Things to see in Ashdod http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashdod http://www.GuidedToursIsrael.com/ http://www.mideasttravelling.net/israel/ashdod/ashdod_culture.htm http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist+Information/Discover+Israel/Cities/Ashdod.htm http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/city.html?n=1506 http://www.akhlah.com/israel/cities/ashdod.php Marc's thoughts: Here is my recommendation; particularly for Christians. I would engage a private guide. I would do a similar tour on the first day seeing all you can in Jerusalem. Going to Bethlehem is hard and time consuming so I would skip unless mandatory. The tour of Jerusalem would be fantastic. Then, I would drive the two hours to Tiberias and spend the night there. You aren't missing anything driving at night. Besides, no night clubs are really open Friday night if you were staying in Jerusalem anyway. The next day you could see Mt of Beatitudes, Capernaum (St Peter's house), Tabgha (Fishes and Loaves), Nazareth (Church of Annunciation) and maybe a bit more before heading to Haifa to join the ship. The problems with all the Churches are the opening times. However, if you are already in Galilee and see those three sites before 10am, you can probably add Cana to see the Church for the Wedding Feast before having a quick lunch in Nazareth before sightseeing. If you don't want to spend the overnight, and you don't mind a couple of one hour bus rides, I think the Regent tours should be sufficient. Marc's guide company: Travex -- Conact: Ann Hillel -- email: ann@travex.co.il

http://www.GuidedToursIsrael.com/

FROM ASHDOD - one day Highlights itinerary We will pick you up as soon as you exit the ship at the port of Ashdod to make our way to the holy city of Jerusalem. We will start with a panoramic overview from the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem-new city and the Temple Mount Esplanade of the old city. Then we will travel along the Kidron Valley to view the Garden of Gethsemane and the walls of the city. We will enter the old city via the Armenian Quarter to discover the The Western (Wailing) Wall square and continue via the local Bazaar to the Christian Quarter, the Stations of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher - the site of the crucifixion. We will walk along the 1700 year old Byzantine main street, the Roman Cardo and the renovated Jewish Quarter. We will ascend mount Zion to visit the Hall of the last supper & David's tomb. We will stop for an overview of Bethlehem and the Judean Desert. We will also include a drive through the new-city highlights, including the the Knesset, Menorah site, and government buildings. In the afternoon there is an option to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Bethlehem, OR to make a brief visit and float at the Dead Sea.

Ashdod Mount of Olives http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_of_Olives http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Jerusalem3.html http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/olivesmountof.html Temple Mount Esplanade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Heaven_and_Earth_Meet:_Jerusalem's_Sacred_Esplanade http://books.google.com/books?id=xfxABPA2q0cC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=temple+mount+esplanade&source=bl&ots=yzpc9aIU7y&sig=Arh7QcLMrpSaO65oNp_XcWxMj8A&hl=en&ei=ak7AS9X4GNWyngeM3rCeCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CCMQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=temple%20mount%20esplanade&f=false http://www.ritmeyer.com/2010/01/04/where-heaven-and-earth-meet-jerusalem’s-sacred-esplanade/ Kidron Valley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidron_Valley Garden of Gethsemane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gethsemane http://www.gotquestions.org/garden-of-Gethsemane.html http://www.allaboutarchaeology.org/garden-of-gethsemane-faq.htm Armenian Quarter (Western Wailing Wall) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_Quarter Western (Wailing) Wall http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/WesternWall.html http://www.levitt.com/slideshow/s01p05.html Local Bazaar http://www.frommers.com/destinations/jerusalem/0088021124.html Christian Quarter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Quarter Stations of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stations_of_the_Cross http://www.travelujah.com/groups/entry/Stations-of-the-Cross-Via-Dolorosa Church of the Holy Sepulcher - the site of the crucifixion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Holy_Sepulchre http://www.bibleplaces.com/holysepulcher.htm http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/church.html Roman Cardo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardo http://www.bibleplaces.com/cardo.htm Jewish Quarter http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Quarter http://www.bibleplaces.com/jewishquarter.htm http://www.myrova.com/ Mount Zion http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Zion http://www.bibleplaces.com/mtzion.htm Hall of the last supper http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-last-supper-room http://www.biblewalks.com/Sites/LastSupper.html David's tomb http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/jerusalem-tomb-of-david.htm http://www.centuryone.org/davtomb.html We will stop for an overview of Bethlehem http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem http://www.bethlehem.org/ http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=bethlehem&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=HFnAS5mELIaqnge1k4COCg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=7&ved=0CDIQsAQwBg Judean Desert http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judean http://images.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=Judean+Desert&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&start=0 http://www.bibleplaces.com/judeanwilderness.htm Knesset http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knesset http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Politics/knesset.html Menorah site http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134088 In the afternoon there is an option to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, Bethlehem, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Vashem http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Vashem.html OR to make a brief visit and float at the Dead Sea. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea http://www.extremescience.com/zoom/index.php/earth-records/37-dead-sea http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vie/Deadsea.html