While entry to the National Library building is free of charge, you also have the option of visiting our exhibitions, which present the most fascinating items from our collections to the public.
You can gain access to both our permanent and rotating exhibitions by booking a visit (independent entry), or by booking one of our regularly-scheduled guided group tours, which showcase the Library's highlights. You can also book your own private group tour.
See the "How to Visit the National Library" section below to order tickets and find more information about these different options.
A paid ticket grants access to:
- "A Treasury of Words": a journey through space and time with our permanent exhibition
- Access to the National Library's special interactive video display
- Access to two new rotating exhibitions: "Flowers: Leafing Through the Collections of the National Library" and "Hadassa Goldvicht: To the Internal Libraries."
Book a guided tour in EnglishBook a visit to the exhibitions (independent entry)
The Library building is open to everyone, free of charge!
When visiting for free, you can wander the unique building, view the impressive reading halls, visit the enormous Letters of Light sculpture, and relax in the gardens with a cup of coffee.
There is no need to order a ticket to access these parts of the Library, though you must obtain a library card to enter the reading halls (free of charge).For more information on obtaining a library card >
Experience the National Library’s enormous interactive display and go on a trip through space and time with "A Treasury of Words" - our permanent exhibition. Our rotating exhibitions are also part of the experience. You can read more about these exhibitions further below on this page.
Book a visit to the exhibitions (independent entry) >
Join a guided English-language group tour of the exhibitions, showcasing the Library's highlights>
Looking to book a visit for your own private group? Contact us via telephone at *5049 or via email at[email protected] You can also find more information on private group tours here.
Sunday-Wednesday: 9am-6pm
Thursday: 1pm-9pm
Friday and holiday eve: 10am-1pm
More on the Visit
Age suitability: Visits and tours of the Library are suitable for children, adults, and everyone in between, particularly from reading age (7) and up.
Visit duration: The tour itself lasts about an hour and a half. You are invited to stay as long as you’d like when your tour is over :)
How to Get Here
The address of the Library’s new building is Eliezer Kaplan St 1, Jerusalem. It is centrally located between the Knesset and the Israel Museum.
Arrival by public transportation is recommended.
Meet the Words That Made History
In an innovative exhibition hall, filled with a sense of mystery and under gentle lights necessary to preserve ancient ink, some of our most precious and important artifacts are displayed to the visiting public.
In the “A Treasury of Words” exhibition, you are invited to embark on a journey through time, and through words.
You will see age-old holy scriptures up close. You will draw inspiration from the handwriting of Nobel laureate S.Y. Agnon, Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer, and other well-known cultural icons. You will discover what magical words were once inscribed on mysterious incantation bowls, and gain a deeper understanding of how words shaped our history and culture here, in this place.
In this exhibition, you will see with your own eyes the original writings that shaped our reality. Hear the stories behind them and understand why they are so important to us.
This exhibition will leave you with a sense of discovery and inspiration that will stay with you long after you have left the building.
"A Treasury of Words" is on display in the William Davidson Permanent Exhibitions Gallery at the National Library of Israel.
*Entry to the exhibition is included in the price of a paid ticket for "The Treasures"
An entire world and all it contains can be created with just 22 letters.
According to theSefer Yetzirah ("Book of Creation"), an ancient Jewish mystical text, that is exactly how the world was created: from 22 letters.
In theLetters of Light sculpture that was specially created for the National Library by Israel Prize winning artist Micha Ullman, you can observe how light and shadow play off of each other, resulting in the formation of Hebrew, Arabic, and Latin letters. You can walk amongst giant rock letters that are over six feet high and imagine the world you’d like to write into existence.
Letters of Light is located in the Koum Family Foundation Letters of Light Sculpture Garden.
Access to the sculpture is free of charge.
The Nancy and Stephen Grand Automated Stacks
Observing Our Hardworking Robots
In an enormous hall, full of endless shelves, sit countless crates overflowing with books.
4 million books. This is the hidden treasure of the National Library –The Nancy and Stephen Grand Automated Stacks.
How can librarians possibly find any books here? That’s an excellent question. To help make that possible, we have four sophisticated robots who can find any book in the stacks and retrieve it. Through this window, you can watch our robots in action!
You can’t enter the hall itself because the oxygen levels there are close to zero, which helps us protect the books from catching fire. Come observe our automated stacks through the large window and hear the whole story for yourselves.
The storeroom window can only be accessed with a Library guide. More details at the Jacqueline Heller Information Desk.
Across an enormous 65-ft. wide screen, delve into an interactive experience dedicated to the love of books, the joy of reading, and the impact of books on our lives.
Our interactive video display can be found in the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Experiential Center at the National Library of Israel.
*Entry to the exhibition is included in the price of a paid ticket for "The Treasures"
Since October 7, we have all been overwhelmed with sadness and perhaps a sense of helplessness in the face of the unimaginable tragedy that has befallen so many families.
Like everyone else, we at the National Library felt the need to do something. Something that could help people realize that these are human beings, not just numbers and faces on a poster. These are real people, with their own loves, hobbies and hopes for the future.
The National Library invites you to hold family or business events in a unique space: The Conference and Event Center at the New National Library. World-class facilities at a central location (adjacent to the Knesset) including: An auditorium, an assembly hall, meeting rooms, a restaurant, an event courtyard, green gardens and additional spectacularly designed spaces.
The NLI contains 13 study rooms which are open to the public. These are located in the Reading Halls on levels -1 and -2.
Each room contains an erasable writing board and television screen that can be hooked up to a computer.
Operating hours are in accordance with the operating hours of the Reading Halls.
Enjoy some coffee, soft drinks, sandwiches, salads and pastries in our restaurant located on level -2, and at Harry's Café, located on level 0. At Harry's Café you can also explore a unique work of art by Gali Cnaani.
Opening hours: Sunday – Thursday, 8 am – 7 pm
Friday, 8 am – 1 pm
At "As Promised", the Taube Family Bookshop, located on level 0, you can find creative and original souvenirs which will continue to tell our story, long after you’ve come back home.
Books, design products, souvenirs, and Judaica items – these are just some of the things waiting for you here. Don’t forget to drop by before heading home.
