Private Tour: Coptic Cairo, The Hanging Church, Abu Serga, Ben Ezra
Description
Discover the ancient sites and culture of Coptic Christians on a private tour through Old Cairo. Visit Abu Serga where the Holy family sort refuge, and Ben Ezra, one of the oldest synagogues in Cairo. Learn about Christian life in Egypt, a country where Christianity is a minority.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The Hanging Church is built into the walls of the water gate of the Roman fortress and is possibly the oldest Christian church in Egypt. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, it is one of Cairo's most beautiful churches. Continue to the Monastery and Church of St George This is not an old church, dating from 1909, but there has been a church in Coptic Cairo dedicated to the Martyr since the 10th-century. It is one of the few remaining circular churches in the Middle East. Your next stop is the Abu Serga, one of the places where the Holy Family rested after fleeing Israel from King Herod. There are 24 marble columns lining the central court, and a series of 12th-century icons depicting the 12 apostles.
Ben Ezra Synagogue is one of the oldest in Egypt. Set in a shady garden, it was built on the site of 4th-century Christian church. The synagogue was severely damaged by Arabs after the 1967 war with Israel, but it has been almost completely renovated. (There is construction in it for a limited time)
At the end of the tour you will visit the fascinating Coptic Museum, which is located in an area of great historical importance within the precinct of the Babylon Fort. Occupying over 8,000 sq meters the museum features almost 16,000 objects of importance to the Copts of Egypt.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Private transportation by air-conditioned minivans; pick up from the hotel and drop off.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(73)
Best part of my trip , is that we’ve visited Abu Sarga on the day of my birthday! When I came to know that this church is deeply connected with the Holy Family’s journey through Egypt when they sought refuge during their flight from Palestine. Feel very blessed to walked and see what inside their home. It is one of the oldest church in Egypt .
I am not a religious person but have always been interested in the history of religions. This trip did not disappoint. In the heart of Old Cairo & close to the Nile, within easy walking distance of each other are the Hanging Church & an ancient synagogue. I spent an hour in each place; soaking up the atmosphere. Definitely worth the time & money.
Muhammad was a wonderful guide for our tour! He was full of information, and very personable. We enjoyed spending our morning with him. There was so much about this period in Egyptian history that we were unfamiliar with and are so grateful to have learned about and got to see. Excellent use of our time!!!
We had a guide Timur who was very enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. He walked us through all interesting places and told very interesting stories and history of these places. We were very satisfied with his trip
Mohammed lend us on a very interesting and engaging tour and encouraged us to let him know of our special interests. Had plenty of time to see the historic sites plus others Mohammed thought we would enjoy. We especially loved the Coptic Museum! The building is a gem itself with impressive craftsmanship from 1901. Our only disappointment was that the Ben Ezra was closed for renovations and had been closed for a long time, so it should not nave been listed as part of the tour. Private tour was well worth every penny! Thanks!
This was a great tour. The artwork is fantastic! The guide was professional and very knowledgeable. The lunch was very good. Unfortunately the Ben Ezra Church is permanently closed. Viatar should update the Tour description to remove this church. We did visit St. George's Church instead.
Highly recommend this tour! Gives a better understanding of the religious history of Egypt. The driver and guide were on top of everything from start to finish.
This Coptic tour was recommended to us by our friends in Cairo. We couldn’t be more happy with how it turned out. Tarek was so knowledgeable and explained so much to us. We wanted to learn some history of the Coptic Church and its importance to Egypt. We like walking tours and seeing beautiful architecture. We felt very safe being driven in a comfortable clean large van by Arfar. When we went to the walled-in scenic area, including the churches and museums, we walked. For about two peaceful hours, we went in and out of a couple churches and a synagogue. The significance of architectural detail was explained to us, as well as descriptions of current rituals and past events on the sights. There were opportunities to shop, but it was not as hectic as the market we attended on a prior day. One could quietly purchase a souvenir from church gift shops if desired. All our questions were answered patiently, along the way. Tarek walked at a slow pace so that we did not overheat in the Cairo sun. He was intuitive to our interests and slowed down at things we were most interested in. The museum was a treat because you were free to take more pictures there. (A very few times, photos were not an option.) The artifacts and even just the design of the museum is beautiful as well as fascinating. Artifacts included paintings, mosaic, papyrus, wooden items, pottery and more. The museum had restrooms which were clean. We brought our own water bottles (vital!) so we didn’t need to look for refreshment along the tour, and we somehow missed the fact that lunch would be provided. We were very pleasantly surprised that lunch came at the end of the tour, and it was delicious. The restaurant was very nicely decorated, and very clean. We had such a pleasant time, chatting over lunch, and I was so happy that we had this tour recommended to us.
My rating does not reflect at all the place nor the majestic side of the churches of the Coptic neighborhood but more the unprofessionalism of the guide who accompanied us. Nasser was kind and polite but had not prepared his excursion at all. Read the panel where the inscriptions of the place, the icon, the work, or the painting are written, you can do it... No historical details or anecdotes, nothing...
Cher voyageur. Tout d'abord, nous tenons à nous excuser pour votre malheureuse expérience. Notre objectif est de toujours vous assurer que vous avez une visite incroyable et faite avec un professionnalisme extrême. Encore une fois, nous nous en excusons en leur nom et nous enquêterons plus avant sur cet incident.
Really good tour of old Cairo & The Coptic Church. If you like history dating back to the 4th century then this tour is for you. Our guide Ahmjad plus driver mustafa were excellent and very polite picked us up from our hotel for this half day tour with lunch included with return transfer back to our hotel. Fabulous artefacts and relics dated back to 4th century onwards so much Infomation of all the religions in Cairo over a 1000 years. Great to visit the narrow underground streets of old Cairo and to meet local people around this area. Our guide was very informative and had a calmness about him and we did this tour at a leisurely pace not rushed at all as we started early on Saturday morning. Also most churches have mass on Sundays or service so it’s better not to do this tour on a Sunday. Lunch was excellent at a local restaurant serving local Egyptian foods very pleasant and very hospitable couldn’t do enough for us. Thoroughly recommend this tour.
