The Maritime Museum (also referred to, at international scale, as the Navy Museum) of Lisbon is located in the celebrated Jeronimos Monastery (in fact, in the western wing of the edifice, sharing it with the National Museum of Archeology) and in an adjoining structure erected north of the monastery, representing one of the top tourist sights in Belem.

The mission of this museum is to keep alive the memory of the great naval achievements of Portugal starting from the age of the great geographical discoveries until now. In order to cover both the topic and the period of time, the museum showcases an impressive 17,000-item collection comprising a miscellaneous range of exhibits: models of ships, old maps, boats, sailing instruments, charts, paintings and even archeological findings related to the field, and plenty other museum pieces.

Thus, some of the highlights refer to a Willem Jansz Blaeu’s terrestrial globe (dating back to 1645), to the historical Santa Cruz (the first seaplane to ever fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1922), to a cabin from Queen Amelia’s yacht (visibly designed and built for the royal faces) and to the Archangel Raphael’s wooden statue said to have been carried on Vasco da Gama’s ship on his way to India. Also worthy of interest are a collection of astrolabes (the largest in the world), a collection of Asian ceramics, a Japanese armor (dating back to the 15th century) and two royal ceremonial barges dating back to the 18th century.

The history of the museum goes back to 1863, when King Luis I started to set up a collection of sailing-related items. This initial collection was enriched in the course of time, and it finally led to the setting up of the Maritime Museum, which opened its gates in 1963.

Holders of a Lisbon Card benefit from a 25% discount when entering the Maritime Museum.

Name:
Maritime Museum (Museu de Marinha)
Address:
Praca do Imperio, Lisbon, Portugal
Telephone:
00351 213 620019
Fax:
00351 213 631987
Website:
museu.marinha.pt
Opening hours:
October to April: 10am to 5pm; May to September:10am to 6pm
Go to top