Navio Museu Gil Eannes

About the museum

The Navio Hospital Gil Eannes was built in Viana do Castelo, at the Estaleiros Navais de Viana do Castelo, and began working as a hospital in 1955. For decades it supported the Portuguese cod fleet that fished on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and off Greenland. When the fleet was decommissioned, the ship was left abandoned in the Lisbon docks for many years.

In 1998 the Fundação Gil Eannes, which regarded the ship as the town's cultural and emotional heritage, rescued it from the scrapyard for about €250 thousand, after a campaign that mobilised all sections of the population of Viana. On 31 January 1998 it was welcomed with celebrations at the mouth of the Lima, and after being cleaned and restored it opened to the public as an attraction for the town.

The conversion turned the ship into a museum space, with exhibition rooms, a meeting room and a souvenir shop. The visit covers the central castle, the wheelhouse, the navigation room, the quarters of the captain and the first mate, the barber's shop, the kitchen and the bakery, the engine room, the laundry and the hospital area, with treatment room, doctor's office, radiology room, wards and operating theatre.

Highlights

• Operating theatre, doctor's office and radiology room of the hospital ship
• Wheelhouse, navigation room and captain's quarters
• Kitchen, bakery, barber's shop and engine room
• Themed cabins and a temporary exhibition room
• Views from the deck over the mouth of the Lima

Permanent exhibition

• Navio Museu Gil Eannes – Route through the spaces of the hospital ship: bridge, quarters, kitchen, engine room and the hospital area with operating theatre and wards.

Founded

1998

Operated by

Fundação Gil Eannes

Admission & discounts

Tickets can be bought at the ship's ticket office or online through partners.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum, the ship's original 1955 structure makes it impossible for people with disabilities or mobility difficulties to visit, under an exception in accessibility legislation.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

There is a family ticket and educational activities.

Getting there & parking

The ship is moored at the Doca Comercial. GPS coordinates given by the museum: 41°41′24.53″ N, 8°49′48.58″ W.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Souvenir shop on the ship and online shop.

Events & venue rental

The ship has a meeting room with projection.

Plan your visit