Tel Aviv – Shore Excursion (Ashdod)

Activities:

• Your guide will meet you at the Ashdod port

• Old Jaffa - Tour Old Jaffa, one of the most ancient port cities in Israel and the Mediterranean basin. This is the port from which prophet Jonah attempted to escape the word of God (Jonah 1:3). For centuries, the port of Jaffa was the gateway to the Land of Israel. Today Jaffa is a mixed city, where Jews and Arabs live alongside each other. Tel Aviv, Jaffa's much much younger sister, was established much later, in the year 1909, but the two were united into one municipality already in 1949, yet each part kept its unique feel and atmosphere. Jaffa has been regenerated in recent years with the old narrow streets and courtyards becoming a highly popular part of Tel Aviv’s urban tapestry.

• Neve Tzedek - Neve Tzedek, the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside of Jaffa and currently one of the most beautiful and desired locations in Tel Aviv. It was established by some of the dignitaries of the old Jewish community of Jaffa in 1887. They were looking to head out of the ever-growing and over-crowded Jaffa, to build what was considered back then modern and comfortable housing. In recent years, after a period of neglection, the neighborhood was resorted and became a trendy fun beautiful part of the city and a good place to try some Israeli Gelato!

• Rothschild Boulevard Tel Aviv - Continue to Rothschild Boulevard, one of Tel Aviv’s central and most desirable boulevards. Here you will feel the modern vibe of the city while learning about the establishment of the State of Israel. As the "First Hebrew City" Tel Aviv became the center of culture, finance, technology and leisure in Israel - and so it is until this very day. Take a moment to experience the Tel Aviv coffee culture on this tree-lined, picturesque street that is very popular with locals.

• The Independence Trail - Rothschild Boulevard is the beginning of the Independence Trail. This encompasses 10 stops of Tel Aviv’s heritage sites. You will learn the history of this fascinating city along the way. The trail ends at Independence Hall, where David Ben-Gurion, first Prime Minister of Israel, read aloud the Declaration of Independence as Israel was declared an independent Jewish state on May 14, 1948.

• The White City - Tel Aviv has been named the “White City”, because of the unique Bauhaus architecture. The Bauhaus School of Architecture was established in Germany after WW1 when there was a need to rebuilt the country in the wake of the destruction of the Great War. It was the place where the International style of architecture was developed, while many of the graduates were members of Germany's Jewish community. Those very people who took part in the rehabilitation of Germany after the war, had to flee in the 1930's with the rise of the Nazi party. Many of them came to Israel and made good use of their education, skills and experience, becoming key participants in the design of the young city. As most of the Bauhaus buildings were destroyed in Europe during WW2, Tel Aviv was left as a the only living monument to this fine and unique style. In 2003 UNESCO has declared it a world cultural heritage site as a result.
  Tour in the central area of Tel Aviv; appreciate the beautiful buildings and extraordinary balconies which have been preserved and even enhanced in recent years.

• Return to the ship at Ashdod Port