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Draft data. Times, fares and step counts are desk estimates awaiting field checks. Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify

Place · Coptic Cairo

Hanging Church and Coptic Cairoالكنيسة المعلقة

A walled cluster of churches and a synagogue: an easy 90 minutes indoors, good in the afternoon heat.

goadmission: unknownNot field-verified
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Key facts

Time on site
75–105 min
p95 150 min
Price
free or a small combined fee
bring cash
Hours
09:00–16:00
typical, check
Best time
unknown
28″ bags
Painful
Coptic Cairo: painful
Getting there
Car or metro to Mar Girgis
  • Built over the Roman fortress gate
  • Indoor, good in the heat
  • Quiet outside Sunday
  • Bring cash
  • Works with kids
  • Hard in a wheelchair
  • Mostly indoors

Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.

Rules in force · 12Nine African countries on this site have no trip line bec…Cairo traffic is heavy from about 07
  • Africa ↗When a route touches a yellow-fever country — even a transit of 12 hours or more — keep the original yellow card (ICVP) in your hand luggage; health desks and airlines can refuse boarding or entry without it.
  • Africa ↗Nine African countries on this site have no trip line because governments advise against travel; several others have no-go regions. Read your government's advice for every country on the route before paying deposits.
  • North Africa ↗Plan links between North African countries by air or by ferry via Europe; the only regularly usable land borders for visitors are Tunisia–Algeria and Morocco–Mauritania via Western Sahara.
  • North Africa ↗Book Saharan nights (dunes, desert camps, oasis tours) between October and April; from May to September desert day temperatures regularly exceed 40 °C and many tours stop.
  • Egypt ↗Check visa rules for your passport on the official Egypt e-visa portal before flying; visa on arrival availability depends on nationality and can change.
  • Egypt ↗Drones need prior permission and are routinely confiscated on arrival; leave them at home.
  • Egypt ↗Do not photograph military sites, police, bridges or government buildings; some museums and tombs charge for or ban photography.
  • Egypt ↗During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight; hotels and tourist restaurants still serve.
  • Cairo and Giza ↗Cross-city rides can take 90 minutes at rush hour; plan one district per half-day.
  • Cairo ↗Cairo traffic is heavy from about 07:30 to 10:00 and 15:00 to 20:00: plan one district per half-day and add 45+ minutes to any cross-city ride.
  • Cairo ↗Agree the price of every taxi, camel, horse, carriage or guide before you start; use ride-hailing where you can, since the fare is fixed on the screen.
  • Cairo ↗From about June to August, be on site at opening, and off the open plateau by 10:00.
Usually 09:00–16:00
Map & directions
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Directions
From where I am

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Plan

Open now, what it costs, what to know, how long it takes

Go now?

hours and prices: check on the day
Open
Usually 09:00–16:00
Crowds

Quietest Mon–Fri · busiest Sun · desk estimate

Tickets
  • Adult: free or a small combined fee (2026 estimate; check)
Time to spend
75–105 min · up to 150 min if you linger
Directions Add to a day →

Weather here, next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Time on site

minutes

Minimum

45min

Worthwhile

75min

Typical

105min

p95

150min

Opening hours are not printed until verified; ask your hotel the day before.

Tickets & entry

2026 estimate · check the posted board
Where to buy
  • Buy at the entrance on the day.
  • Buy from the official site or the ticket desk; resellers add a fee for the same ticket.
  • Bring cash; cards may not be taken (check).

Official site ↗

Dress code
  • Shoulders and knees covered; some ask women to cover their hair — bring a scarf.

What to wear: dress-code checker

Bags & lockers
  • Bag checks at the compound's main entrance.
Photos
  • Generally allowed in the churches outside of services; ask before photographing worshippers.
What's closed
  • Sunday morningscheckChurch services can restrict tourist access to parts of the Hanging Church; visit early afternoon instead.
  • Jewish holidayscheckThe Ben Ezra Synagogue may close or restrict visits — confirm locally.

“Check” dates move year to year: confirm on the official page for your date.

TicketPriceNote
Entry to the Coptic Cairo compoundfree or a small combined fee (2026 estimate; check)Individual sites inside sometimes charge separately.
Ben Ezra Synagoguefree or a small fee (check)—

On the ground

Getting in, crowds, and where to go if it does not work

Getting in

Stop
Car or metro to Mar Girgis
Exit
—
Ticket
on site · official site · bring cash
Stairs
unknown
Shoes
Shoes on.

Crowds and switching

Crowd clock
Quiet on weekday mornings; busy on Sunday.
Sensory load
3/5
Exposure
low

Bailouts

  1. heat

    Nearest AC café or hotel lobby (field-verify)

Nearest rescue anchor: A — Compound centre: courtyard seating (field-verify)

Step-free check

wheelchair: poor
  • Step-free entrance: no · no
  • Accessible toilet: check · check
  • Wheelchair: no · no
  • Stroller: no · nopoor

The Hanging Church is built over the old Roman gate and reached by a flight of steps; the surrounding lanes are narrow and part-cobbled.

Combine with

nearest first
  1. 2 minCoptic Museum
  2. 3 minBen Ezra Synagogue
  3. 8 minMosque of Amr ibn al-As — Egypt's oldest mosque site; check current access.

Walk the Coptic Cairo area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes

Red lines

  • Cover shoulders and knees; keep quiet during services.
More on the groundWith kids

With kids

kids: okstroller: poor
with kids
Quiet and mostly indoor; short attention spans handle 45–60 minutes here better than a hot outdoor site.
child price
n/a or minimal (check)

Deep dive

Questions, what is nearby, photos and sources

Questions and answers

answered by Voykit editors · dated
Is this the same as the pyramids area?

No — Coptic Cairo (Old Cairo) is a separate walled quarter near the Nile, a car or metro ride from Giza.

Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk

Can non-Christians visit?

Yes, the churches and the synagogue are open to all visitors outside of active services.

Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk

Answers come from Voykit editors, not from other travellers.

Nearby

Straight-line distance; walk time adds 30% for streets.

Sources