Allow at least three hours for this experience. Broad range of topics and displays. Easy to walk around. The only uninteresting element (for me) was the "modern" art exhibition.
The Israel Museum Jerusalem
Founded in 1965, the Israel Museum is the country’s largest cultural institution, comprising several wings and large collections of art, archaeological findings and Judaica.
Its recent major facelift only makes the Israel Museum even more of a must-see. The museum reopened in the summer of 2010 after long months of renovations, featuring many new galleries and public spaces as well as a completely revamped design to many of its wings.
One of the major highlights of the museum—and one of the city’s more recognizable landmarks—is the distinctly shaped Shrine of the Book, which houses many ancient manuscripts including the Dead Sea Scrolls. Nearby, lending historical context to some of these priceless manuscripts, is a definitive grand model of the Second Temple and surrounding Jerusalem neighborhoods circa 2000 years ago.
Other highlights include the Youth Wing, providing children and the young-at-heart with fascinating exhibitions and programming, and the Billy Rose Art Garden, which showcases the development of western sculpture over the centuries and features works by many top masters including Auguste Rodin, Claes Oldenburg and Jacques Lipchitz.
The museum’s Fine Arts Wing displays works from all over the world and does justice to the museum’s eclectic, interdisciplinary approach. Like other sections of the museum, the Fine Arts Wing has recently been reorganized into various categories such as Modern Art, Israeli Art, European Art, and Contemporary Art. The installations are organized in such a way as to emphasize shared themes and facilitate an inter-textual dialogue between similar images. A new 2,200-square-meter gallery floor is devoted to changing displays of contemporary art.
In the Archaeology Wing, visitors can take stock of the many cultures which called the Land of Israel home over the centuries. The objects are organized chronologically, through seven different “chapters” beginning with prehistoric finds.
For one of the richest cultural experiences Israel has to offer, make sure to devote at least a day to the Israel Museum, and in addition to the exhibitions, check out our Events for Israel Museum happenings such as wine and kite festivals.
Enjoy the museum's acclaimed restaurant
Adjacent to the Israel Museum, a design befitting its artistic host and a local menu of Jerusalem dishes with a MODERN twist. Read more
TripAdvisor Reviews
Based on 4936 traveler reviews“A really great visit - recommended”
We walked to the museum from our hotel which was nice. tip: there is a reallly nice organic restaurant there that also sells local produce in very high quality. i highly recommend trying it. The museum grounds are expansive and we loved all the exhibits, a very good experience that we'd gladly repeat (since...
MoreWe walked to the museum from our hotel which was nice. tip: there is a reallly nice organic restaurant there that also sells local produce in very high quality. i highly recommend trying it. The museum grounds are expansive and we loved all the exhibits, a very good experience that we'd gladly repeat (since they closed a few hours after we arrived).
Less“Can take a full day to look round”
The museum is very good, with lots of interesting artefacts. You can spend all day in there. My main criticism is that is it very difficult to navigate and the direction that you should take in order to view artefacts in a sensible order is often only realise at the end. They should paint...
MoreThe museum is very good, with lots of interesting artefacts. You can spend all day in there. My main criticism is that is it very difficult to navigate and the direction that you should take in order to view artefacts in a sensible order is often only realise at the end. They should paint markers or a trail on the floor for people to follow. The map they give you isn't very good which doesn't help. The dead sea scrolls part was good, they do have parts of the original scrolls, but the main artefact in the centre is a copy, so I can understand why some would be disappointed. You only get to see a few small portions so it would be better if you could see more and if there was more information about them/where they were found.
Less“Extremely Interesting”