Mini Israel is a great little miniature park where you can see over 350 replicas of famous historical, religious, archaeological and modern sites in the Holy Land, most of which are built to a scale of 1:25. It’s an amazing place to get an idea of the magic of Israel, all wrapped up in 13 acres. And it is, of course, a great place to take the kids for a day out.
Mini Israel is located in Latrun, about 40 minutes drive from Tel Aviv on the road to Jerusalem – and around 30 minutes drive from Jerusalem. The Mini Israel park, in addition to the amazing replica buildings and landmarks, also has some 30,000 mini-residents, as well as some 3,500 miniature cars and commercial vehicles. There are also models of El Al and Swiss Air jets that taxi about on the miniature runway and make some noise, but never take off.
The Mini Israel park is actually arranged into sections that represent six main regions of Israel (North, South, Center, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa). These sections are actually designed in the form of the Star of David, Israel’s national symbol. Some of Mini Israel’s more interesting features: Mount Hermon (the tallest feature in the park), Masada (reconstructed and ready to be attacked by hordes of Roman legionnaires) and the skyscrapers of Tel Aviv (which are actually bigger than the visiting humans!).
The Mini Israel park is fully accessible to the disabled, and there are also electric cars for rent (you do need a driving license for one of these) to cabby around the park at your own pace. There are also kiosks and restaurants just in case you get peckish, as well as a big souvenir shop, where you can buy plenty of tourist tack, as well as lots of Dead Sea Ahava products. You can also take an audio guide to carry around through the park’s many sites for full and detailed explanations (listen to a sample here).
All in all, you can spend a good 2-3 hours here just walking around the sites, so with a stopover in the restaurant, allow for at least half a day. Take a hat with you and lotion up against the sun – the Mini Israel park is fairly exposed to the elements.
Prices are currently 69 shekels (approximately $17) for adults and 59 shekels ($14) for seniors and youth. For small children (aged 2-5) it’s only 15 shekels, while kids under 2 get in for free. Group prices are cheaper. The park is open everyday from 10am (including Shabbat (Saturday) during April-June), closing times vary according to the season (for example, in July/August it closes at 10pm (until 2pm on Fridays)).
Check out the official website for full details and special offers: www.mini-israel.com
Mini Israel – Highly recommended!
Telephone: 1-700-559-559
Reservations for groups: 08-9130010