National Museum of Underwater Archaeology in Cartagena

Its not on par with other museums Ive been to, but it gives you such a knowledgeable background of cartagenas contribution to todays economy and how it started and then evolved

Fantastic museum with great exhibits. Interactive so good for children/teenagers

A fascinating exhibition giving me a greater understanding of how goods were transported in the past, how ships were built, loaded and unloaded, and some of the remarkable objects discovered underwater.Amazing displays, models and dioramas. A national treasure.

Great to see & so well set out in a beautiful building.

Not great value bit of a waste of 3 euros

Wonderful place to visit. Full of exciting artifacts and information.Some of the displays are even multi lingual and interactive.Great to take children.

Informative, not too big (which was good with kids). Great time!

Very interesting musuem outlining the checked history of the port znd its finds. Quite small, but in a very large space. Definitely worth a visit

Incredible amount of information. Exhibitions are detailed and beautifully done..lots of interactive things. Free entry. Well worth a visit if you enjoy history .

This is a large museum, on the port next to the marina aptly enough. We parked in the underground car park on the same street and it was a few minutes walk to the museum.Entrance was possibly €6 each but I cant quite remember. The museum is modern and well laid out, starting with an explanation of what marine archeology actually is, what it covers and what it tries to achieve. It also showed how the tools and resources have changed as technology moves on but also the dangers as the treasure hunters become equally sophisticated.The later section is a chronological display of items recovered and an explanation of how maritime trade worked and what the trade routes were. This started with a Phonecian vessel and continued to the nineteenth century.There is also a good little shop and I think theres a cafe on the upper floor but we didnt go there. We spent over an hour inside and it was a fascinating visit.

Free on Sundays, a good mix of interactive exhibits and artifacts. I loved getting to see the items from the ancient world. Most plaques have Spanish and English although I saw pamphlets that had other languages available. It’s small but we’ll worth a pop through

A fascinating museum, not very large but packed with exhibits and artifacts. Lots of information about cultures and shipbuilding in addition to the artifacts from Neolithic to modern times. Plan to spend at least two hours here.

It might be a nice museum. However, we did a stop-over at Cartagena in order to visit that museum but it was closed without any information why.

Interesting exhibition. Currently free entry for all visitors until 31 December 2021. It is very close to the Cruise port terminal.

Great museum. Hard on my feet, theres a lot of slow walking and standing still. Some interactive exhibits appear disabled, covid?

Interesting place to go round some interactive items not working due to covid restrictions

Very interesting museum. Well laid out. Much of the information in English as well as Spanish.

Interesting content, displayed well, but a lot of the interactive exhibits arent working - not sure whether this is due to Covid, or other reasons. Entry was free, though, so I cant complain too much!

Very interesting (honestly I didnt expect it to be so), a pity that with covid19 restrictions many interactive activities cannot be used for the moment but Im sure they would be great in normal circumstances

Really enjoyed visiting here, especially since it was free today. Not ideal for children right now with no interactive exhibits but for an adult with a passion for history, it was fascinating. Sadly the cafeteria was also closed. Bonus tip, there is free carparking just across the road

You just have to go. A brilliant museum. Both content and architecture

Took the opportunity to visit during the Museum Night weekend and was super impressed with the exhibits displayed. Though it was quite disappointing to see that not all stations were functioning i.e. interactive buttons does not respond (not sure whether it has been deactivated due to pandemic safety measures). Overall a great exposure to the underwater archeological history and would definitely recommend families to visit as means of educational purposes!

Really excellent. Great design and lay out and very interesting. Definitely worth a visit.

Interesting museum in a fantastic city. Well worth the 3 euros entrance fee. Plenty of interactive features to keep the kids happy. We didnt bring any kids and were still happy

This museum is located immediately to the right as you leave the cruise port. Walk between the two large buildings and go down a slope that resembles the entrance to a parking garage. Entrance is free for seniors if you have proof age (65+).The museum focuses on the archaeological history of the development of shipping on the Mediterranean Sea from Phoenician time to today. It details how shipwrecks should be studied when discovered so as to preserve them and their treasures rather than plundered. A well designed layout leads you past interactive and static displays showing how wrecks are discovered, surveyed and protected. Many recovered artifacts are on display as well as cross-sections of ships of different periods and how they constructed and loaded.A not to be missed museum if you have an interest in nautical history.

This was an amazing couple of hours, very modern building and a national museum. Its free on Sundays. You go down a ramp to enter (perhaps going down into the sea?Very wheel-chair user and mobility impairment accessible. In Spanish as well as the English language. There are videos of modern day finds of submerged cities, shipwrecks and conservation in-situ, on the sea bed. Also exhibits of shipwrecks and the items found, the oldest 2 are replicas of Phoecian ships found in Mazarron, Murcia. Another one sunk in the Americas1802 by Britain resulted in Spain winning a 21st century American court case proving that the ship sunk was their property rather than the American salvage hunting conpany who found and plundered it. (It had Spanish coins, silver, gold, lead and other artefacts that could be sold). Id recommend this museum if you have the time to do it justice.

Lovely museum, very interesting visit. Nice friendly staff

I drove hours to come to the museum, wont do it again. Great building in the Cartagenas Harbour, clean, well maintained, however content about the topic is scarce and not well exploited, not available publications, more stuffed animals than books related. Much to explote but mainly focus to one great research, come on guys, I know it can be done better and you want it to. BTW is very affordable if you are around

This Museum is small but interesting. 3€ entry fee... next to the lift that takes you up the mountain for a fee.. Its series of tunnels that were used in the war..gives you a good idea of how people lived and shared the space in those difficult times.

Many interesting facts about underwater archeology, some technics and beautiful exhibition.

The museum is very well done. For kids it could have been a little more interactive. The prices in the shop are strangely high. But access on sunday was for free.

Fascinating small museum telling the story of how shipwrecks are excavated. Excellent information in Spanish and English, with other languages also available as leaflets. Not a huge number of exhibits but very well chosen

a lot of room around little exponates. we did expect more vessels or boats through all the ages. the exposition is well explained in englisch and spanish and gives a good overview about the concervation prosess of the exponates.

We loved this place. Very well done modern museum with interesting and interactive exhibits as well as the usual displays of finds behind glass. We especially loved the lead ingots and the pieces of eight silver coins.

Very interesting to visit. This museum preserves and displays some of the mos interestinf articles from the Spanish underwater cultural heritage, including shipwrecks, treasures and focils. Also includes some interesting interactive activities for children and adults!The building itself is magnificent with about 6.000 m2 surface, build by Guillermo Vázquez-Consuegra.

Excellent museum telling the history of Spain through its maritime history. Wonderful artefacts and interactive displays. We could have spent much longer there!

A very well put together museum with interesting exhibits, a lot of interactive models and a wealth of information on the specific archaeological techniques used in underwater exploration. At 3 Euros, it is good value and is certainly a different experience to the great majority of museum.

If you are curious about archaeology and specifically how archaeology is performed underwater this is your place. The displays chronicle the entire process from discovery to recovery of not only buildings and structures but sunken vessels. With numerous interactive displays and videos, you are walked through and immersed in each and every aspect of underwater archaeological recovery.Well thought out and engaging timelines depicting ancient maritime capabilities and reach.

Great museum, based around the recovery and conservation of the 2 Phonician ship wrecks discovered in Puerto de Mazarrón, and the recovery and conservation of objects recovered from the wreck of Nuestra Señora de Mercedes. The displays also go into the technical side of the discovery, recording and conservation of ancient shipwrecks. Very informative

Right next to the cruise ship terminal in Cartagena but overlooked by most passengers. A very different museum.

Excellent facilities and presentation of the Mediterranean history of shipping as well as the preservation of historical sites and artifacts. Clear and easy to understand , presented in many languages. Weekends are free but admission is low anyway. This is a good way to ensure that one can visit the museum and learn a lot, even though he or she might not be able to afford it.

One of the more affordable venues to enter in Cartagena - quite a few interactive exhibits for kids. Worth the €3 entry with much of the information in Spanish and English.

Very interesting and interactive museum suitable for families with kids.

A very well presented and delightful collection of fascinating archaeology. Air conditioned, spacious, inexpensive, and full of brilliant discoveries including very well preserved bronze age ships (the sheer nerve of those early sailors is so impressive....one of the ships on display is hardly bigger than a big dinghy). Highly recommended.

Very nice, modern and interesting.In this museum it is explained how the excavations under water works. Many movies, pictures, texts and exhibits help to understand. And furthermore the historical details of the costa blanca are described.

Interactive,stimulating and modern. Outstanding preserved goods from Spanish shipwrecks. Learnt a lot about Phoenician history through to Roman and 19th century. Free entry for students 18-25 years.

High quality exhibition! Recommend coming back if you have previously visited, as the content have been updated and the international information a lot better since our visit 5 years ago ☺

Most interesting place. Very well kept and explained attention to detail. Very reasonable priced

This museum is a must. It is very well laid out and you will go home with a lot of information. The Phoenician boat they found in Mazarrón is on display. Underwater archaeology is explained in details. As a bonus it is absolutely recommendable to take a meal in the museums cafeteria - €12 for a delicious set meal -, while you enjoy the view over the harbour.

Fascinating look at the history of the seafarers who have touched Spanish shores. Excellent interactive displays and the information boards are provided in a number of languages. The staff are friendly too!