This Bethlehem and Jerusalem tour from Ashdod port starts when you are met by your tour guide at the cruise port. You’ll be driven to Jerusalem in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle. The first stop is on Mount Scopus to take in the view across Jerusalem’s rooftops and domes. The tour continues past the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations on the Mount of Olives. We drive past Kidron Valley, the site of ancient Jewish tombs, and see the Ophel Promenade that runs parallel to the Old City wall.

We enter the Old City through one of the gateways in the 16th-century walls. Here there are views of the Western Wall excavations where more of the ancient city is being uncovered. On a walking tour of the Old City’s top sites, we stop at the Western Wall, a section of the Second Jewish Temple that stood on Temple Mount until 70 AD.

We continue to the Byzantine Cardo, once Jerusalem’s main thoroughfare lined with columns. We follow the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus walked towards Calvary, and arrive at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This 4th-century basilica holds multiple chapels and altars shared by several Christian denominations. The church was built around the site of Christ’s tomb, and Golgotha (Calvary) where Christ was crucified. While in the Old City, we visit several traditional Middle Eastern markets and stop for a lunch break.

Next, we'll drive away from the Old City Bethlehem. Arriving at Manger Square, the tour will continue to the Nativity Church. This magnificent church was built around the Holy Grotto, believed to have been the site of Christ’s birth. From Bethlehem, we return to your cruise ship in Ashdod port.