Every city with children in it needs one building where nobody says “don’t touch”. In Jerusalem, a city where most of the attractions are two thousand years old and behind a rope, that building is on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University. The Bloomfield Science Museum is the city’s hands-on science museum: galleries of things to push, pull, spin, build and climb, a steady roar of happy noise, and the most reliable answer in Jerusalem to a wet winter afternoon with restless children.
This guide covers what you need before you go, and two of those things catch almost every visitor out: the museum is closed on Sundays and Fridays, and you cannot walk in without a ticket booked in advance. It also covers what the tickets cost, what is inside, which ages it suits best, how to get there, its accessibility services, and what else to do nearby in Givat Ram. Hours and prices were checked on the museum’s own website in September 2026; treat them as the right order of magnitude and confirm when you book. For the wider family picture, see our guide to Jerusalem with kids, and for the rest of the city’s collections, our overview of museums in Jerusalem.
The Bloomfield Science Museum at a Glance
| Address | 3 Sderot HaMuze’onim (Museum Boulevard), Givat Ram |
| Opening hours | Monday–Thursday 10:00–18:00 · Saturday 10:00–16:00 · closed Sunday and Friday |
| Booking | Entry by advance ticket reservation only |
| Tickets | ₪65 per adult or child; under-fives free; family pass ₪235; seniors ₪32.50; students, soldiers, police and visitors with disabilities ₪52 (September 2026) |
| Best ages | Roughly five to twelve, though older children and curious adults will find plenty |
| Time needed | Two to three hours |
| Buses | Lines 7, 9, 14, 35, 66, 68 and 100 stop at or near the entrance; from the Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon railway station, take the 14 or 66 |
| Accessibility | Ramped entrance, lifts, accessible toilets, wheelchairs to borrow, assistive listening and more |
Two Rules That Catch People Out
Most museums in Israel follow a familiar pattern: open Sunday to Thursday, short on Friday, and some open on Saturday. The Bloomfield does not. As of September 2026 it is closed on Sunday and on Friday, and open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 to 18:00 and on Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00. It also closes on the major Jewish holidays; in autumn 2026 the museum listed Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If you are planning a Sunday rainy-day rescue, you will need a different plan, and our guide to kid-friendly attractions in Jerusalem has alternatives.
The second rule matters as much as the first. The museum states plainly that entry is by advance ticket reservation only. There is no queueing at the door and hoping. Book on the museum’s website for your date and time, especially for Saturdays and school holidays, when the slots fill with Israeli families. Saturday is the only weekend day the museum opens, and it is one of the few indoor attractions in the city open on Shabbat, so demand is high. Remember too that buses and the light rail do not run until Saturday night; our Shabbat in Jerusalem guide explains how the rest of the city works that day.
Tickets and Prices
The museum’s published regular prices in September 2026 were:
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult | ₪65 |
| Child (five and over) | ₪65 |
| Under five | Free |
| Family pass | ₪235 |
| Senior | ₪32.50 |
| Student, soldier, police, visitor with disabilities | ₪52 |
| Jerusalem residents’ card holder (adult or child) | ₪52 |
Two things are worth knowing. First, children pay the same as adults, which is fair in a museum built for them but makes a family visit add up quickly: two adults and two children at the single-ticket price comes to ₪260, so the ₪235 family pass is the better deal for most families. Check what it covers when you book. Second, this is one of the more expensive family outings in Jerusalem. The Israel Museum charges ₪54 for an adult and ₪27 for a child and includes its excellent Youth Wing. If you are watching the budget, our guide to Jerusalem on a budget has cheaper and free family options.
What Is Inside
The Bloomfield has been part of the Givat Ram campus since the early 1990s, and it works on a simple principle: every exhibit is something to do rather than something to read. The museum lists more than a dozen permanent exhibitions, among them:
- Why Don’t Buildings Fall?, which is exactly what it sounds like: structures, loads and the engineering that keeps things standing. It suits a city built almost entirely of stone.
- Illusions, the perennial favourite with children of every age, and with the adults who think they will not be fooled.
- Leonardo’s Questions, built around the curiosity and inventions of Leonardo da Vinci.
- Water Ways, Horsepower and Levers of Discovery, hands-on galleries whose titles give a fair idea of what to expect.
- Beyond the Sky, which looks upwards.
- Tune In, Point of View, A Flashlight in the Dark, Freedom to Create and Concinnitas, which round out a programme that ranges well beyond the classic physics exhibits.
The Teddy Bear Hospital, an exhibit aimed at younger children, was listed as temporarily closed when we checked. Temporary exhibitions and activities change through the year, so look at the museum’s website for what is on during your dates. Exhibits change over time, so treat the list above as a guide rather than a guarantee, and let the children lead. The best visits are the ones where nobody tries to see everything.
Which Ages It Suits
The sweet spot is roughly five to twelve. Children in that range will happily run from exhibit to exhibit for two or three hours. Under-fives go free and will enjoy the noise, the buttons and the water, but they will get less from it, and the Teddy Bear Hospital, the obvious draw for that age, was closed when we checked.
Teenagers are a harder sell. Some will love the illusions and the engineering, and others will be on their phones by the second gallery. If you have older children, it is worth combining the Bloomfield with something that feels less like a school trip, and our guide to Jerusalem for teenagers has ideas. Adults without children can safely skip it. There is nothing wrong with the museum, but it was not made for you, and your Jerusalem hours are better spent elsewhere.
Getting There
The museum is at 3 Sderot HaMuze’onim, Museum Boulevard, on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University, a short walk from the Israel Museum and the Knesset.
- Bus. The museum lists lines 7, 9, 14, 35, 66, 68 and 100 as stopping at or near the entrance.
- Train. If you are coming from Tel Aviv or the airport, get off at Jerusalem–Yitzhak Navon station and take bus 14 or 66. Our Tel Aviv to Jerusalem guide covers the train.
- Light rail. The new Green Line, which opened in August 2026, runs through the Givat Ram campus. Check Moovit for the nearest stop and the walk. Our light rail guide explains fares and routes.
- Car. The museum lists accessible parking spaces by the main entrance. For general parking, ask when you book.
- Saturday. No buses, trams or trains run on Shabbat, so a Saturday visit means a taxi, a car or a walk. Our getting around Jerusalem guide has the options.
Accessibility
The Bloomfield takes accessibility more seriously than most attractions in the city, and it publishes the detail. The main entrance has a ramp, and inside there are lifts and accessible toilets. Wheelchairs can be borrowed, there is an assistive listening system, and the voice-guided STEP-HEAR app helps visitors with visual impairments. Sign language interpretation is available on Thursdays from 16:00 to 18:00 with 14 days’ notice, and there are adapted tours for visitors with cognitive disabilities on Tuesdays from 16:00 to 18:00. The museum also offers quiet time for children with special needs. Book and ask in advance, and see our Jerusalem accessibility guide for the rest of the city.
Making a Day of It in Givat Ram
The Bloomfield sits in the part of the city with the most to do for families on a single day, and the new Green Line has made it easier to move between the sights.
- The Israel Museum, a short walk away, has a Youth Wing built for children, the open-air model of ancient Jerusalem, and a campus with space to run. Our Israel Museum with kids guide has a family route. Note that the Israel Museum does not open until 16:00 on Tuesdays.
- The Jerusalem Botanical Garden, on the edge of the campus, is green and quiet, and a good place to walk off the noise between museums.
- Gazelle Valley, a few stops south on the Green Line, is an urban nature park where a herd of mountain gazelles lives in the middle of the city. Children who have spent the morning indoors will love it.
A good rainy-day plan for families is the Bloomfield in the morning and the Israel Museum’s Youth Wing after lunch. On a dry day, try the Bloomfield in the morning, then a walk in the Botanical Garden or an hour in Gazelle Valley. For a whole family trip built around days like this, see our Jerusalem family itinerary. The Biblical Zoo is the other big family day out in the city.
When to Go
The Bloomfield earns its keep in winter. Between December and February, Jerusalem gets most of its rain and can be properly cold, and a day of hands-on science beats a wet walk round the Old City with small children. Our weather by month guide shows when to expect it. In high summer, it is a cool refuge from the heat of midday.
The busiest times are Saturdays, the Hanukkah and Passover school holidays, the intermediate days of Sukkot, and the long summer break, when it fills with Israeli families. Book early for those dates, and arrive at opening time. Weekday mornings in term time usually bring school groups, so weekday afternoons tend to be calmer. Our calendar of Jerusalem’s religious holidays has the 2027 dates.
When the Bloomfield Is Closed: Other Rainy-Day Options
Because the museum shuts on Sundays and Fridays, it pays to have a second rainy-day plan ready. These are the best indoor alternatives for families, all covered in more detail elsewhere on this site:
- The Israel Museum. Its Youth Wing is designed for children, and the museum opens on Sunday and Friday, although on Friday only until 14:00, and on Tuesday only from 16:00. Our Israel Museum with kids guide has the family route.
- The Tower of David. The citadel’s museum galleries are indoors, and the ramparts are worth a dash between showers. Children aged five to eighteen paid ₪35 in August 2026, and it is open on Saturday. See our Tower of David guide.
- The Western Wall Tunnels. An underground guided tour along the foundations of the Temple Mount, dry whatever the weather, and fascinating for older children. Book ahead through our Western Wall Tunnels guide.
- The Old City’s covered markets. The vaulted souks keep off most of the rain, and our guide to the Old City market shows where to go.
A Note for Grandparents
The Bloomfield is one of the better outings in Jerusalem for grandparents travelling with grandchildren. Seniors pay half the adult price, at ₪32.50 in September 2026. There are lifts, a ramped entrance and wheelchairs to borrow, and the galleries give the adults somewhere to sit while the children do the running. Our guide to Jerusalem for senior travellers has more on pacing a multi-generation trip.
Is the Bloomfield Science Museum Worth It?
With children aged roughly five to twelve, yes. It is the best indoor half-day for families in Jerusalem, it is built for exactly the kind of touching and shouting that the rest of the city discourages, and it buys the adults three hours of peace before the next ancient site. On a rainy winter day, it is close to essential.
There are honest caveats. It is not cheap, with children paying the full adult price, and the closures on Sunday and Friday and the need to book ahead mean it does not suit a spur-of-the-moment plan. Without children, it is not for you. With children, book it, go on a weekday afternoon if you can, and let them run.
Final Word on the Bloomfield Science Museum
Jerusalem asks a lot of children: long walks, hot stone, hushed churches and a great deal of “please don’t touch that”. The Bloomfield Science Museum is where you pay them back. Book ahead, avoid Sundays and Fridays, and give them a morning of pulling levers and falling for illusions, and they will follow you round the Old City the next day with far better grace. For more ideas, see Jerusalem with kids, our family itinerary, and the rest of the city’s museums.
Photo Credits
The Bloomfield Science Museum from the air, with its coloured panels: BloomfieldScienceMuseumJerusalemJan052023 01 by Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The museum buildings on the Givat Ram campus: BloomfieldScienceMuseumJerusalemJan052023 04 by Hagai Agmon-Snir حچاي اچمون-سنير חגי אגמון-שניר, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Mountain gazelles in Gazelle Valley: Gazelle-Valley-029 by MathKnight, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Jerusalem Botanical Garden lit for an evening event: 123420 jerusalem botanical garden PikiWiki Israel by ישראל פרקר, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons.
