Hebrew Music Museum, Jerusalem – Visitors Guide with Coupons

Hebrew Music Museum in Jerusalem exhibits antique musical instruments from various periods and geographical places.

Map

Hebrew Music Museum is located on Yoel Moshe Salomon 10, Nahalat Shiva, Jerusalem.

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

Interactive map of the area:

Directions

You can drive to the Kikar Hamusica parking lot or another nearby parking. But I would suggest using public transport. Here is a link to Moovit, where you can update your starting point and get updated directions. And my favorite way is to park free at Givat Hatachmoshet and take the light rail. The “City Hall” and the “Jaffa – Center” stops are within a short walk.

Opening Hours

Sunday – Thursday: 10:00 – 19:00
Friday: 10:00 – 14:00

Entrance Fee

Adult: 60 NIS
Child (5 – 17 years old) or senior citizen: 45 NIS
Student: 40 NIS

Opening hours and ticket prices were updated in December 2022. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

Note: you can buy tickets at the official site. And you can also book a tour there.

Coupons

• cpnclub – 49 NIS per adult and 39 NIS per child.
• MAX – starting from 33 NIS per ticket.
• Mega – 40 NIS per adult and 33 NIS per child.
• Teachers Association – 28 NIS per adult and 33 NIS per child.

Contact Information

Phone: 02-5406505
Email: contact@hebrewmusicmuseum.com

Tour Type

You have two options to tour this museum:

1. Guided tour – you can join a 1 – 1.5 hour guided tour.
2. Independent tour – choose this option if you prefer to visit at your own pace or cannot get to the guided tour. In this case, you will get a tablet, where the animated guide “Grandpa Levi” will tell you about museum exhibits. That is the tour that we did.

As mentioned above, you can buy tickets at the official site. When purchasing tickets, you also select the time of the visit, and there you can see the times of the guided tours.

At the entrance, each of us received a tablet with headphones. Using the tablet, you can scan something similar to QR codes and receive relevant information.

About

The museum showcases antique instrument collections of original and restored various historical periods. And from different places related to special museum spaces, are shown manuscripts, liturgical poems, and the possibility of interactive activities in each space and space. The seven key cards design spaces. Which are Central Asia, Morocco, Andalusia, Iraq milk and Egypt, Ashkenazi-European, Balkan, African-Jewish Yemeni and space, (there is presented a unique model of the Temple), where the people of Israel left their mark in these areas as well as those areas that are characterized led and various musical movements and special musical culture affect people.

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

Kikar Hamusica

The Hebrew Music Museum is part of the Music Square (Kikar Hamusica) Project.

The Music Museum is part of the renovation of Jerusalem’s city center. It is part of the renovation of houses, neighborhoods, gardens, buildings, light railway buildings, and cultural development that has intensified in recent years. Music Square is the fruit of many years of the Hebrew people’s passion and the best way to shed light on the world’s nations.

Kikar Hamusica holds various events (including free concerts), several restaurants, an art gallery, a gift shop, and the Hebrew Music Museum.

You can find additional information and the concert timetable at Music Square’s official site.

The Seven Spaces

One of the reasons I wanted to visit the Hebrew Music Museum was the beautiful photos I saw online. After all, I am a photographer and not a musician 😉 And indeed, the interior is stunning.

Each room is designed per the geographical area.

There are also several gaming stations. Here is something similar to guitar hero, just using antique instruments.

Near each stand, you can see the “QR codes.” In most cases, they offer general explanations about the musical instrument and let you hear a short piece performed using the instrument.

Here you can see me holding a tablet with explanations about Tunisian Mizwad.

Mizwad is a bagpipe. And I thought that Scottish Great Highland bagpipes were something unique. But it turns out there are many bagpipes variations, and they were played in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and other areas.

The mezuzahs in every room were different and related to music.

Another gaming area is where the stronger you blow, the brighter it becomes. The night at the screen turns into day.

There was a tourist group around the model of the Temple. Thus we continued to the Iraq area.

This masterpiece is the Babylonian harp. The Babylonian harp is considered one of the first string instruments. There is documented usage of the Babylonian harp in 2800 BC.

Model of The Temple

We returned to the model of the Temple. Around the model, there are three stations. One of the staff members helped us sit on a station and put on the headphones and the goggles. Then they started the movie. It is about ten minute VR movie that tours you through the Temple Mount, including the Temple. I am not an expert in VR, but the graphics looked pretty good to me. And overall, this was a powerful experience.

Art and Music Gallery

Model of the Temple was our last stop in the museum. And when we exited, we visited the nearby Art And Music Gallery.

The gallery features works of art whose common theme is music. You will find sculptures, paintings, decorated instruments, and art objects representing music in all its forms. These creations are made exclusively by Jewish artists.

It is primarily a gift show with many delightful items. They are not cheap, but lovely to look at.

How Much Time Does a Typical Visit Take?

Hebrew Music Museum is not a big museum. The whole visit took us about two hours. And if we use big data, then according to Google: “People typically spend up to 2.5 hours here”.

When to Visit?

Since the museum is not large, even one tourist group (20 – 30 people) can make a long line at the Temple model VR experience. Thus, I would suggest visiting in the middle of the week, meaning not Fridays and not holidays. In other words, when the number of visitors is expected to be small.

Special Events

Lastly, I wanted to mention that the Hebrew Music Museum occasionally holds special events. These are usually lectures and concerts. And you can find additional information at the official site.

Summary

Hebrew Music Museum is a unique place. Including the ancient musical instruments and all technological innovations that make information much more accessible. And as you probably guessed by now, we loved the museum, and I would recommend visiting it.

For nearby attractions, check Jerusalem.

Have you ever been to the Hebrew Music Museum? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

That’s all for today, and I will see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:

• Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
• What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
• Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
• Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
• If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.