The National Maritime Museum is the largest museum of its kind in the world.
The galleries and displays allow you to discover ships and boats of all shapes and sizes, voyage across the world’s oceans, and experience epic adventures of exploration and encounter. After your visit, the sea will never be the same again.
From historic treasures to family favourites, hidden gems to major exhibitions, get a taste of what you can see and do at the National Maritime Museum today.
Image
Celebrate the Women of the RNLI
Life savers, fundraisers, trailblazers: discover the vital roles that women play in saving lives at sea.
Women of the RNLI is a new exhibition for 2024 celebrating the work of women in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.
Featuring striking photography, personal testimony and breathtaking film, the exhibition offers a window into the lives of volunteers across the UK and Ireland.
Find out more about the exhibition
Image
Travel the world in the Museum's free galleries
Explore everywhere from the icy Arctic to the islands of the Pacific in the National Maritime Museum's permanent galleries.
A recommended visitor route will guide you through many of the highlights of the Museum, including relics from the Titanic, and the uniform that Nelson was wearing when he was fatally wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar. Listen to the free audio guide on your phone to find out more about the stories behind the objects.
Image
Journey through the universe
Astronomy Photographer of the Year is an annual competition featuring the world’s greatest space photography. Photographers from across the globe compete to take home the prestigious title.
Now it's your chance to see their spellbinding work for free. The new exhibition is free for all visitors, and opens on Friday 13 September.
Image
Swing over to The Cove
Let your children's imaginations run wild at The Cove, a brand new outdoor playground next to Greenwich Park.
Clamber aboard the ship and take the wheel, spin on the compass roundabout, scramble through the mighty Kraken’s tentacles and come face to face with the giant Cutty Shark!
Image
See a real Fijian canoe
Fijian canoes, known as drua, can only be built by members of the community who inherited the right to use their skills from their ancestors. See this one in the Pacific Encounters gallery, where you can discover the traditions, histories and cultures of the Pacific. Learn about encounters between Europeans and the Te-Moananui-a-Kiwa (people of the Pacific Ocean), and the legacies still felt today.
Chill out in the Polar Worlds gallery
Discover tales of polar exploration, and learn more about the indigenous communities that live in the Arctic and Antarctic.
In such a crucial time for climate change, come and discover more about this incredible region.
Image
Take a photo of the Ship in a Bottle
Yinka Shonibare's richly decorated replica of Nelson's ship HMS Victory is one of the most photographed artworks in London. But how did it get in that bottle in the first place? Try to work out the solution when you spy it outside the Museum café.
Marvel at Nelson’s jacket
The jacket that Nelson was wearing when he was shot and fatally wounded at the Battle of Trafalgar is on display for free at the National Maritime Museum's Nelson, Navy, Nation gallery. If you look closely you can even see the hole in the fabric where the bullet entered.
Image
Uncover the stories behind our objects
Our daily tours and gallery talks are the perfect way to discover the must-see highlights of the Museum, led by our friendly and knowledgeable guides.
Whether you want to take part in our guided Treasures Tour; listen to extraordinary tales during our Gallery Favourites talks or delve into the past with our volunteer guides, come and embark on a voyage of discovery.
Join a fantastic free festival
Vibrant Diwali celebrations, Lunar New Year lion dances, Windrush Day commemorations – the National Maritime Museum plays host to some truly memorable events throughout the year.
From major festivals to inspiring workshops, make sure you check our what's on listings to see what you could take part in.
Find your connection to the sea
Ever felt the pull of the ocean, the tug of the tide? The hundreds of objects in Sea Things may help you understand why.
This gallery delights, tantalises and entertains with its focus on quirky, poignant and unexpected objects. It includes everything from a coat hook made from an albatross beak to a flotilla of ship models, talking sculptures, objects you can touch, and even a pocket watch worn by a victim of the Titanic disaster.
Image
Research your ancestors
The Caird Library contains over 100,000 books, 20,000 pamphlets and 8000 rare books, which covers everything from the Royal Navy and piracy to shipwrecks and the two World Wars.
Want to discover more about your past? If you have family members who served or travelled on ships you can trace their history, and learn more about your ancestors.
Image
Sail back in time
At the end of the 15th century, Europe embarked on a new age of oceanic voyaging, crossing the Atlantic to reach the Americas and rounding the Cape of Good Hope to enter the Indian Ocean.
Over the next two centuries, England, later Britain, emerged as a leading maritime power, whose prosperity was intimately connected to the sea. The Tudor and Stuarts Seafarers gallery charts this story, and assesses the often violent consequences of the growth of empire.
What’s On
Events at the National Maritime Museum.
Choose your tickets
National Maritime Museum
- Guaranteed entry time
- Access to all free galleries and activities
- Special exhibitions free in 2024
| Free entry |
|---|
| Book online |
Special exhibition
Astronomy Photographer of the Year
- The world's greatest space photography
- Over 100 images on display
- Entry to National Maritime Museum included
Currently free
Member tickets
- Unlimited free entry
- Priority booking and exclusive events
- Access using your membership card
| Membership card number required |
|---|
Become a Member
- Unlimited entry all year
- Royal Observatory
- Cutty Sark
- Planetarium Shows
- Special exhibitions
| Direct Debit | One-off |
|---|---|
| Individual: £50 | Individual: £60 |
| Family: from £60 | Family: from £70 |