Islamic and Coptic Cairo
Old Cairo on foot with a guide costs $43 for 3 to 4 hours: through Bab al-Futuh gate, along El Moez Street past the Al-Hakim and Sultan Barquq mosques and the Qalawun Complex, to the Khan el Khalili bazaar, with street bites in the title. Private days add the inside of the Saladin Citadel ($76, 6 hours) or the churches of Coptic Cairo ($101, 5 hours). The cheapest option is a three-hour private shopping tour of the bazaar at $30. Five tours are compared below.
Quick answer
The short answer. For Islamic Cairo on foot, the $43 walk (1,479 reviews at 4.7). For the Citadel with your own Egyptologist, $76 (1,278 reviews at 4.7). For Coptic Cairo, the $101 Cave Church tour (30 reviews at 4.5). For both faiths in one private day, $125, rated 4.5 on 17 reviews.
Two halves
Four of the five tours fall on one side or the other; the fifth is a shopping tour. Islamic Cairo is the walk along El Moez Street, with the Al-Hakim and Sultan Barquq mosques and the Qalawun Complex, and the private day built around the Saladin Citadel and Khan el-Khalili. Coptic Cairo is the Cave Church tour: the Cave Church of Saint Simon, the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue, which the listing presents as Christian and Jewish heritage.
One tour does both. The religion tour covers Islamic and Christian Cairo in a private day, naming the Citadel of Saladin and the Hanging Church. It is the most expensive of the five at $125 and has the fewest reviews, so its rating is thin evidence: rated 4.5 on 17 reviews.
Five tours, cheapest first
Durations, ratings and review counts are the live listing figures.
A private shopping trip through the local markets and the Khan El Khalili bazaar with a local expert guide; the listing invites you to practise your bartering. 872 reviews at 4.7. It is a bazaar tour, not a monuments tour.
Through Bab al-Futuh gate, past the Al-Hakim and Sultan Barquq mosques and the Qalawun Complex, along El Moez Street and into the Khan el Khalili bazaar. 1,479 reviews at 4.7, the most of the five. The title promises street bites; the description does not list them.
Inside the Saladin Citadel with an expert Egyptologist, then Old Cairo’s religious heritage and the maze of Khan el-Khalili. 1,278 reviews at 4.7.
A private tour of Coptic Cairo: the Cave Church of Saint Simon, the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue. 30 reviews at 4.5.
A private day across Islamic and Christian Cairo, with the Citadel of Saladin and the Hanging Church named in the listing. Rated 4.5 on 17 reviews.
Book direct
The five listings for the old city, with live prices and ratings.
★ 4.7 · 872 reviews
★ 4.7 · 1,479 reviews
★ 4.7 · 1,278 reviews
★ 4.5 · 30 reviews
★ 4.5 · 17 reviews
Every trip, current fare
Price, listed length and rating. The walk lists 3 to 4 hours, so it has no hourly figure.
| Tour | Length | Price | What you get | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cairo: Local Markets & Khan el Khalili Private Shopping TourLocal expert guide | 3 h | $30 | Khan El Khalili bazaar | $10.00 | 4.7 · 872 |
| Old Cairo Guided Walk Tour: History, Culture & Street BitesAl-Hakim and Sultan Barquq Mosques | 3 - 4 h | $43 | Bab al-Futuh gate, El Moez Street | — | 4.7 · 1,479 |
| Cairo: Citadel, Old Cairo and Khan El Khalili Private TourExpert Egyptologist, private | 6 h | $76 | Inside the Saladin Citadel | $12.67 | 4.7 · 1,278 |
| Cairo: Cave Church of Saint Simon & Old Cairo Churches TourHanging Church, Ben Ezra Synagogue | 5 h | $101 | Cave Church of Saint Simon | $20.20 | 4.5 · 30 |
| Religion Tour To Islamic and Coptic Sights In CairoIslamic and Christian Cairo | 6 h | $125 | Citadel of Saladin, Hanging Church | $20.83 | 4.5 · 17 |
Which one if…
Matched on what each listing states.
The guided walk at $43: El Moez Street, three mosques and complexes named, and the bazaar at the end of the route.
The private day at $76, which says it goes inside, with an Egyptologist. The religion tour at $125 also names the Citadel of Saladin.
The Cave Church tour at $101: the Cave Church of Saint Simon, the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue.
The religion tour at $125. Its rating rests on 17 reviews.
The markets and Khan el Khalili tour at $30. The Khan el Khalili page has more on the bazaar.
Four of the five listings say private. The walk at $43 says “with a guide” and does not say private.
Worth it?
The walk is the value pick: $43 for 3 to 4 hours, with 1,479 reviews at 4.7, the most of the five. The Citadel day costs $33 more and gives you six hours, a private Egyptologist and the inside of the Citadel, with nearly as many reviews: 1,278 reviews at 4.7.
The two church tours are a different decision. Per hour they cost the most of the five, about $20.20 for the Cave Church tour and $20.83 for the religion tour, and their ratings rest on 30 and 17 reviews. They are also the two that name the Hanging Church, so if Coptic Cairo is the reason for your visit, one of them is the answer.
Only have one day and want Giza too? The private tours page sets the Citadel day beside the pyramids and museum options, and the one-day guide puts them in a single itinerary. The price-band filters on the main page sort all 65 tours.
Want the Grand Egyptian Museum on another day? Museum tours start at $57.
Museum tours→Common questions
The guided walk is $43. The private tours are $30 for the bazaar, $76 for the Citadel day, $101 for Coptic Cairo and $125 for both. Whether a private price is per person or per group is not stated, so check the listing.
The Islamic Cairo tours name El Moez Street, the Al-Hakim and Sultan Barquq mosques, the Qalawun Complex and the Saladin Citadel. The Coptic Cairo tour names the Cave Church of Saint Simon, the Hanging Church and Ben Ezra Synagogue.
Yes. The $43 guided walk lasts 3 to 4 hours, from Bab al-Futuh gate along El Moez Street to the Khan el Khalili bazaar.
The $76 private tour says you explore inside the Saladin Citadel. The $125 religion tour names the Citadel of Saladin among its landmarks.
Two do: the $101 Cave Church tour, which adds Ben Ezra Synagogue, and the $125 religion tour.
The title of the $43 walk includes street bites, but the description does not say what is served. Check the listing.
Yes. The walk and the $76 Citadel day both include the bazaar. The $30 tour is the bazaar and local markets only.
Go deeper
Pyramids of Giza tours from Cairo: half-day and full-day, with a camel ride or on foot, by price.
Cairo day tourOne day in Cairo: pyramids, museum, Citadel and Khan el Khalili in a single guided day, compared.
Pyramids and museumPyramids plus the Grand Egyptian Museum or Egyptian Museum in one tour: what each listing includes.
Museum toursGuided museum tours in Cairo: the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Egyptian Museum, private and group.
Private toursPrivate tours of Cairo and Giza: half-day and full-day, from the pyramids to the museums, by price.
Khan el KhaliliKhan el Khalili bazaar tours: shopping walks and private guides through the markets.
Cairo: Pyramids & Great Sphinx Private Tour with Camel Ride
★ 4.9 · 7,942 reviews · 4 - 8 hours