Beit Shearim National Park – Full Visitors Guide

Beit Shearim National Park is an archaeological site of an ancient Jewish town and a world-famous Jewish cemetery from the Mishnaic era.

This national park is not big (it is growing as they uncover new parts), and you can cover it in several hours. But the incredible thing is that most of the city (actually the graveyard) is underground (there are many human-made tunnels). Therefore, it is the perfect place for hot days.

If you visit in the winter, you will find many flowers in the parking and picnic areas. Here are several photos:

Map

Beit Shearim National Park is located near Kiryat Tivon (about 20km from Haifa).

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

Beit Shearim can be divided into three compounds:

• The mausoleum and most burial caves are located at the main compound (bottom left on the map below #12 – #30).
• You can see the Menorah caves complex on the map’s right side.
• The ancient city’s remains are outside the national park, above the main compound. You can see them while driving to the entrance of Beit Shearim National Park.

Note: you can click on the map to enlarge it.

Note: You must register for a tour to visit the Menorah Caves complex. Access to those caves is allowed only with a guide. I will show them later in this article.

Here is a view of the city during the Talmud and Mishnah. As you can see, the city was on top of a hill, and the burial caves were in the valley.

Tracks

As mentioned in the section above, there are three compounds. The most popular track is the mausoleum and most burial caves (marked in blue on the map). There is also a trail to the Menorah caves complex (marked in red on the map), but you can visit it only as part of a tour. Outside the national park, you can find the remains of the ancient city. All paths are not long and not difficult.

Opening Hours

Sunday – Thursday and Saturday: 8:00 – 17:00 (16:00 in winter).
Friday: 8:00 – 16:00 (15:00 in winter).
On holiday eves, usually 8:00 – 13:00.

Note: Since the pandemic, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority has started limiting the number of people in each park. Thus, reservations are recommended through the official site (you can find the link below).

Entrance Fee

Adult 24 NIS, child 10 NIS, and student 20 NIS. Free for National Parks annual subscribers.

If you visit multiple National Parks, consider purchasing a combo ticket. Additional information is available at National Parks and Nature Reserves.

Note: opening hours and ticket prices were updated in February 2025. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

Contact Information

Phone: 04-9831643

Tours

There are tours at the main compound and the Menorah caves complex. Here are the relevant details.

History

During the Roman period, Beit Shearim was an important Jewish town. Its cemetery made it a famous site. Moreover, as of 2015, Beit Shearim National Park is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list.

And now, let’s overview the historical periods that Beit Shearim underwent.

The Establishment of Beit Shearim

Bet She’arim was established at the time of King Herod since the earliest building remains found at the site are attributed to his time. Although there is archeological evidence that there was already a settlement there during the period of the Kingdom of Israel. Bet She’arim was part of the Hasmonean kingdom. Its name is mentioned for the first time in the writings of Joseph ben Matityahu (Josephus Flavius), who describes it as the center of the estate of Queen Berenice, daughter of King Agrippas I and granddaughter of King Herod. The origin of the name apparently lies in the gates of the city wall, or by another explanation, the surrounding fields of barley (seora in Hebrew). In Aramaic it was called “Bet Sharai” and “Bet Sharin”, and in Greek – “Besara”.

Note: unless stated otherwise, all quotes were taken from the official site.

Sanhedrin

Under Roman rule Bet She’arim was an important Jewish settlement, but its name and renown spread during the period of the Mishna and Talmud (in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE). Bet She’arim was a great center of Torah study and became famous mainly thanks to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who settled there. Known simply as “Rabbi”, he was the head of the Sanhedrin, a religious and spiritual authority, but also a political leader and a leading, charismatic figure in the Jewish world of the time. Through his solid connections with the Roman regime, he had many estates – one of them at Bet She’arim.

Thanks to Rabbi, the town prospered, flourished and developed, and for a certain time was also the seat of the Sanhedrin (after Shfar’ am). During his stay in the town, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi compiled one of the exemplary works of Judaism – the Mishna (oral law), which was eventually finalized at Zippori, the town in which he spent his last 17 years.

Before his death, Rabbi asked to be buried in Bet She’arim, but he did not anticipate the consequences of his request. His burial place became a holy site, and many Jews wanted to be buried near to him, both because of proximity to him, but also because the Roman rulers prohibited Jewish burial on the Mount of Olives. Bet She’arim became a necropolis – a city of the dead – and in practice, became the Mount of Olives of the Roman period. After the death of Rabbi, the town declined, and despite the mass of burials, it did not succeed in regaining the prosperity of the past. The quality of the construction deteriorated, and in the 4th century, it was destroyed and burned.

Rediscovery of Beit Shearim

In 1924, Alexander Zaid, one of the founders of the Bar Giora defense organization and later of Hashomer, came to the Shekh Abrek area. Zaid, who came to the country with the Second Aliya, was notable for his courage and spirit, and therefore was sent wherever trouble arose. He guarded the land, helped the residents, and prevented harassment by the Bedouins and Circassians.

At Shekh Abrek he established a farm and commanded the defense of the settlements in the area on behalf of the Jewish National Fund. While wandering around the area, following his custom of digging in the places he passed, Zaid discovered a crack that led into one of the caves, and inside the cave, he found ancient objects, inscriptions, and so on. Zaid contacted Yitshak Ben Zvi and archaeologist Benjamin Mazar, and as a result, Bet She’arim was revealed in all its glory. Zaid was killed in 1938 and is commemorated in a monument set up on Shekh Abrek hilltop in 1940. The statue of Zaid mounted on his horse Dumiya, looks out over the valley that he patrolled, and commemorates the man and the legend.

The Cave Museum – The Glass Slab

Now, we will start exploring the main compound. Let’s start with the cave museum (#28 on the site plan).

I recommend starting at the cave museum if you are not joining a guided tour. It is a cave with exhibits and explanations.