Ashdod Shopping

Ashdod has a shopping area in every neighborhood, but since the mall craze hit Israel, malls have become the main venues for shopping for Ashdod residents.

Central Bus Station and City Mall (Photo: Public Domain)

Ashdod, like most Israeli cities, has several big shopping malls. Malls are very popular for several reasons. People like the convenience of doing their entire shopping under one roof, and most malls also have restaurants, coffee shops and snack bars. Malls often offer all kinds of free activities like puppet shows, trampolines, concerts and arts and crafts for children. When it is too hot for the beach or raining too hard for the park, the mall is the perfect place to take the kids. Be warned, however, that many malls have all kinds of children’s rides on cars, toy horses, and more that you have to pay for. Children cannot resist climbing right up on these automated rides and you can go broke fast if you have a bunch of kids with you!

Ashdod Shuk

Every Wednesday an open-air market, or shuk, opens on the wide boardwalk of the Lido Beach. If there is a Jewish holiday on a Wednesday, then the shuk opens on Monday. Here you can find loads of fresh fruit and vegetables that are more reasonably priced than in the supermarkets. There are also baked goods, spices, nuts, seeds and dried fruits. The shuk also offers low-priced clothing, sandals and shoes, jewelry and household items. So you can have a fun day at the beach and stop at the market to shop before heading home or to your hotel.

Ashdod Malls

City Mall opened in 1997 in combination with the Ashdod Central Bus Station. Besides its many brand name shops it has several coffee and pastry shops and fast-food eateries. A  gas station is also located there.

Ashdod Sea Mall has an extreme sport concrete climbing wall going all the way up its three floors on the outside wall of the mall. It is a real attention-getter, but one wonders if it could also be used as a fire escape? There is a movie theater there, too. This mall is located next to Herzl Boulevard, not far from the Central Bus Station.

Lev Ashdod Mall is a four-story mall that opened in 1994 and quickly became the entertainment center of Ashdod as it offers many events and shows. It has about 160 shops, many of them brand names, as well as a major pharmacy. There are restaurants and coffee shops here. It is in the Heh neighborhood near Balfour, Moshe Ibn Ezra and Yehuda Halevi Streets. For further information call (08) 854-4051. 

Star Center (Photo: Ori®)

Ashdod Shopping Centers

Star Center Shopping Plaza opened in 2004. It is the largest shopping plaza here, with over 100 stores and coffee shops. It is located off of Ben Gurion, Jabotinsky and HaNasi Weizmann. Phone (08) 868-6111.

Ashdod Shopping: Did You Know?

It pays to shop in Ashdod! According to a survey by the Center for Consumer Research for the Globes business publication, Ashdod had the lowest prices for supermarket items compared to the same products in other locations.