Mosque, built between 1830 and 1848 in the Ottoman style of Istanbul, with its alabaster-clad walls, great dome and the clock tower in the courtyard, a gift from King Louis-Philippe of France, who received the obelisk now in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Your guide also shows you the older mosque of Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad and takes you to the terrace for the view over the city. Allow about two hours here, including photos.
Stop211:30 Coptic Cairo: the Hanging Church, Abu Serga and the Ben Ezra Synagogue
A twenty-minute drive brings you to Coptic Cairo, inside the walls of the Roman fortress of Babylon, whose round towers still stand by the metro line. You visit the Hanging Church (al-Muallaqa), dedicated to the Virgin Mary and built over the southern gatehouse of the fortress, with its wooden roof shaped like Noah's Ark and its fine icon screens. A short walk through the lanes leads to the Church of Abu Serga, Saints Sergius and Bacchus, whose crypt is linked by tradition to the Holy Family's stay in Egypt. Nearby is the Ben Ezra Synagogue, rebuilt in the 19th century on an older site; in its storeroom scholars found the Cairo Geniza, hundreds of thousands of manuscript fragments that tell the story of the city's Jewish community in the Middle Ages. Allow about two hours for the quarter.
Stop313:30 Return to your hotel in Cairo
Your driver takes you back to your hotel, where you arrive at about 14:00 to 14:30, depending on traffic. If you want lunch on the way, a visit to the Coptic Museum or the Amr Ibn al-As Mosque, or an afternoon in Khan el-Khalili, tell us when you book and we will add it to the day.
Price
Group size and pricing
Prices are per person in US dollars. Children pay less, see the children policy below.
Get a quoteWhat is included
- Pickup and drop-off at your hotel in Cairo or Giza, and all transfers, in a private air-conditioned car.
- A private Egyptologist guide for your group.
- Entrance ticket to the Citadel of Salah El Din, including the Mohamed Ali Mosque.
- All taxes and service charges.
- Lunch, drinks, tips and visits not in the program, such as the Coptic Museum.
Practical information for this tour
Opening hours and the best time of day
At the time of writing the Citadel opens daily from 08:00 to 17:00. The churches of Coptic Cairo and the Ben Ezra Synagogue open from the morning to the late afternoon, but services take priority: on Sunday mornings the churches are busy with Mass, and on Fridays the Mohamed Ali Mosque closes to visitors around the noon prayer. Your guide plans the order around these times. Starting at 09:00 avoids the midday heat and the late-morning school groups.
Tickets and entry
The Citadel ticket, which covers the Mohamed Ali Mosque, is included and bought by your guide. The churches and the synagogue have no ticket; a donation is welcome but optional. The Coptic Museum next to the Hanging Church is not in the program and can be added on request with its own ticket.
Photography rules
Photos with a phone or camera are allowed at the Citadel and in the mosque, without flash. In the churches, photos are usually allowed without flash when no service is running. Photography is not allowed inside the Ben Ezra Synagogue, and the security staff ask you to leave cameras switched off.
What to wear and bring
- Clothes that cover shoulders and knees, needed for the mosque, the churches and the synagogue; women need a scarf for the mosque.
- Shoes that are easy to take off, since you remove them in the mosque.
- Comfortable soles for cobbled lanes and steps down into Coptic Cairo.
- Your passport: there is a security check at the entrance to the Coptic quarter.
Pickup, timing and getting there
Pickup is at about 08:30 from any hotel in central Cairo, Zamalek, Garden City or Giza. The Citadel is about 20 to 40 minutes from most central hotels, and Coptic Cairo about 20 minutes from the Citadel. Hotels in New Cairo, Heliopolis or near the airport are further away; tell us where you stay and we confirm the time.
Children, mobility and breaks
Children are welcome. The Citadel is spread out but mostly level; Coptic Cairo is reached down a flight of steps from the street, and the Hanging Church has steps at its entrance, so wheelchair users need help in places. Tell us if anyone walks slowly, and the guide adjusts the route. There is a café at the Citadel and cafés near the Coptic quarter for a break.
Travel policy guide
Booking confirmation
A deposit of 30% of the total tour cost is required at the time of booking. The final payment is due 30 days before departure, and bookings made within 30 days of departure are paid in full. We accept Visa or Master Card by secure online payment, Visa or Master Card by email, and wire transfer. We confirm every booking by email.
Cancellation and refund
- 22 days or more before departure: 100% refund
- 15 to 21 days: 70% refund
- 8 to 14 days: 50% refund
- 0 to 7 days: no refund
No-show travelers are charged 100%. During peak events in Egypt, hotels and Nile cruises do not refund deposits. Groups of more than 10 people may have different terms.
Children policy
- Under 2: free, sharing the parents’ bed, meals not included
- 2 to 5 years: 25% of the adult price
- 6 to 11 years: 50% of the adult price
- 12 and over: adult price
Add each child and their age in the enquiry form so the quote is exact.
Optional visits
Add a lunch stop, a longer visit or a second site to your day. Tell us what you want and we add it to your quote with its cost.
Extra expenses
Not included in the price: Any extras not mentioned in the programme.
Tipping guide
Tipping is customary in Egypt and is not included in the price. A usual amount for a private day tour is US$5 to 10 per person for your guide and US$3 to 5 for your driver.
Questions about this tour
How long is the Old Cairo tour?
About six hours from pickup to drop-off: two hours at the Citadel, two hours in Coptic Cairo and the drives in between. Hotels far from the centre add time.
Can we go inside the churches and the synagogue?
Yes, outside service times. On Sunday mornings the churches are busy with Mass; you can still visit, quietly. The synagogue is a monument today and has no regular services.
Is lunch included?
No. The tour ends in the early afternoon. Your guide can suggest a place for lunch near Coptic Cairo or on the way back; the meal is paid locally.
Is the tour private?
Yes. The guide and car are for your group only. The sites themselves are shared with other visitors and worshippers.
Can we add Khan el-Khalili or the Egyptian Museum?
Yes. Both can be added to make a full day; the extra entrance tickets and time change the price. Tell us when you enquire.
What travelers say about Egypt Online Tour
Independent reviews on the platforms travelers already trust.
Tripadvisor
5.0
193 reviews
Ranked #121 of 2,706 tours and activities in Cairo
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5.0
Based on 6 Google reviews
60 Ahmed El Zomor, Cairo, Egypt
Open 24 hours on the Google listing
Christiane SMay 2026
Amazing Egyptian vacation! We did an 11 day private tour of Cairo, cruise on the Nile between Aswan and Luxor and a 4 day stay in Hurghada. The guided tours were very interesting, with extremely knowledgeable guides, attentive and helpful.
Ehrhart MAugust 2024
Egypt package to the Pyramids of Giza and Saqqara was a fascinating journey through Egypt's ancient past ,guide knowledge, the majesty of the pyramids, and the historical depth of Saqqara made this tour truly enriching!
Clayton Z973August 2024
our honeymoon to Egypt ,Giza and Saqqara was a magical escape into history The pyramids looming in the distance, the quiet serenity of the desert, and the ancient wonders of Saqqara created moments that will be with me forever!
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