Religious tours actually take many different forms. However, we do not usually think of visits to ancient Egyptian temples as a religious tour, but rather classical. Religious tours usually involve visits to Christian, Jewish or Islamic sites. To an extent, Christian and Islamic tours may visit Jewish sites, but rarely will a Christian tour visit an Islamic site, or an Islamic tour visit a Christian site, thought there are exceptions. Mostly, Christian, Jewish or Islamic tours will be composed of tourists related to that specific ideology, but they can visit sites that each might, for one reason or another, be viewed as related to their specific faith. As an example, St. Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai can be considered as one site, as most visitors to one also visit the other (one can hardly help but see Mount Sinai when visiting St. Catherine's). Though a Christian monastery, which is highly interesting to most Christians, it also said to contain elements that relate to the Christian Old Testament, which of course would relate to both Jews and Muslims, and while Mount Sinai relates to the Old Testament, for both Jews, Christians and Muslims, it is also specifically holy to the Muslims for other reasons. 

Actually, religious oriented visits to and in Egypt can be broken down somewhat more. There are religious tours and what really what might better be described as pilgrimages. Dictionaries define a pilgrimage as "A journey to a sacred place or shrine."  A second definition we found was, "The journey of a pilgrim; a long journey; especially, a journey to a shrine or other sacred place." These definitions could really apply to most religious oriented or inspired visits to Egypt, and even to some degree, to classical temples. More realistically, when the term "pilgrimage" is used in regards to Egypt, it is frequently, but not always a visit to one specific site, by people associated with the site by belief, and the visit is usually accompanied by participation in one or more of the religious rites of that belief. Furthermore, the site that pilgrimages visit might not necessarily involve ancient sites. Many more modern sites, so long as there is a holiness associated with them, might also be the destination of a pilgrimage. On the other hand, simple religious tours often visit many sites, all of them ancient, and those visiting the sites may not, and may not even be allowed to, participate in religious rites. For example, Protestant Christians are usually not allowed to receive communion at an orthodox church.

Hence, there are many Coptic Christian, Muslim and even a few Jewish pilgrimages in Egypt which may originate from outside of Egypt, or, with the exception of Jewish pilgrimages, inside Egypt. Most are very specialized, and are frequently conducted by specialist travel companies, though many regular tour operators in Egypt also offer various Islamic pilgrimages because of the dominant presence of the Muslim community in Egypt. It must be mentioned that there is usually little wrong with regular tourists visiting pilgrimage sites, provided that they have some understanding of what is expected from them (such as dress), and are respectful. Many tourists, usually outside of groups, in fact do, particularly if they are interested in local culture. 

Here, our primary focus for mainstream tourists are Christian Tours. There are few dedicated Jewish tours outside of pilgrimages, though Christians are usually interested in many sites common to both the Jews and Muslims. Therefore, a very popular tour is, for example, the route of the Exodus. On the other hand, another popular tour is to follow the Route of the Holy Family in Egypt (Jesus, Mary and Joseph), which would almost certainly be interesting only to Christians, even though Muslims believe that Jesus was a prophet. For information on Exodus tours and the Route of the Holy Family, we have provided specific sections on Tour Egypt. 

These types of tours will visit not only various ancient churches, but other locations where the Jewish Exodus or the Holy Family was thought to have stopped, or which might be mentioned in the Bible. However, many other such tours are likely only to visit various ancient churches and monasteries. 

This brings us to the question of which churches and monasteries are most important for this type of tour. It should be noted that many of the most interesting of these are active churches and monasteries of ancient origin. Active sites bring a certain cultural dynamic to the visit that simply cannot be found in viewing ruins only. Some people may have developed an interest in a specific location, but in general, many of the most important sites are actually somewhat conveniently located near or in Cairo. One could, in fact, spend a considerable amount of time on a Christian oriented tour just inside Cairo. Of course, the main attraction is Old Cairo, mostly within the Fort Babylon District where there are a number of fine, ancient Egyptian Christian churches, together with the Coptic Museum, and even an old Jewish temple known as Ben Ezer.  This is the oldest section of Cairo proper, with walls that were built by the Romans. Here, one can find the Hanging Church (El-Muallaqa), which is perhaps the most famous single Christian church in Egypt. And while we may not include them in our list of the most important stops, there are also a number of ancient Churches not too far away at Haret Zuwaila. It should be noted that many, many classical tours include the churches and monasteries at Fort Babylon as part of their tours. All of these churches and monasteries are active. 

Outside of Cairo, the closest Christian monument is the Monastery of  St. Jeremiah at Saqqara, which was an important religious site, but is now uninhabited. This site is only a few miles outside Cairo, and is also a stop on many classical tours because of the pharaonic importance of Saqqara and its early pyramids. Otherwise, though perhaps not considered as particularly major religious sites, there are nevertheless important monasteries in the Fayoum Oasis, a little more south of Cairo. Needless to say, one could spend a number of days visiting these sites that are in Cairo, or only a day trip away. 

After these sites, the next important site not far from Cairo is Wadi Natrun, which is a couple of hours northwest of Cairo just to the west of the Delta, and which could also probably be arranged as a day trip. Here, there are four active ancient monasteries with intriguing histories, along with several ancient uninhabited ruins of monasteries.  This was a very early site of monastic occupation not just in Egypt, but the world. In fact, on the way to the site, careful planning may allow one to also take in Kellia, where very early Christian hermits began to evolve into monastic orders. Otherwise, there are a few monasteries also located near or around Alexandria on the north coast, including Abu Menas between Alexandria and Wadi Natrun and Enaton Monastery between Alexandria and Mersa Matruh, both of which are uninhabited. 

However, in wrapping up religious sites in northern Egypt, Old Cairo, St. Jeremiah and Wadi Natrun are the sites that should probably be on every Christian religious tour. After these, probably the most visited religious sites are the Eastern Desert monasteries of St. Anthony's and St. Paul's, and St. Catherine's Monastery in south central Sinai. St. Anthony's, as well as St. Paul's, have been the focus of recent restorations, and are very nice to visit. St. Anthony's, notably, was not built by, but was dedicated to the founder of Christian monasticism.  Anthony was really more of a hermit, though he had many followers. St. Paul apparently lived nearby St. Anthony, and became one of his most trusted friends. 

There are, however, several more monasteries that any dedicated Christian Religious tour should probably visit, some of which are of considerable importance. Notably, there are the White Monastery and the Red Monastery near Sohag, which are popular among tourists. However, it should be mentioned that this region of Egypt was, and is an active area for Christians, and a number of other monasteries can be visited near Sohag (such as the Monastery of St. Matthew the Potter), as well as somewhat north of Sohag at Asyut and El Minya. However, one should also note that these monasteries, along with those in the Wadi Natrun and the Fayoum, will usually require a specialized religious tour as they are not destinations on most classical tours. 

Monastery of St. Simeon near Aswan

Several other monasteries in southern Egypt that can be visited during a classical tour, though they are frequently not included on the itinerary, are those at Aswan. The best known one of these, and one that is sometimes included on more extensive tours, is St. Simeon, which usually includes a short camel ride to visit. This is an uninhabited monastery, as is another near Aswan known as the Monastery at Qubbat al-Hawa. 

Yet, these are not the only Christian sites that may be visited in a standard classical tour, provided one is aware. For example, while none of these would be considered major Christian sites, there are a number of ancient pharaonic sites on both the East and West Bank of Luxor that were made into churches or monasteries (along with some sites that were not originally pharaonic). For example, even some of the tombs on the west bank were, at one point, converted into churches, as were sections of both the Luxor and Karnak Temple complexes. Several of the other popular pharaonic temples were also made into churches along the Nile. 

While there are well known religious sites connected to the Jewish Exodus in the northwestern Sinai, probably the most visited, best known and most important site is that of St. Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai, adjacent to the monastery. This is really one of the most interesting monasteries in all of Egypt, as well as one of the most popular among tourists who manage to make it to the Sinai. The Sinai is frequently an add-on to classical tours, and when it is, St. Catherine's Monastery is frequently a part of the itinerary. Though less well known, and certainly not as grand, these tours will frequently also visit the Seven Girls Monastery (at Wadi Firan, the largest oasis in the Sinai). It is actually a dependency of St. Catherine's and while not as impressive, is nevertheless a peaceful, interesting stop. 

While we believe that we have here provided information on the most well known, as well as the most important Christian sites that may be of interest to religious Christian tours, there are, of course, many churches and monasteries that we have not mentioned, which may in fact be of interest to visitors. Frankly, our sections on Monasteries and Churches provide information on a number of them, but there are many others which we have simply not been able to yet research (though we may soon do so). 

One way or the other and regardless of whether one is Jewish, Christian or Muslim, Egypt's religious heritage places it firmly in the Holy Land and provides many unique opportunities. Some of the churches and monasteries are of very early date, which is not surprising, and of course, many events that are important to all of these religions took place in Egypt. Furthermore, while many classical tours primarily visit pharaonic sites, but also have on their itineraries a limited number of later religious sites, many religious tours, because of the proximity of religious sites to pharaonic sites, will include a visit to the latter as well. 

Like classical tours, Religious tours can also have add-ons with extensions that depart Egypt for other areas of the Holy Land. These days, they typically do not visit Israel due to the troubles of that region, but likely one can still find a few tours that do. More frequently today, religious tours that leave Egypt include Jordan, which has many important, mostly Old Testament related sites.

As for tour operators, they come in all flavors. Many Christian tours, unlike classical tours, may be sponsored by specific churches or religious organizations outside of Egypt. It is not unusual for an individual church to promote such a tour. However, these tours, one way or the other, are arranged and conducted by Egyptian land tour operators once inside Egypt. Land tour operators in Egypt who develop these tours may, in many cases, simply be normal, large organizations that also provide classical and other types of tours. At other times, they may be smaller, more specialized operators. Our experience has been that the smaller operators are perhaps sometimes a little more fervent than their larger brethren; a little more passionate about this type of tour, and often run by Egyptian Coptic Christians. On the other hand, larger organizations are well equipped to provide these tours with professional guides and sometimes better facilities such as busses. Keep in mind though, that smaller organizations frequently lease their busses and are usually quite capable of providing a comfortable tour. 

One final note, however. At most popular pharaonic sites in Egypt, it is not untypical or unexpected to find tourists very casually dressed, sometimes in shorts, and often with more scant clothing. One should keep in mind that, particularly in the case of active religious sites, whether Muslim, Christian or Jewish, more conservative clothing is appropriate. Do not wear shorts to these sites, or for that matter sleeveless shirts and blouses. The idea, particularly for women, is to keep skin to a minimum, and while these rules have always been told to visitors of Mosques, they are equally important to visitors of active churches and monasteries.