The National Library of Israel – Visitors Guide
The National Library of Israel relocated to a stunning new building in 2023. You can explore it on your own or join a guided tour.
Table of Contents
Map
The National Library of Israel is situated at Kaplan Street 1, Jerusalem, near the Israel Museum and the Bible Land Museum. We visited it after a tour of the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel (it is a short walk between the buildings).
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
The library has four floors. The main entrance is located on Kaplan Street, on the ground floor. The secondary entrance is located on Ruppin Street, leading to floor -2. Here is the floor plan:
Note: you can click on the images to enlarge them.
Opening Hours
The opening hours of the reading halls are:
Sunday – Thursday: 09:00 – 20:00
Friday: 09:00 – 13:00
Entrance Fee
Free entrance.
Note: If you book tickets to tours, workshops, or shows, the cost will be according to the selected event.
Parking
There are paid parking places (blue and white curbs) along Kaplan and Ruppin Streets (and there are entrances to the library from those streets). However, there are not many parking places along the street, and later in the day, it is hard to find parking.
We visited it after a tour of the National Campus for the Archaeology of Israel. During that visit, we parked at the Israel Museum. Our tour was on Sunday, and the Israel Museum is closed on Sundays. Thus, you could park for free (and there were plenty of empty spaces).
Tours
The library offers a variety of tours, including general public tours, self-guided tours, and others. You can find additional information about tours and events at the official site.
Notes:
- We wanted to join the tour for the general public, but all the tickets were sold out. The earliest available date was six weeks away. Hence, if you can, order tickets in advance.
- The library staff informed us that some exhibits had been relocated to a secure location due to the situation with Iran.
At the Library
We couldn’t find any tour tickets, but we decided to visit anyway since we were in the area.
There were poufs on different floors of the library. Each pouf was decorated according to a book, and on floor 0, at the main reception, we received a free booklet with a story to read on each pouf.
Here are several photos from the library:
Inside the Reading Halls
To enter the reading hall, you must have a reading card. You can obtain one for free on the library’s website and show it on your phone to the guard upon entrance.
After our initial visit, we made reading cards and entered the reading halls. Here are several photos from the reading hall:
Tour for the General Public
After our initial visit, we wanted to revisit the library, but this time as a part of a tour. As I mentioned above, I checked for over half a year, and all tickets for the closest two months were always sold out. So we booked tickets for the general public tour three months in advance. And in this section, I will share our experience.
We met our guide on the ground floor. All participants received receivers with headphones while the guide had a microphone with a transmitter.
At the beginning of the tour, we went outside and discussed the building and its surroundings. The building is located near the Knesset and the Israel Museum. Also, if you look around the building, you will not see a fence. The architects insisted on a no-fence policy to make the building accessible to everyone.
If you look at the roof, you will notice it has a curve. The top part of the roof resembles an open book.
Collection of Old Books
Afterward, we returned inside and saw a short movie. And then visited a collection of old books. Here are several photos:
Automated Stacks
Our last stop was at the Nancy and Stephen Grand Automated Stacks. This is a big underground warehouse. The warehouse is entirely automated, and you can see robots bringing and returning books.
Fire requires oxygen. Therefore, to combat potential fires, the oxygen level in the automatic stacks was reduced. This level is below what people need, so people rarely enter this warehouse. And if they do, they are wearing oxygen masks. Here are several photos:
Our 90-minute guided tour ended at this point. And we left it with mixed feelings. On the one hand, we saw and learned new things. On the other hand, there was a feeling of missed opportunity.
Cafeteria
I also wanted to mention that there is a cafeteria on different floors, with the largest one located on level -2. It serves baked goods, sandwiches, and salads. We had lunch there, and it was okay.
Summary
The National Library of Israel is a stunning building, and I recommend joining a tour. But even if you do not find places on tours for your dates, you can visit the library on your own. Since tours and self-visits are relatively short (about 90 minutes), I suggest combining them with nearby attractions. You can find them on the interactive map above.
Have you ever visited the National Library of Israel? If so, please share your experience in the comments below.
That’s all for today, and I’ll see you on future travels!
Stay Tuned!
For additional points of interest nearby, check out Jerusalem.
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.
