Coptic Cairo: Cave Church of Saint Simon & Old Cairo Churches
About this tour
A quieter Cairo, and one most visitors miss entirely.
The Monastery of Saint Simon is cut directly into the Mokattam cliff above the city — an amphitheatre in the rock seating thousands, with scripture carved into the stone walls around it. Getting there takes you through Manshiyat Naser, a neighbourhood unlike anywhere else in Cairo.
The rest of the day is spent in Old Cairo among the Coptic churches, one of the oldest Christian quarters anywhere, with lunch in between. Private guide and car throughout.
Itinerary
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Itineraries
Day 1 At 8:00 am you need to be ready at the lobby area of your hotel in Cairo. you will find your expert tour guide holding a sign of your name. At the first you will visit to the "Cave Church" in Egypt which is one of the largest churches in the country, a place where 70,000-plus Christians gather every week to worship and praise Jesus -- a place that's home to one of the world's oldest Christian communities. The cave, also known as the Monastery of Saint Simon, is located in the Mokattam mountain in southeastern Cairo, in an area known as "garbage city" due to the large population of garbage collectors, or Zabbaleen, that live there. The Zabbaleen are descendants of farmers who started migrating from Upper Egypt to Cairo in the 1940s. Fleeing poor harvests and poverty they came to the city looking for work and set-up makeshift settlements around the city. Initially, they stuck to their tradition of raising pigs, goats, chickens and other animals, but eventually found collecting and sorting of waste produced by the city residents more profitable. The Zabbaleen sort through household garbage, salvaging and selling things of value, while the organic waste provides an excellent source of food for their animals. In fact, this arrangement worked so well, that successive waves of migrants came from Upper Egypt to live and work in the newly founded garbage villages of Cairo, Visit to Old Cairo where you see some of the earliest christian churches at Middle east from 300 AD visit the Church of Abu-Sergah and St. Barbara, the hanging church, and the old Jewish synagogue called Ben Ezra Synagogue. Lunch is included but drinks are not and then transfer back to Hotel around 1:00 pm Highlights 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 Convenient pickup and drop-off at Cairo hotels Inclusions Entrance fees Bottled water Lunch Professional guide Hotel pickup and drop-off Private tour Transport by private vehicle Exclusions Drinks Gratuities (recommended)
Questions people ask before booking
Is this a private tour, or will I be sharing it?
Private. The guide, the driver and the vehicle are yours alone, and no other travellers join. You set the pace at each site and you can change the order of the day as you go, because nobody else is waiting in the car.
Are entrance fees included, or do I pay at each site?
Entrance tickets are not in the tour price for this itinerary. They are paid at each site on the day, in Egyptian pounds, and your guide will tell you the current price before you buy so there are no surprises at the gate. Everything else quoted to you is fixed in writing before you travel.
Will you collect me from my hotel?
Yes. Hotel pickup and drop-off anywhere in Cairo or Giza is part of the price. Tell us your hotel when you book, and if you are arriving on the day, send the flight number so the driver can track it.
Will the driver stop for prayer, and can lunch be halal?
Yes to both. Tell your guide at pickup and the day is arranged around prayer times, with a stop at a mosque when you need one. Meals are at local restaurants where halal is the norm rather than a special request — say so when booking and it is confirmed in advance.
Do I need a visa for Egypt?
It depends on the passport you hold, not on where you live. Requirements, fees and processing times are set by the Egyptian government and change without notice, so check the official portal at visa2egypt.gov.eg or the Egyptian Consulate in Dubai for your own nationality. Our Egypt visa guide for UAE residents explains the routes and the traps.
How do I get a price for this tour?
Message us on WhatsApp with your dates and how many people are travelling, and you get one total price in writing before you commit. Because the vehicle and guide are priced for the party rather than per head, a family of four pays far less per person than a couple. Nothing is added afterwards.
✓What's included
- ✓Bottled water
- ✓Lunch
- ✓Professional guide
- ✓Hotel pickup and drop-off
- ✓Private tour
- ✓Transport by private vehicle
×Not included
- ×Drinks
- ×Gratuities (recommended)
- ×All Taxes Services
- ×Entrance fees
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