Private Coptic& Islamic Cairo Tour with Citadel & Khan el-Khalili
Description
Step into Cairo’s fascinating history on a private guided journey through its Islamic, Coptic Christian, and Jewish heritage. Visit the impressive Saladin Citadel, Mosque of Muhammad Ali, Sultan Hassan and Al-Rifai Mosques, and explore the historic churches of Coptic Cairo. Discover the Hanging Church and Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus, as well as the historic Ben Ezra Synagogue, offering a fascinating insight into Cairo’s diverse religious heritage. Continue to Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, one of Cairo’s most famous historic markets, and experience its lively atmosphere, traditional shops, and local crafts. Enjoy a comfortable private experience with air-conditioned transportation, convenient pickup and drop-off, and an experienced professional guide. The tour offers a flexible start time and personalized service. Entrance fees and lunch are included when the corresponding option is selected at booking.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our Gem Explore Egyptologist will pick you up at your requested location to start your journey in Cairo heading to the largest Islamic Monument Cairo Citadel ,Called Also Saladin Citadel, Dates back to the eleven century and was built by the great warrior Saladin and his minister. The Citadel contains 13 fortified towers, contains 7 mosques, Citadel was the seat of government and the residence of its rulers for more than 700 hundred years, what a chance to know the modern history of Egypt. Then it will be the time to visit one of the Islamic wonders here is Mohammed Ali Mosque.
The Mosque of Mohammed Ali Basha or the Alabaster Mosque ( Ottoman Mosque, its minarets are very unique and high (86m), the domes inside are plated with gold, walls outside and inside is alabaster !! The Mosque has been completed and finished in 1848 AD.
Then, the tour continues by visiting Islamic Cairo. It is the area that holds the greatest and most famous Islamic monuments. The place was founded by Amr Ibn Al-A'as by 640 AD. The Islamic Cairo tour starts by visiting Mosque-Madrassa of Al Sultan Hassan. The Mosque was built between 1356 and 1363 AD by order of Al Sultan Hassan-An-Nassir; it is known as and architectural wonder by its fascinating size and Mamluki Islamic designs. The tour then continues by visiting AL Rifa'ei Mosque, which was built with more of a modern design in the nineteenth century to complement its fourteenth century neighbor.
The Mosque is located in Citadel Square, adjacent to the Cairo Citadel. Now, it is also the royal mausoleum of Muhammad Ali's family. The building is located opposite the Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan. The Mosque Been Completed and finished in 1912. Beside the royal family you will see as well the tomb of the last Shah of Iran Mohammed Reza pahlavi !!
After Lunch break you will start another journey With your Tour Guide through Cairo to one of the most religious places called Coptic Cairo. Coptic Cairo is apart from Old Cairo contains the Pabylon Fortress , Hanging Church , Greek Church of St. George , Saints Sergius and Bacchus and many Coptic churches around. It is believed in Christian tradition that the holy family stayed at the site of saints Sergius and Bacchus church to be a way from the roman army , with your guide you will know a lot more and learn about the Christianity in Egypt .
Around Fort Babylon, Egyptian Christians’ oldest churches were built. In addition to being the destination of pilgrimage for people of different religions all over the world, this area holds ruins of the Roman fortifications and several churches, a visit to Hanging Church.
The tour continues by visiting Church of St Sergius and Bacchus, Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church is traditionally believed to have been built on the spot where the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus Christ, rested at the end of their journey into Egypt. They may have lived here while Joseph worked at the fortress. The church is of significant historical importance, and in fact, it is where many patriarchs of the Coptic Church were elected.
The tour continues by visiting Ben Ezra Synagogue, The Ben Ezra Synagogue is situated in the Fustat part of Old Cairo, Egypt. According to local folklore, it is located on the site where baby Moses was found. 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.
Nearby Khan Elkhalili, is located one of the most sacred Islamic sites in Egypt, this mosque is the reputed burial place of the head of Hussein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed. the mosque has been renovated recently. Opportunity to take nice photos.
Then, the tour continues by visiting Khan El-Khalili Bazaar. The Bazaar is in the historic center of Cairo; It was established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era. The Bazaar has various products of all kind and shapes; not limited to Silver, Copper, Brassware, Gold and Leather Goods.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Guide will be waiting in the lobby holding sign with company name on it .
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(107)
Very nice locations with good time each place
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
Anan was delightful! So knowledgeable about the history and religions of the temples, mosques and synagogue we toured. She was also so kind and fun to spend time with. The van was clean and pleasant with AC and cold water.
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
We made this private tour of Cairo and it was an excellent experience. We visited the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel, the Mosque of Mohamed Ali and the Coptic neighborhood. Our guide, Neveen, was fantastic: very attentive, available and always welcoming. He spoke Portuguese, explained everything clearly, answered our questions and always had the concern to adapt the visit to our pace and interests. We had a car with air conditioning, fresh water and a lunch at an excellent restaurant, with traditional and European food and a fantastic view over the pyramids. It was a very well spent day, with an excellent guide! I definitely recommend this tour, especially for the quality and sympathy of Neveen.
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
We really enjoyed our tour this morning Mira was an excellent and very knowledgeable guide. She gave us plenty of time to explore the sites on our own as well and never made us feel rushed. She also selected a nice restaurant for lunch.
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
Getting to know part of Cairo's history was very interesting. Basma, with great warmth and knowledge, accompanied us on this beautiful journey.
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
Wael was an excellent guide, friendly and a great communicator! I learnt a lot from him about Cairo and its history.
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
Abeer was a superb guide who made the day interesting and full of new learning and insights not just about Cairo and the Muslim and Coptic experience, but about so many other things from a long, noble past that weave in and out of each other‘s place and position in history and the current day. It is always fascinating to have a guide who is so positive, knowledgeable, but above all loves her country and its diverse history and contribution to the world. Among many memorable moments., possibly one of the best for sitting in a café in a traditional market, drinking, drinking, mint tea, chatting, and watching the world go by. That is one of the memories that I end of the day with a whole new appreciation for a history and story that I now realize I knew very little about. I also have to say a word of things for the driver who was quiet, courteous, but incredibly brave in traffic at a time seemed out of control. Yet, he seemed to be in total control. This was one of my best tour experiences..
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
My guide Mira was fabulous. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the places we visited and was patient with my many questions.
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
Our family group of 3 had the pleasure of being on this private tour today with our guide, Mohamed Elshemei. I checked the reviews carefully before deciding on GEM, and after going on it, am very pleased with my decision and how everything turned out. Before we started, Mohamed adjusted the itinerary to fit our needs (we had already visited one of the sites, so he took us to an another historic mosque as a substitution). We were picked up promptly at our hotel by the driver and Mohamed in a touring van. The vehicle was clean and spacious, and our driver safely and expertly navigated us. Throughout the tour, Mohamed provided a wealth of information on the religious history and practices of the local people. He also tied together many of the stories we had heard from our other tours in Egypt so that we had the context for what we were seeing. He also took us through the main market, warning us about the quality of items and need to negotiate strongly. He let us stop whenever we wanted. However, we viewed it mainly as an experience just to walk through the market, but we also stopped at a "no haggle" store (at Mohamed's guidance). There was zero pressure to buy, but it was a nice, low stress way to shop for some last-minute souvenirs with low prices marked on all items. Finally, we had a nice lunch at a cafe in the Coptic area--falafel, shwarma, etc. Based on menu prices, it should have been much less than the $15 per person we paid to add lunch, but not a huge deal in the big picture. Overall it was a great day.
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
From start to finish, this was a great day! Farha was an exceptional guide. Very knowledgeable, polite, and patient. We had to deal with prayer times and she managed the time well while we were waiting. I would recommend her for your tour needs if want hassle free, punctuality, and experience. Thank you for a great time Farha! Special thanks to the driver Sayed as well!
Dear valued Customer ,Thank you for your kind words about your Day tour ! We are thrilled to hear that both your guide and driver provided such a caring and informative experience. Your comfort and satisfaction are always our top priorities, and it’s wonderful to know that you felt comfortable to ask questions and make requests throughout the tour. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back for more incredible experiences in Egypt. If there’s anything we can assist you with in the future, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Warm regards, Gem Explore Egypt
