The Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem’s Old City will be hosting a new temporary exhibition between December 30, 2011 and April 30, 2012 entitled “Jerusalem” for Four Hands: The Animated Films of Emmanuel Luzzati and Giulio Gianini, and features the amazingly colorful collages of Emanuele Luzzati and Giulio Gianini with layers of brilliant color lying one on top of one another to create magical combinations. In addition, the exhibition will revisit the animated film “Jerusalem”, which was created for the Tower of David Museum nearly two decades ago by Luzzati and Gianini.

A family destination and Israel’s biggest tourist attraction, the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem covers over 62 acres of stunning terrain in Jerusalem. The park centers on a vast man-made lake complete with waterfalls and side pools, surrounded by spacious lawns and shaded beauty spots. The park includes a wildlife savannah with free-roaming animals and a visitor’s train that provides transportation throughout the park with several stations along the route.

The Jerusalem Bird Observatory lies in the heart of Jerusalem, just below the Knesset, the Parliament building. The observatory first opened about twenty years ago, and in January 2010, a visitor center, Israel’s first living building, also opened at the site to enhance the visitor experience and the wonder of this spot of nature where birds and birdwatchers can gather. The site also hosts a research center as well as the observatory and visitor center, and is a great place to visit among the hustle and bustle of modern Jerusalem.

The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem is located in the restored ancient Citadel of the Old City near the Jaffa Gate, the historic main entrance to the city. The museum tells the long and fascinating history of Jerusalem starting from the second millennium BCE and ending with the modern city you see today. The museum’s facade, The Citadel is itself, a fascinating archaeological site, and provides some of the best 360-degree views across the Old City and Modern City available, and comes to life at night with the Tower of David Night Spectacular.

The Israel Museum in Jerusalem is Israel’s National Museum. Founded in 1956, the Israel Museum was extensively extended and refurbished reopening in 2010. The focus of the museum is on the art, Judaica and ancient artifacts of the Land of Israel and beyond, with the museum holding some 500,000 artefacts, with 7,000 on active display.

Yad Vashem, Israel’s largest Holocaust memorial is set on the slopes of the Mount of Remembrance on the edge of Jerusalem. The new Yad Vashem Museum opened in 2005 and its nine chilling galleries of interactive historical displays present the Holocaust using a range of multimedia including photographs, films, documents, letters, works of art, and personal items found in the camps and ghettos. Yad Vashem is a place which is not fun to visit, but is definitely somewhere that we recommend all visitors to Israel experience.

The BBC talk about the Tower of David Museum’s new night-time light show which is bringing the Old City to life.

Jerusalem has literally hundreds of small museums, here are some other interesting, off the beaten track ideas.