Jerusalem and Bethlehem Full-Day Tour - Shore Excursion from Port of Ashdod

Your guide will be waiting for you when you disembark from your cruise ship in Ashdod and the tour will begin with a pleasant drive to Jerusalem in a comfortable vehicle with A/C.

At Mt. Scopus, the tour stops for a panoramic view across the city rooftops. Then drive towards the Old City passing biblical sites like the Garden of Gethsemane that stands on the Mount of Olives alongside the Church of All Nations. Also, spot the ancient Jewish tombs in Kidron Valley, and the Ophel Promenade as we drive parallel to the Old City walls.

We enter the Old City on foot through one of the massive gates in the 16th-century walls and pass the Western Wall excavations as we walk towards the Western Wall. This sacred Jewish site is all that remains from the 2,000-year-old holy Jewish Temple that once stood on Temple Mount.

In the Jewish Quarter, we see the Byzantine Cardo lined with columns, then we walk along a section of the Via Dolorosa, as Jesus did bearing his cross.

The Via Dolorosa culminates at the Holy Sepulcher Church which was built in the 4th century to encompass Christ’s tomb and the site of the crucifixion at Golgotha (Calvary).

The tour stops for a lunch break in the Old City (lunch not included) and you have time to meander through one of the traditional markets.

Leaving the Old City, we can see Mount Zion as we drive towards the town where Christ was born.

In Bethlehem, we tour the Nativity Church and see the Holy Grotto where the nativity took place.

The tour ends with a drive back to Ashdod port where you can rejoin your cruise ship and continue to your next port of call.

Important information - There may be restrictions

·The above itinerary is planned for a 9-hour Jerusalem and Bethlehem tour from Ashdod port with an 8am pick-up time and 5pm drop-off time.

·If the ship docks in Ashdod later than the scheduled time, we will delay the pick-up time.

·We are obligated to return you to your cruise ship for the scheduled departure. To do this, day tours starting from Ashdod cruise port after 8am will be shortened and may not include all the sites in the tour description.

·Let us know as soon as possible if your docking time changes. In case your docking time changes for any reason, your tour might be shortened accordingly.

·Occasionally there are too many visitors at Jesus' Tomb in Jerusalem and at the Nativity Grotto in Bethlehem, which makes a visit not always possible.