Qumran

Tickets and tours: all the options

Entry to Qumran is managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. You buy a ticket at the visitor centre, which includes a short film about the community and the discovery of the scrolls, a small exhibition of replica finds and the path through the ruins. Multi-park passes sold by the authority are accepted. There is no timed entry and no need to book, though groups sometimes fill the film theatre.

On GetYourGuide Qumran appears as one stop on day tours. From Jerusalem and from Tel Aviv, guided coach or minibus tours combine it with Bethlehem, Jericho and a swim or float in the Dead Sea. They include transport and a guide; entry fees, lunch and the beach facilities are often extra, so read the details. Time at Qumran on these tours is usually under an hour, enough for the film and the main path but not for the walk towards the caves.

With a car, an independent visit is easy and combines well with Ein Feshkha or Ein Gedi on the same day. Without one, the Jerusalem day tour is the sensible choice: it is shorter than the trip from Tel Aviv and handles the crossing between areas under different control, which is hard to manage alone.

A short history

The settlement was built on the site of an earlier Iron Age fort under the Hasmonean ruler John Hyrcanus, around 104 BC,. It was home to a Jewish group of the late Second Temple period, which most scholars identify with the Essenes. Damaged by an earthquake in 31 BC, it was rebuilt and occupied until the Romans destroyed it in AD 68 during the First Jewish War, and rebels used it again in the Bar Kokhba revolt. Around 900 scrolls were found in eleven caves nearby from 1947, and Roland de Vaux excavated the settlement in the 1950s. It is now managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and is on Palestine's tentative list for World Heritage.

Getting there

Qumran lies on Route 90 along the north-western shore of the Dead Sea, about 10 km south of Jericho and roughly 50 km from Jerusalem, a drive of about 45 minutes down Route 1 through the Judean desert. From Ben Gurion Airport allow about an hour and a half. Egged buses from Jerusalem's central bus station towards Ein Gedi and the southern Dead Sea pass the site; ask the driver for the Qumran stop at the junction by Kalya, from which the entrance is a walk of a few minutes. Buses are less frequent on Fridays and do not run on Saturdays. Drivers will find a large free car park at the visitor centre. Check the current security situation and road checkpoints before travelling.

Rules and what to bring

Stay on the marked paths and walkways and do not climb on the walls or enter the cisterns. Climbing to the caves is allowed only on marked trails and is not safe in the heat of the day. Drones need a permit. Carry plenty of water, a hat and sunscreen even in spring, as dehydration is a real risk here. The visitor centre has toilets, a cafeteria and a large shop selling Dead Sea cosmetics, and there are shaded benches near the entrance.

When to go

Qumran lies well below sea level, and from May to September temperatures in the afternoon often pass 40 degrees, with no shade among the ruins. In summer, come at 8 am, or in the last two hours before closing when the low sun softens the light on the cliffs.

The best season is November to April, when days are warm and sunny and rain is rare; spring also brings a little green to the wadi. Coach groups on Dead Sea tours usually arrive between about 10 am and 1 pm, often filling the film theatre. Jewish holidays such as Passover and Sukkot, and Christian pilgrimage seasons around Easter and Christmas, bring many more visitors. On Fridays and holiday eves the site closes earlier, and public transport thins out. Allow one to two hours for the visitor centre and ruins, and longer if you walk towards the caves.