Yad Vashem is the world’s central memorial to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, and for many visitors it is among the most affecting places they will see in Israel. Set on the Mount of Remembrance in western Jerusalem, the 45-acre campus brings together the Holocaust History Museum, the Children’s Memorial, the Hall of Names, the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, and an archive and research center. Entry is free. This guide to visiting Yad Vashem Jerusalem explains what you will see, how to plan and book your visit, current practical details, and how to prepare for an experience that is deliberately difficult.
This is sober subject matter, so the guidance below is plain and practical. For families weighing whether and how to bring younger visitors, our Yad Vashem with children guide goes further, and our Jerusalem history overview places the memorial in the city’s wider story.
What Yad Vashem is
Yad Vashem was established by Israeli law in 1953 as the national institution for Holocaust remembrance, documentation, research, and education. Its name, drawn from the Book of Isaiah (56:5), means roughly “a memorial and a name,” reflecting the mission to restore the individual identity of victims who were reduced to numbers. The campus receives around a million visitors a year, including world leaders and visiting dignitaries, and combines commemoration with one of the most important Holocaust archives in existence. Admission is free, and donations support its work.
The main sites to see
The campus is large and you cannot absorb all of it in one visit, so it helps to know the core elements before you arrive.
- Holocaust History Museum: the main museum, a chronological journey from the rise of Nazism to liberation and its aftermath.
- Children’s Memorial: an underground space honoring the roughly 1.5 million Jewish children who were killed.
- Hall of Names: the repository of Pages of Testimony documenting victims by name.
- Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations: an outdoor memorial to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews.
- Hall of Remembrance (Ohel Yizkor): a somber hall naming the major camps and killing sites.
- Museum of Holocaust Art, the synagogue, and the Visual Center: further galleries, artefacts, and filmed testimony.
Holocaust History Museum
The centerpiece, opened in 2005 and designed by the architect Moshe Safdie, is a long triangular prism that cuts through the hillside. Visitors move through a sequence of underground galleries that tell the history through documents, artefacts, photographs, film, and above all personal stories, before emerging at the far end onto a balcony that opens suddenly onto a view of modern Jerusalem, a deliberate movement from darkness toward life. Plan two to three hours for the museum alone, and be prepared for content that is intentionally unflinching.
Children’s Memorial
Also designed by Safdie, the Children’s Memorial is among the most powerful spaces anywhere. You walk through a darkened chamber where a handful of memorial candles are reflected endlessly by mirrors into what appears to be a galaxy of tiny lights, while a recorded voice reads the names, ages, and home countries of murdered children. It takes only a few minutes to pass through, but it stays with people for a long time afterward.
Hall of Names
At the end of the History Museum, the Hall of Names is a circular chamber lined with photographs of victims, beneath a cone of faces reflected in a pool of water below. It holds the Pages of Testimony, millions of forms recording the names and details of the murdered, gathered over decades from surviving relatives. The aim is to document every individual, and the associated database is searchable online and on site, allowing visitors to look for family members.
Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations
Outside, the Garden of the Righteous honors non-Jews who risked, and sometimes lost, their lives to rescue Jews during the Holocaust. Each is recognized with a name on the wall or a tree, and the honorees, numbering well over twenty thousand from many countries, include figures such as Oskar Schindler, Raoul Wallenberg, and Chiune Sugihara. Amid so much loss, this part of the campus deliberately holds space for human courage.
Hours, booking, and fees
Admission is free, but the practical arrangements matter, so plan ahead. Opening hours vary by day of the week and tend to run from 9am, closing earlier on Tuesdays and on Fridays and holiday eves and later on certain days; the campus is closed on Saturdays for Shabbat and on Jewish holidays. Because exact hours shift seasonally, check the official Yad Vashem website before you go.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Admission | Free; donations welcomed |
| Hours | From 9am, varying by day; earlier close Tue and Fri; closed Sat and Jewish holidays |
| Reservations | Advance booking is recommended and often required; a small non-refundable handling fee (around 10-15 ILS per person) may apply |
| Age policy | The Holocaust History Museum is not recommended for, and generally does not admit, children under 10; no strollers inside the museum |
| Audio guide | Around 30 ILS, in many languages; recommended |
| Time needed | At least 3-4 hours for the core sites |
Note the age policy in particular: the History Museum is designed for older children and adults, does not admit children under about 10, and does not allow strollers or babies in carriers inside the museum itself. Families with younger children should read our dedicated Yad Vashem with children guide before planning. Booking a timed entry in advance is the safest approach, especially in peak season and around memorial days.
Getting there
Yad Vashem sits on the Mount of Remembrance, beside Mount Herzl, on the western edge of the city. The easiest approach is the Light Rail Red Line to the Mount Herzl terminus, from which a free shuttle runs into the campus or you can walk over in roughly ten minutes. Several city buses also serve the area, and a taxi from the center is quick. Our transportation guide covers the Red Line, buses, and sherut shared taxis in detail.
Preparing for your visit
A visit to Yad Vashem is emotionally demanding by design, and it helps to go in ready for that.
- Allow plenty of time and resist rushing. Four hours is a realistic minimum for the core sites.
- Wear comfortable shoes and bring water; there is a lot of walking across the hillside campus.
- Eat lightly beforehand. Heavy content paired with a heavy meal does not sit well; there is a cafe on site.
- Plan something gentle afterward, such as quiet time, a park, or the nearby Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, to decompress.
- Mind photography rules: photography is restricted inside the History Museum, though permitted at many outdoor memorials. Follow the signage and staff guidance.
- Dress respectfully; this is a place of mourning and commemoration.
Accessibility and research
The campus is largely wheelchair accessible, with step-free routes through the main museum and memorials and accessible facilities; staff can advise on the easiest paths and on borrowing a wheelchair. For visitors tracing family history, Yad Vashem’s library and archives hold vast Holocaust collections, and its names database of Pages of Testimony can be searched online and with on-site assistance, often by advance arrangement. Our Jerusalem accessibility guide has more on step-free travel around the city.
Combining Yad Vashem with Mount Herzl
Yad Vashem sits immediately beside Mount Herzl, Israel’s national cemetery and the site of the graves of national leaders, including Theodor Herzl, and a military memorial section. The two places are often visited together because they sit a short walk apart and speak to linked themes of loss, memory, and national renewal. The adjoining Herzl Museum offers a short multimedia introduction to Herzl’s life and the early Zionist movement. If you intend to see both, give yourself most of a day and start at Yad Vashem in the morning when you are freshest, since it is the more demanding of the two.
The whole area is easy to reach at the western end of the Light Rail Red Line, which makes it simple to fold into a wider plan. Our Jerusalem itinerary guide shows where a memorial morning fits across a multi-day trip, and our roundup of things to do in Jerusalem can help you balance heavier and lighter days.
Why Yad Vashem stands apart
Many cities have Holocaust museums, but Yad Vashem is distinctive in scale and intent. It is at once a place of mourning, a vast research archive, an educational institution that trains teachers from around the world, and the body that confers the title of Righteous Among the Nations. The architecture is part of the message: the prism of the History Museum, the buried Children’s Memorial, and the sudden release of the view over Jerusalem at the end are designed to carry visitors through descent and return rather than simply to inform. Approached with time and attention, it is less a museum to tick off than an experience to move through.
For visitors with a particular interest in the period, the on-site Visual Center holds thousands of hours of survivor testimony and Holocaust-related film that you can watch by request, and the Museum of Holocaust Art displays works created during and after the war. These quieter corners reward those who linger, though even the core route leaves most people needing space afterward.
After your visit
Because the experience is intense, it is genuinely worth planning a gentle counterweight for the rest of the day. The nearby Jerusalem Botanical Gardens and the green spaces around the city offer somewhere calm to sit and process; our Jerusalem parks guide lists options. Some visitors prefer solitude, others the company of whoever they came with; there is no wrong way to decompress. What most people find is that a short pause, a coffee, and some fresh air help the visit settle into something they are glad they did, even though it was hard.
However you spend the rest of the day, give the memorial the time it deserves rather than squeezing it between busier attractions. Yad Vashem rewards a slow, attentive visit, and the practical steps above, booking ahead, arriving early, eating lightly, and leaving room to reflect, are what let you take it in properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Yad Vashem?
Yad Vashem is Israel’s official Holocaust memorial and museum, established in 1953 on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem. It is the world’s central institution for Holocaust documentation, commemoration, and education.
How much does it cost to visit?
Entry is free. A small non-refundable handling fee of around 10 to 15 shekels per person may apply to advance reservations, and audio guides cost about 30 shekels. Donations are welcomed.
What are the opening hours, and is it open on Shabbat?
Hours vary by day, generally from 9am with earlier closing on Tuesdays, Fridays, and holiday eves. The campus is closed on Saturday for Shabbat and on Jewish holidays, so plan a Sunday-to-Friday visit and check current times before you go.
How long should I plan for a visit?
Allow at least three to four hours for the History Museum, Children’s Memorial, and Hall of Names, and add an hour or two for the outdoor memorials and the Garden of the Righteous.
Can children visit Yad Vashem?
The Holocaust History Museum is intended for older visitors and generally does not admit children under about 10, and strollers are not allowed inside. Families with younger children should consult our dedicated guide for age-appropriate planning.
How do I get to Yad Vashem?
Take the Light Rail Red Line to the Mount Herzl stop, then use the free campus shuttle or walk about ten minutes. Several buses serve the area, and a taxi from the city center is a quick alternative.
How much does it cost to visit Yad Vashem?
Entry to Yad Vashem is free, which is part of its mission of public remembrance. You should still reserve a timed entry slot in advance during busy periods, and budget a few shekels for an audio guide or printed materials if you want extra context as you move through the History Museum.
