Madatech, Haifa – Visitor Guide with Coupons

Madatech (Israel National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space) in Haifa is a leading museum in its field.

Note: if you are interested in similar attractions, check out the overview of Science Museums in Israel.

Map

Madatech is located at Shmaryahu Levin 25 or Balfour 12 Haifa. But the entrance is only from Shmaryahu Levin Street.

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

Interactive map of the area:

You can find the ticket office at the bottom of the historic building (where you can see people). And the entrance is nearby.

And here is a photo of the map:

The campus consists of a historical building (at the bottom of the map), an exhibitions building, and the Noble Energy science park between the two buildings.

The historical building has three floors. You enter Madatech through the ground floor (marked as zero in the following photo). You can also find restrooms, a cafeteria, a store, and an area for toddlers. And the two top levels house different exhibitions.

Directions

You can arrive at Madatech either by public transport or by car. If you use public transportation, here is a preset link to Moovit. Just enter your starting point, and you will get the updated directions.

If you are arriving by car, enter “Madatech” or the address mentioned above into the navigation app. Just keep in mind that finding parking in this area can be a challenging task. I parked in surrounding streets, and usually, it was at Masada street. Madatech also has a paid parking lot for visitors. But since it is not a big parking lot, it frequently does not have empty spaces.

Opening Hours

Sunday: closed
Monday – Wednesday: 10:00 – 15:00.
Thursday: 10:00 – 17:00.
Friday: closed
Saturday: 10:00 – 17:00.

Entrance Fee

Box office ticket prices:
Adult/child (above five years old) – 89 NIS.
Child (0-5) – free.
Family passes for two adults and two children: 336 NIS.

There will be a discount if you purchase tickets through the official site. The entrance fee will be:
Adult/child (above five years old) – 80 NIS.
Child (0-5) – free.

Notes:

• Opening hours and ticket prices were updated in January 2023. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.
• There are also annual subscriptions.

Coupons

The full entry price is expensive. Thus, before every visit, I look for coupons online. And usually, you can find various discounts online. Here are currently available offers:

• Max – 59 NIS per ticket
• Isracard – 1+1
• Cal – 59 NIS per ticket
• American Express – 34 NIS per ticket
• Teachers Association – 55 NIS per ticket
• HTZone – starting from 54 NIS per person

About Madatech

Located in Haifa, MadaTech, Israel’s National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space, is Israel’s largest science museum.

Established in 1983, MadaTech is housed in the historic landmark, “Technion building”, located at the heart of a 7 acres green campus in mid-town Haifa. The campus also features the Northern Garden, where the palm tree planted by Albert Einstein in 1923 still stands. The Noble Energy Science Park is located on the campus yard and not far from it is the CinematriX, and the laboratory department of MadaTech’s education wing.

Visitors are welcome to use the parking lot located in the northern part of the campus. Designed at the turn of the 20th century, by renowned German Jewish architect, Alexander Baerwald, MadaTech was originally home to the country’s first academic institution, The Technion, Israel’s Institute of Technology. Every year MadaTech sparks the curiosity and interest of over 400,000 guests in science and technology. Guests who visit can look, feel, explore and enjoy over 20 exhibitions featuring more than 600 hands-on exhibits, and watch 7 Cinematrix multi-sense 3-D movies 362 days a year.

Within a school year, MadaTech delivers 300 educational sessions to more than 2000 groups, in our seven educational centers. MadaTech operates six demonstration halls and 12 well equipped advanced labs. Besides, MadaTech deploys three equipped mobile labs that travel throughout Israel, bringing science to life and inspiring the young minds of 150,000 students countrywide. At MadaTech everyone can explore, experience, discover and learn through play and fun.

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

Cinematrix

I never visited the Cinematrix, not only because it is at an additional cost but also because there are plenty of things to do besides it. But so that you will have the complete picture, here is the relevant info from the official site:

Cinematrix is the first of its kind in the world: is an extraordinary, innovative SMART Theater that engages all senses simultaneously. Developed by Orpan, a world leader in edutainment technology, the Theatre provides an amazing experience for young and old alike. Using the 3E4DMi formula, it educates, explores and excites, engaging four dimensions: Seeing, Hearing, Feeling and Riding; and using Multi-Interactive systems boasting the latest techniques: 3-D film, multi-channel sound system, and smart seats, with built-in ticklers and dual-motion capability – complemented by scent, airflow, and water effects.

Not only can viewers watch phenomena and events on the screen, they experience these, as Personal Remote Controls enable them to interact with occurrences on the screen, as well as with each other, thus becoming an integral part of the film.

Exhibitions

And now, we will head to the historic building’s first floor (#1) and look at some exhibitions.

Energy Makes Things Happen

The first exhibition showed different energy sources (fossil fuels, renewable). And the best part is that most stands are active, meaning children learn by doing.

Located in a 250sqm hall, the exhibition’s innovative design uses its large space creatively to create a spectacular vision of displays. The Green Energy exhibition focuses on the role and use of alternative energy sources and provides visitors with an innovative experience of exploration and discovery. It demonstrates the production and usage of alternative energy resources, in comparison to fossil fuels used today. The term “Green Energy” refers to all measures that can be taken to use energy in an efficient, economical, wise, and suitable for any goal in our everyday life. The Green Energy exhibition exposes professionals, as well as the general public to concepts of renewable energy and methods of energy conservation to sustain electricity and water.

Between Mount Carmel and the Sea

Thanks to Israel’s geographic location, which acts as a bridge between Asia, Europe, and Africa, it is blessed with a verity of over 500 bird species. Among them, 91 live here regularly, and the others pass by as part of their migration path. Some birds are widespread like the Bulbul, and some visit rarely like the Northern Gannet. Carmel beach area has a variety of landscapes, animals, and rich flora. In some parts of the Carmel, there are also areas of wetlands like wells and a wide area of sweet water from the fish pools in Kibuts Maayan Zvi and Kibbutz Maagan Michael.

In the exhibition visitors will have a chance to see parts of the vast variety of birds in Israel, from the 6-gram warbler to the 8-kilogram vulture.

Leonardo da Vinci – Scientist & Engineer

The following display that we attended was the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition.

As we explored it, Madatech staff members told us that a free science presentation was about to start. So we headed to a nearby room, where we saw a variety of science experiments.

For example, parts of the map are revealed only when you pour dry ice.

When the 15-minute show ended, we returned to the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition.

Leonardo da Vinci’s exhibition presents an extraordinary insight into the life and workings of the incredibly talented Italian Renaissance master of arts and science and allows you to discover the enormous scope of his interests.

Leonardo was born on Apr. 15, 1452, near the town of Vinci, not far from Florence. He was educated in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter, Verrocchio. Leonardo’s natural curiosity and interests were so broad that he explored nonartistic matters during this period.

Leonardo attempted to understand the world around him and thus was accomplished in painting, sculpture, architecture, music, anatomy, engineering, cartography, mathematics, philosophy, geology, and botany. His approach to science was an observational one: he tried to understand a phenomenon by describing and depicting it in the utmost detail.

Leonardo’s impressive contribution to science has been preserved in a vast quantity of notes. As he was left-handed, he recorded his concise notes in “mirror writing” in his journals. His drawings, sketches, and notebooks revealed how he thought and allowed the construction of the marvelously crafted models displayed.

The collection of works displayed is based on Leonardo’s specifications, as laid out in his Codices. It features twenty-five interactive models of some of his most complex and challenging designs in mechanics, automation, hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, and flight.

Puzzle Games

And above the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, you can find puzzle games space.

The exhibition presents mechanical puzzle games, made usually of a few parts. To solve the puzzle, visitors must move the different parts of the game. Logic, wisdom, and concentration will lead to the solution. Some of the puzzles are based on different branches of mathematics such as logics, symmetry, geometry, topology, Knot theory, and more.