Ashdod

Bus & minivan tours

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 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.

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The moment you disembark from your cruise ship in Ashdod port you’ll be in the capable hands of a professional tour guide. The day begins with a drive south through ever-changing landscapes until you reach the Judaean Mountains. Then enjoy the thrill of the winding road that takes you down below sea level to the lowest point on Earth. We pause for a moment to enjoy the view and take a photo of the sign indicating that we are now going beneath sea level. Our first stop is at Masada, a massive rock outcrop 434m-high (1,424ft). Ride the cable car to Masada’s flat summit where there are incredible views of the desert and the Dead Sea below. Your guide will give you a tour of the remaining structures from King Herod’s palace-fortress. Find out about the history of Masada, and how it served as an untouchable refuge for Herod and later for Jewish rebels. Learn how King Herod built this palace complex in 37BC-31BC, and see mosaics and archaeological remains of a Roman bathhouse, storerooms, guardhouse, palaces, and more. At the end of the Masada tour, you can spend time in the Masada Museum located at the foot of the mount. The museum holds more than 500 artifacts discovered at Masada, and there is an informative movie about Masada’s history. We continue from Masada to Ein Bokek, a hotel and resort area on the shore of the Dead Sea. Here you can enjoy the Ein Bokek beach. The tour will stop for a lunch break either at a restaurant at the foot of Masada or at the beach. Spend the remaining time relaxing on the beach, and enjoying the unique environment of the Dead Sea. Try smothering your skin in the mineral-rich black Dead Sea mud, or float in the hypersaline water. The water is so thick with salt that you can’t sink! The Dead Sea water, mud, and even the Dead Sea sun are known to be therapeutic to the body and soul. After a satisfying day of new experiences, we drive via the city of Arad back to your cruise ship in Ashdod port.

This tour of the old city of Jerusalem is completely flexible and can include all the places that you want to see. If you’d like to visit sites of particular interest to Christianity, you'll be accompanied by a guide expert in all the relevant sites. On this full-day excursion you’ll discover the church of the Holy Sepulcher, Via Dolorosa, Garden of Gethsemane, Room of the Last Supper, and much more. If you prefer a Jewish-focused tour your guide will be expert on sites such as the Western Wall, Mount of Olives, Jewish Quarters, the synagogues, and others. You can also visit Bethlehem and the church of the nativity, make a visit to the Holocaust Museum at Yad Vashem, or spend more time in Jerusalem's new city. You might prefer to include a short visit to the Dead Sea for an afternoon float at the lowest place on earth! Whatever you choose to do, you’ll have a full day of travel and sightseeing through the Holy Land, customized to meet your preferences.

We begin our day at the Mount of Olives with a spectacular scenic view of Jerusalem. From here we travel the Byzantine Cardo, a historic road that cuts through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. On the way, we visit the Wailing Wall (Kotel), the only remains of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, and one of the most sacred places in Jewish culture. The wailing is a description made by the British of the sounds of the Jewish people praying. Moving on we take the sacred route where Jesus carried the cross along the Way of Sorrows on the route to his crucifixion. We’ll then arrive at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, the site where Jesus was crucified as well as his Burial tomb. We continue our journey by touring the Bazaars of the Christian and Muslim quarters. Our first destination begins at the Mount of Olives overlooking an ancient Jewish cemetery where many believe that the resurrection of the Messiah will happen. (Zech 14:4). Looking down from here we have an excellent view across the Old City down to Temple Mount where the Holy Jewish Temple originally existed. *This point can be replaced with another viewpoint, as it depends on the traffic congestion and possible jams. We will then travel towards the Zion Gate, passing the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations and the Kidron Valley. Here we can observe the Jewish burial tombs of Absalom, King David’s son, Jehoshaphat and the Hezir family. We arrive at Jerusalem’s Old City on exiting the Zion Gate and continue through the Armenian quarter. We will then arrive at the fifteen-hundred-year-old excavated Byzantine Cardo, an ancient road now restored. We pass the Jewish quarter towards the Western Wall, a section of the exterior wall of the Jewish Temple that once stood erect on Temple Mount almost 2,000 years ago. We will walk the path many pilgrims have throughout history, stopping at points where Jesus paused on the way carrying his cross to Golgotha (Calvary). Our final destination is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of the crucifixion and Burial tomb of Jesus of Nazareth. Finally, we will have time to wander the traditional Middle Eastern markets before our next destination Bethlehem, where Jesus Christ was born. Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth and home to Jesse, King David’s father. From Manger Square, we will enter the fourth-century Church of the Nativity, the oldest site in continuous use as a place of Christian worship opened in the year 333. Below the chapel is the Grotto of the Nativity where you’ll see an altar in remembrance of the three wise men, and a fourteen-point star set into the floor which signifies the exact spot where Jesus was born.

Meet your professional guide at your hotel or a prearranged meeting point, then head out onto your full day of a private tour. The first stop will be at Caesarea National Park, where the ancient city is situated. Nowadays it is one of the best and most important archaeological sites on Israel's Mediterranean coast. Here you will see a well-preserved Roman theatre, a huge hippodrome, an ancient port, mosaics, columns, and beautiful sea views. Then you will explore Haifa and the world-famous Bahai Gardens. You will walk along the huge garden set on the slopes of Mount Carmel, which is a holy place for Bahai. During the walk, you will learn about the new religion that Bahá'u'lláh established in the 19th century in Iran. Your next stop is the old city of Acre. During the city walk your guide will tell you about the main events in the history of the Oldest city of Israel. You’ll learn about the Romans, Ottomans, Crusaders, Mamelukes, Byzantines, and British periods, which shaped the Acre. The itinerary takes in the Acre Old City Market, the Templars’ Tunnel, the Turkish Hammam, the Ramchal Synagogue, the Al-Jazzar Mosque, St. Georg Church, and Bahai House. The final sight of the day tour is Rosh Hanikra. Rosh HaNikra is one of the most extraordinary places in Israel where you marvel at pearl-white cliffs, crashing waves, and amazing caves, and learn about WW2 history. Afterwards, you will return to your place.