Maritime Museum of Barcelona

The Maritime Museum of Barcelona is housed in the Drassanes Reials de Barcelona, the royal shipyard that built vessels from the 13th to the 18th century. It traces navigation history from early times through the Spanish Navy from the 15th century to the present, displaying navigation instruments, weapons, portolans, and paintings.

Don't miss

• The Gothic-style building of the Royal Shipyard, one of the largest and best-preserved medieval shipyards in the world.
• A collection of navigation instruments, including astrolabes and compasses, showing how sailors found their way.
• Portolan charts and maps from the Majorcan cartographic school and the Cresques workshop.
• Weapons and paintings that illustrate the history of the Spanish Navy from the Catholic Monarchs onward.
• The 2012 excavation findings visible in the museum, including the late-16th-century structure built over the medieval dockyard.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Maritime Museum of Barcelona

Cheapest way inOlympic and Sport Museum of Barcelona "Joan Antoni Samaranch"4.7★ · 23 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$7 per personSee dates →Best full dayGirona & Dali Museum Small Group Tour with Pick-up from Barcelona4.9★ · 3,253 travelers~10 hoursFree cancellationFrom$116 per personSee dates →Private & flexibleTransfers From Cruise Port to Barcelona Airport4.9★ · 105 travelers~1 hourFree cancellationFrom$37 per personSee dates →

Getting there

Know before you go

• The museum is located in the Port Vell area of the Port of Barcelona, near the waterfront.
• The building is a Gothic-style royal arsenal, originally used for shipbuilding.
• The museum was declared a Museum of National Interest by the Government of Catalonia.

A bit of history

The first mention of the shipyard dates from 1243 in a document outlining Barcelona's boundaries. Construction began in the 13th century under Peter III of Aragon, with two main building phases: 1283–1328 and 1328–1390. Excavations in 2012 revealed that a new building was constructed atop the medieval dockyard in the late 16th century, giving the current structure, and also uncovered a Roman graveyard. Restoration finished in early 2013, and the museum reopened in 2014.