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Visit Masada, Israel from Jerusalem on a Day Trip
A day trip from Jerusalem to Masada National Park can be a highlight of your vacation in Israel. Masada is the home to the ancient palace-fortress of King Herod the Great. This stunningly well-preserved fortress remains largely intact nearly 2,000 years after Jewish rebels known as Zealots made their last stand here against thousands of troops from the Roman Empire’s 10th Legion. Masada today is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Getting there can be half the fun; it’s an enjoyable and scenic drive there along the coast of the Dead Sea. Masada’s setting, isolated in the desert, is almost as remarkable as the site itself.
Read on for important travel tips and warnings in this comprehensive guide. This Masada virtual tour is an important preview that will focus on the highlights. It will help you to get more out of your actual visit and ensure you have a memorable day trip.
For a complete list of the rooms and features you can see at the fortress, scroll to the end.
How to Get to Masada from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv
Renting a car is the easiest way to do this Masada tour and also gives you the most flexibility. Most of the time, it will only take about 1.5 hours to drive from Jerusalem to Masada. From Jerusalem to the Dead Sea, it’s a little shorter—roughly an hour.
It’s also possible to visit Masada from Tel Aviv, but this will be a very long day. The driving time should be around 2 to 2.5 hours one way under normal driving conditions.
If you have a week in Israel, I’d recommend scheduling Masada into the first part of your itinerary. Your first attempt may fail. Keep in mind that the land around Masada and the neighboring Dead Sea is among the lowest points on earth. Thus, the land is at risk of flooding that can make the roads to and from these attractions impassible.
The first time I tried to visit Masada (in December), the roads indeed flooded and were blocked. After an hour of waiting on the road for conditions to improve, many of us decided to turn around.
However, everything worked out fine during my second try a few days later. So don’t wait until the end of your trip to see Masada, or you may not get another chance.
A 1-Day Masada, Israel Itinerary
Set out early in the morning to avoid traffic and maximize your time at Masada and the Dead Sea. Some people like to drive out and arrive long before dawn. They climb Masada while it’s still dark out, because Masada at sunrise can be a striking sight. I wasn’t that hardcore and decided to sleep in a bit longer.
Regardless of whether you get there super early or just early, you’ll enter a vast parking lot that should still be mostly empty at 8 a.m. Take a short trek up the hill from the parking lot and you’ll see the entrance to Masada National Park.
Entrance Tickets
You can reserve an entry ticket online. You also have the option to purchase extras, like entry to the museum or a round-trip cable car ride (I recommend both). Alternatively, you can buy your ticket when you arrive, but this is riskier if you’re traveling during popular times.
Ticket prices are very reasonable for a full day of entertainment. By the way, while some people see Masada in just a couple of hours, I do recommend setting aside the entire day for this adventure.
Visit the Masada Museum
Ticket in hand, proceed to the on-site museum, which is definitely worth a short stop. I’d recommend a closer look at the museum on your way back out.
Take a look at the model of Masada to familiarize yourself with the layout. It has inscriptions quoting the famous Romano-Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, author of The Jewish War. A giant painting on the wall depicts a bloody battle between the Romans and Jews.
Inside the theater, watch the short introductory film, which depicts the Roman construction of a vast ramp during the legion’s siege of the Jewish occupied fortress.
Inspect the handful of artifacts—mostly jugs and vases—in glass cases from Masada’s heyday, then get ready for your ascent to the top of Masada. Skip the dark 9-room museum for the time being, but save an hour or two for it this afternoon. You can catch it on your way back after you’ve seen the fortress.
Scaling Masada: Snake Path Hiking vs. Riding the Cable Car
Now you’ll need to make a choice between a strenuous 45-60 minute Masada hike and the easy cable car ride. If you opt for the Masada climb, you’ll ascend the Snake Path, a long trail up the mountain via stone steps and gravel roads. The Snake Path is exposed to the elements. It’s probably not too bad when the weather is mild, but can be quite taxing when it’s hot outside.
I selected the cable car ride. Surrounded by glass windows, I had sweeping views of mountain cliffs and valleys during the ride. Spectacular.
Furthermore, as a history buff, taking the cable car instead of the Snake Path to Masada was a doubly wise decision. The quick ascent gave me a lot more time to study the ruins and plenty of time there before the big tourist groups arrived. You don’t want to wait in line to see the most impressive rooms at the fortress. Exploring the site and museum kept me busy all day and I stayed until a few minutes before closing time at 3 p.m.
The Snake Path Gate
Assuming you take the cable car as well, you’ll get out close to the Snake Path entrance. Take the stairs and ramp up, and you’ll soon see a giant billowing Israeli flag.
Thankfully, the authorities responsible for the site have done an excellent job marking notable features with written descriptions and illustrations of what these places looked like in the first century AD.
The Commandant’s Residence
The once splendid rooms of the Commandant’s Residence used to house a prominent man who could be trusted to protect the king from internal and external threats. By the time of the Jewish War, this room housed several families. Today you can still see walls with the remains of painted frescoes.
Commandant’s Headquarters
Next door is the main entrance to the Northern Palace, which also holds the Commandant’s Headquarters. The headquarters used to manage the flow of traffic and delivery of goods to the palace-fortress. This was also the gateway to the all-important storage rooms.
Store Rooms Complex
A place as remote as this required an extensive storage complex to provide food and water to its inhabitants. The store rooms complex contained a series of 29 narrow, windowless, 30-meter-long rooms that contained jugs of food. Large quantities of grain, dates and other dried fruit, fish products, oil, and other items enabled inhabitants to withstand a long siege.
With so much storage space, there was even a wing to hold weapons and raw construction materials. It made sense for the Jewish rebels to select this location to make their last stand.
They had more than these storage rooms to sustain them, too. Masada also had extensive cisterns capable of collecting rainwater (up to 40,000 cubic meters). They used dams, aqueducts, and convoys of pack animals to transport water across the fortress complex. Parts of the plateau were also capable of growing crops.
The Northern Palace
One of the the most impressive places at Masada is the Northern Palace that Herod built on three terraces down the cliff side. From here, you can enjoy stupendous views of the surrounding desert and Mountains of Moab, the Dead Sea, and the oasis of En Gedi.
Herod had grand living rooms and bedrooms, bathing areas, banquet and reception areas, and a library here.
At the upper terrace, you can see the former king’s sleeping quarters, as well as a column-lined balcony.
The middle terrace, accessible from the upper terrace via a winding staircase, housed a rounded reception area and library filled with scrolls. Unfortunately, not much of this level survives today, aside from the circular foundations.
The lower terrace that housed the banquet and reception area is in the best shape. You can still see painted walls, mosaic floors, and columns here.
Large Bathhouse
From the terraces of the Northern Palace, you can make your way via a trail along the side of the mountain to the Large Bathhouse. Bathing was an important part of ancient Roman life, not only for hygiene but also for social functions. This bathhouse was a marvel of ancient engineering, with separate cold, warm, and hot rooms, as well as an advanced heating hypocaust system underneath the tile floors and furnace.
The “Lots”
In another section near the baths, archaeologists discovered the “lots” drawn by the Jewish rebels. These are a series of pottery shards that Flavius Josephus described the rebels drawing. The lots would determine who would kill the others when the group agreed on mass suicide the night before the Roman breakthrough of Masada’s defenses.
Columbarium Tower
Herod raised doves in columbarium towers, or dovecots, like this one. The walls contained hundreds of niches in which the doves roosted. Inhabitants of the palace were able to use the doves as food and their droppings as fertilizer for crops.
The Breaching Point and Remains of Roman Military Camps
Alongside one wall of Masada, you can still see the massive ramp the Roman legion built to besiege the fortress. The Romans under Flavius Silva used a siege tower, battering ram, and fire here to storm the fortress.
Today, you can also still climb up the ramp to reach the fortress instead of taking the aforementioned hike up the Snake Path or the cable car. However, there’s a catch. To reach the base of the ramp, you have to drive 68 kilometers to the town of Arad. Only from there can you climb the Roman ramp.
Surprisingly, you can still see the outlines of the remains of eight Roman military camps built by Flavius Silva and 10th Legion Fretensis surrounding the complex at various points.
It’s debatable whether the rebels took their own lives the night before the Romans breached the wall. According to Flavius Josephus in the Jewish War, they did. Other historians claimed the rebels fought hand-to-hand until the bitter end.
Return to Masada Museum
Before you go, check out a few other places in the fortress, like the Western Palace, tannery, and Byzantine Church.
Then take the cable car back down and return to the Masada Museum for a closer look at the exhibits and artifacts. The museum also tells the full story of Masada and describes the life and times of Flavius Josephus. Its nine rooms are organized thematically around Herod, the rebels, and the Roman Army.
Life-size gray sculptures of people going about their days help bring the times back to life. Some of the items you’ll see from the Roman period include a braid of hair, coins, tools and cosmetic accessories, amphorae, and weapons.
Complete List of Rooms and Features at Masada Fortress
Above I’ve focused on the highlights, but I understand that some folks will want to see everything there is to see. As someone who spent 7+ hours at Masada, I can certainly understand that sentiment. So here’s a list of the main rooms and features at the fortress if you want to ensure you don’t miss anything. You’ll see these labeled at the site itself too, but it’s always good to have a preview.
- Snake Path Gate
- The Quarry
- Commandant’s Residence
- Commandant’s Headquarters
- Storeroom Complex
- Northern Palace
- Large Bathhouse
- The “Lots”
- Water Gate
- Administration Building
- Observation Point
- Synagogue
- Columbarium Tower
- Breaching Point
- Western Byzantine Gate
- Tanners’ Tower
- Western Palace
- Public Immersion Pool
- Small Palace
- Rebel Dwellings
- Eastern Water Cistern
- Byzantine Monastic Cave
- Byzantine Church
- Tower
- Officers’ Quarters
- Round Columbarium Tower
- Southern Water Cistern
- Swimming Pool
- Southern Fort
- Southern Gate
- Ritual Bath and Bakery
Onward from Masada: A Dead Sea Tour
There you have it. Hopefully this guide will help you to make the most of your Masada tour. It’s one of the best day trips Israel can offer to visitors interested in ancient history.
If you have more time after visiting Masada, a stop at the Dead Sea is convenient and worthwhile. You can’t miss it on your drive back to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv; just pull your vehicle over whenever you find a good lookout point. You can also walk down a hill to the shores of the Dead Sea.
Alternatively, you’ll find one of the most desirable Dead Sea beaches if you drive a little further south beyond Masada to Ein Bokek Beach. The beaches are free to enter, and there’s a long promenade here lined with top hotels.
If you decide to swim or float in the Dead Sea, you’ll find yourself to be remarkably buoyant. Be careful to not drink any of the extremely salty water, which is loaded with magnesium, bromide, and iodine, and don’t get it in your eyes. Seek medical attention if you consume more than a little of it. Think twice about whether to go in if you have any open cuts or nicks, as you’ll become keenly aware of them once in the water.
With more time in the country, be sure to check out the many notable sights in top tourist destinations like Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beit Shean, and Caesarea.