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Egypta PRIVATE TOURS · EGYPT
Old Cairo & the Citadel: churches, synagogue and Saladin
Private tour Full day · 6 h Easy pace

Old Cairo & the Citadel: churches, synagogue and Saladin

4.9 (81 reviews) Cairo, Greater Cairo
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Duration
Full day · 6 h
Starts
09:00
Group
Up to 8
Pace
Easy
Guided in EnglishArabicSpanishGerman
Overview

The Hanging Church, the Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali — three faiths and two thousand years in a single easy day.

  • The Hanging Church, built over the Roman Babylon fortress
  • The Church of Abu Serga and the Holy Family story
  • The Ben Ezra Synagogue and the Cairo Geniza
  • The Mosque of Muhammad Ali at the Citadel
  • Sweeping views over Cairo from the Citadel walls

In Old Cairo you can walk from a Roman fortress into a 3rd-century church, then into a synagogue where a thousand years of letters were found in a storeroom. In the afternoon we drive up to Saladin’s Citadel, where the Mosque of Muhammad Ali looks out over the whole city.

How I run this tour

  • It is private: just you, your companions, me and a driver.
  • The timings are a plan, not a schedule — we slow down wherever you want to.
  • Questions are the point. Nothing is too basic or too nerdy.
“The stones are 4,500 years old. The stories should still feel alive.”
Hour by hour

How the day unfolds

  1. 09:00

    Pick-up

  2. 09:30

    The Hanging Church

    Cedar ceilings, icons and the fortress beneath.

  3. 10:30

    Abu Serga & Ben Ezra

    The crypt of the Holy Family and the synagogue of the Geniza.

  4. 11:30

    Coptic Museum

    A short, focused visit to the textiles and manuscripts.

  5. 12:45

    Lunch

    Koshari at a local favourite.

  6. 14:00

    The Citadel

    Muhammad Ali’s mosque and the view over the minarets.

  7. 15:00

    Drop-off

The fine print

What’s included

Included

  • Karim as your licensed Egyptologist guide
  • Private air-conditioned car with driver
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off in Cairo or Giza
  • Bottled water and wet wipes
  • All entrance tickets
  • Lunch

Not included

  • Drinks
  • Gratuities for driver and boatmen (optional)
Meeting point

Hotel lobby pick-up

Karim sends the exact pick-up time on WhatsApp the evening before. Running late or changed hotels? Just message — plans bend.

Ask Karim
Guest reviews

In their words

4.93

81 reviews

5 3
4 1
3 0
2 0
1 0
“Honest, funny and incredibly knowledgeable. He told us which add-on tickets were worth it and which weren’t, and never once took us to a shop we didn’t ask for.”
P Priya NairIndia · Sep 2026
“Travelling with two kids (8 and 11), I was worried about long days. Karim turned it into a treasure hunt and they still talk about the “king’s secret boat”.”
L Liam O’ConnorIreland · Jul 2026
“Wonderful guide and a great route. The day was long and hot — go in winter if you can — but Karim adapted the pace for my mother.”
C Chloé MartinCanada · Jun 2026
“Travelling with two kids (8 and 11), I was worried about long days. Karim turned it into a treasure hunt and they still talk about the “king’s secret boat”.”
C Camila TorresMexico · Jun 2026
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