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.
- Source checked
- A source and a date are on record: we read it from an official or published page. Not yet confirmed on the ground.
- Field checked
- Someone checked it on the ground, with the date shown.
- Plan calculated
- Worked out by Voykit from its own data (times, distances, budgets). A calculation, not a measurement.
Unknown times stay unknown. How we verify
Key facts
- Time on site
- 75–105 min
- p95 150 min
- Price
- free or a small combined fee
- bring cash
- Hours
- 09:00–16:009:00 AM–4:00 PM
- 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.
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Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, what it costs, what to know, how long it takes
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Usually 09:00–16:00Usually 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
- Crowds
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
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
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Time on site
Minimum
45min
Worthwhile
75min
Typical
105min
p95
150min
Opening hours are not printed until verified; ask your hotel the day before.
How much time do you have?
Enough for a typical visit (105 min).
With the other 15 min, these are a walk away (their own visit time is on their page):
- Coptic Museum2 min on foot · 13 min spare
- Ben Ezra Synagogue3 min on foot · 12 min spare
- Mosque of Amr ibn al-AsEgypt's oldest mosque site; check current access.8 min on foot · 7 min spare
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Tickets & entry
- 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).
- Dress code
- Shoulders and knees covered; some ask women to cover their hair — bring a scarf.
- 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.
| Ticket | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Entry to the Coptic Cairo compound | free or a small combined fee (2026 estimate; check) | Individual sites inside sometimes charge separately. |
| Ben Ezra Synagogue | free 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
Which month is quietest
- Janbusy
- Febbusy
- Marbusy
- Aprbusy
- Maylight
- Junlight
- Jullight
- Auglight
- Seplight
- Octbusy
- Novbusy
- Decheavy
Quietest May–Sep · busiest Dec.
Estimate: desk reasoning from weekend and season patterns; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.
Bailouts
heat
Nearest AC café or hotel lobby (field-verify)
Nearest rescue anchor: A — Compound centre: courtyard seating (field-verify)
What to have on you
- CashThe ticket desk is likely to take cash only.
- Clothing that meets the dress ruleShoulders and knees covered; some ask women to cover their hair — bring a scarf.
- A small bagBag checks at the compound's main entrance.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Step-free check
- 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
- 2 minCoptic Museum
- 3 minBen Ezra Synagogue
- 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
- 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
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
Nearby
Straight-line distance; walk time adds 30% for streets.
- ClusterCoptic Cairo10 m · 1 min walk
- EatAbou Shakra (kebab and kofta grill)3.6 km · 58 min walk
- PlaceCairo Citadel and the Mosque of Muhammad Ali3.8 km · ride, not a walk
- PlaceAl-Azhar Park4.3 km · ride, not a walk
- ClusterDowntown and Tahrir4.5 km · ride, not a walk
- PlaceCairo Tower4.5 km · ride, not a walk
Sources
- secondaryWikivoyage — Cairo