The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

This was the most impressive museum we have ever been to! We enjoyed it so much we went twice during our time in Jerusalem! Thinking we were just going to see important Israeli artifacts, we were extremely surprised to see archaeological remains from around the world, painting a picture of the evolution of civilization. There were also Jewish displays of life and art, modern and contemporary art from around the world, and the most amazing outdoor display of a replica of Jerusalem’s Old City during the time of The Second Temple. The biggest treat were The Dead Sea Scrolls, which I did not know much about until seeing this exhibit. Excellent collection!

I can't believe I have lived in Israel for 27 years and it took me this long to visit this incredible museum. I felt connected to the powerful history of this important city in a way that I never had before. I needed more time to explore than I realized that I would and I will return soon.

This is an absolute must see venue. The expansive, well documented display cases with adequate room to comfortably view and study. This place multistory so plan on several hours of enjoyment and learning. We need to go back a second time! The mosaics are beautiful.

Disappointed with the amount of fake mosaics and other things in the museum. While the model of the second temple is interesting, it reminds me of the miniatures in Lego Land. But biggest disappointment was with the Dead Sea Scrolls. You can’t take a picture in there despite the fact that what’s there is also a fake (which is politely termed a facsimile). Overall, the amount of fake items completely detracts from the visit.

It's an amazing place! Delved not only in its own but all who inhabited and were near by. There was a great deal to see. If anything - start very early as you can be there all day! Free audio guide and roaming chairs included. Many sights/activities that are kid oriented with a neat 'Under the Ocean' themed area to make them conscious about the planet.

A must go for all visiting Jerusalem. The synagogues from around the world are incredible, the shrine of the book is unique, and the different temporary exhibits are great. This is also a kid friendly museum. It's open on shabbat which is the best, and the cafe with excellent coffee is also open on shabbat, one of the few in Jerusalem. It's not a quick walk there without Public transit, but it is worth it.

The scale model of first century Jerusalem is with the visit. It’s spectacular. Very disappointed in the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit; was hoping to see an actual scroll, not just a facsimile. The artifact exhibits were ok, but far short of what I expected given the richness of biblical archaeology in Israel.

This was a highlight of our trip. It's a huge museum with lots of various exhibits with various themes and overall, it's very well done. It is very big though, and directions to certain exhibits weren't as clear as we'd hope so we did waste some time looking around for things as it's not labeled well. With that said, there's a lot to see and learn about. The must see is the Shrine of the Book where you can see the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran. There are a lot of archaeological artifacts all throughout this massive place and so getting here early in the day is advised so you can see as much as you want without having to rush. When we were there, they had replicas of various old synagogues from different corners of the world and it was very interesting. I could ramble on and on about everything there is to do there, but it's forever changing, so when you know you're going to the area, look up what they have showing and head to those exhibits first. Based on the fact that there's so much to take in and exhibits that change often, this is definitely a place you can come to several times. There's a beautiful gift shop at the exit (of course) and I can't really speak to parking much as we took a taxi there and back, but definitely be sure not to miss out on a visit here when you're in Jerusalem.