Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life

Berkeley


This museum boasts a fine collection – almost 15,000 pieces – of art and cultural artifacts sourced from across the Jewish diaspora, particularly Jewish communities in the American West. Note that the museum is open during the academic year, and closed outside of fall and spring semester.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Berkeley attractions

1. UC Berkeley Art Museum

0.07 MILES

With a stainless-steel exterior wrapping around a 1930s printing plant, this museum holds multiple galleries showcasing a limited number of artworks, from…

2. UC Museum of Paleontology

0.29 MILES

Despite the title, this isn't a museum, but rather a research facility that's closed to the public. With that said, the location within the Valley Life…

3. Sather Gate

0.4 MILES

The frenetic energy buzzing from the university’s Sather Gate on any given day is a mixture of youthful posthippies reminiscing about days before their…

4. University of California, Berkeley

0.41 MILES

'Cal' is one of the country's top universities, California's oldest university (1866), and home to 40,000 diverse, politically conscious students. Next to…

5. Bancroft Library

0.47 MILES

The Bancroft houses, among other gems, the papers of Mark Twain, a copy of Shakespeare’s folios and a diary from the Donner Party. Its small public…

6. Telegraph Avenue

0.47 MILES

Telegraph Ave has traditionally been the throbbing heart of studentville in Berkeley, the sidewalks crowded with undergrads, postdocs and youthful…

7. Campanile

0.52 MILES

Officially called Sather Tower, the Campanile was modeled on St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. The 307ft spire offers fine views of the Bay Area, and at the…

8. People’s Park

0.59 MILES

This park, just east of Telegraph Ave, is a marker in local history as a political battleground between residents and the city and state government in the…