Eretz Israel Museum

You can’t find a museum in Israel more diverse than the Eretz Israel Museum (Israel Land Museum). The overall theme is anything to do with the land and people of Israel, past and present, and this covers a lot of ground from indigenous plants and the postal system to archaeological finds and artwork. 

Eretz Israel Museum (MUZA) has a permanent collection categorized under ethnography, folklore, local history, photography, and contemporary Israeli art. 

The museum’s location, close to the Yarkon River, Tel Aviv University, and Ramat Aviv (a northern suburb of Tel Aviv) has allowed MUZA to spread over expansive grounds without the encroachment of city buildings.

Plan Your Visit

Open Times - Sunday closed. Monday, Wednesday 10:00-16:00; Tuesday, Thursday 10:00-20:00; Friday 10:00-14:00, and Saturday 10:00-18:00.

Pro Tip: The closest railway station is Tel Aviv University Station. 

Prices - Regular price: 52 ILS. Adult Tel Aviv residents 42 ILS. Students 35 ILS. Soldiers, police, and senior citizens 26 ILS. Entrance is free for visitors under 18 years old, people with disabilities, and escorts of people with disabilities. You need to show your relevant valid certificate or ID for the discount or free entry.

Pro Tip: The planetarium is not included in the entrance fee and requires an additional 15 ILS.

Average Visit Duration - 3 hours Pro Tip: There is paid parking near the museum at 25 ILS, and parking is free for people with disabilities.

Popular Times - Mid-day. 

Special Events - The museum hosts regular temporary exhibitions, lectures, festivals, and special events. In particular, there are special family-friendly festivals during the Jewish holidays. See the museum website for a calendar of upcoming events. 

Tours - Take a private tour of Tel Aviv’s cultural highlights including a visit to the Eretz Israel Museum.

MUZA Museum Layout

Some museums like this one require some careful navigation to find your way around all of the exhibitions. The museum consists of pavilions set in gardens where there are a number of other points of interest. Each of the pavilions has a unique layout and structure which is intended to reflect the theme of the collection it holds. For example, there is the Glass Pavilion, the Ceramics Pavilion, and the Man and His Work Center. The pavilions house the permanent exhibitions, as well as “white cube” spaces where temporary exhibits are on display. 

The most impressive thing about MUZA is the grounds. Visitors can walk among gardens, rockeries, and archaeological excavations including the remains of an ancient settlement dating back 3,000 years. See ancient mosaic floors brought here from around the country and set among the gardens. There is also a display of olive presses, wine presses, and a reconstructed flour mill.

Pro Tip: Combine your visit to MUZA with a visit to the nearby ANU Museum for a glimpse into the Jewish communities around the world past and present.

Permanent Exhibitions at the Eretz Israel Museum 

• The Ceramics Pavilion - See ceramics from several periods in Israel’s ancient history, the products, tools, and materials. Learn about the discovery of clay, pottery methods, decoration methods, plus art and ritual in ceramics.

• The Glass Pavilion - See Dr. Walter Moses’ original glass collection that takes you on a journey through thousands of years in the region. See glassware from as early as the 15th-1st centuries BC and learn about glass blowing through the ages.

• The Kadman Numismatic Pavilion - See coins from every era in the region’s history. The coins tell the story of monetary exchange through the ages, until the present day.

• The Nehushtan Pavilion - Thousands of years ago copper was discovered in Israel, and this pavilion focuses on the ancient smelting furnaces and copper history in Southern Israel, specifically Timna. There are displays of tools, discoveries of copper, and information about the daily life of copper workers in the area. 

• The Man and His Work Center - Learn about local materials and how they were used for arts and crafts in the region. See tools, weaving, installations, and video presentations. 

• The Ethnography and Folklore Pavilion - A collection of Judaica, contemporary art, and socially significant items.

• The Alexander Pavilion of Postal History and Philately - A fun exhibit for children with a mail truck from 1949, a collection of telephones, mailboxes, and printing presses.

• Israel Photography House - Historic photos giving a glimpse into everyday life and culture in Israel over the years. 

Eretz Israel Museum Grounds

Crafts Arcade

Alongside the Man and His Work Pavilion is a recreated ancient artisans’ market. There are eleven stone domes covering recreated traditional workshops together with artisan tools and materials. Included are a blacksmith, carpenter, cobbler, potter, weaver, baker, and several other traditional craft workshops.

The Bread Court

Alongside the Crafts Arcade is a recreated ancient threshing floor where grain would be separated from the husk. The tools involved in this particular historic agricultural process are on display.

Reconstructed Copper Mine

At the entrance to the Nehushtan Pavilion is a reconstructed ancient copper mine from the 5th-2nd millennium BC. 

Planetarium

After a stroll through the museum grounds, you’ll reach the planetarium. Visitors aged 5 and above can enjoy a half-hour show. The shows occur during Israeli school holidays and on Saturdays throughout the day at regular intervals. Entrance to the planetarium requires a museum entrance ticket, plus an additional 15 ILS.

Pro Tip: The shows are visually entertaining but they are in Hebrew. 

Pro Tip: The MUZA Park is the latest addition to the museum. The park (which will eventually be about 9,000 sq. meters) is open to the public free of charge. The first phase of the park was opened in September 2023, and it will gradually expand to include a larger area. Visitors can enjoy a pond, reconstructed Olive Press, Flour Mill, the Planetarium, Sundial Square, and archaeological remains. Some of the park’s attractions require an admission fee. MUZA Park is open from 08:00-18:00.

What Facilities Are There at the Museum?

• Food and drinks: Café Arts is located at the entrance to the museum and offers a sophisticated menu of light meals and snacks.

• Left Luggage: There are lockers at the entrance to the museum that are free of charge.

• Pro Tip: Download the MUZA app (or scan the code) and listen to an audio guide as you walk through the museum. 

• Performance and lecture spaces, as well as educational programs.

• Scooters and wheelchairs are available for visitors with mobility issues. There are several elevators both indoors and outdoors as well as tactile warning surfaces, handrails, and orientation stations with enlarged maps of the museum. Most of the museum is wheelchair-accessible and ushers are on hand to help where needed. The Bettear app makes the museum content accessible to the hard of hearing and there are audio devices at the entrance to the museum.