Museo Nacional de Arqueología Subacuática

About the museum

The museum has its origins in the underwater finds of the 1960s off the coast of the Region of Murcia, made mainly by amateur divers and the Navy. In 1970 the Patronato de Excavaciones Arqueológicas Submarinas de la Provincia Marítima de Cartagena was created, which from 1973 worked in a former Navy pavilion on the Dique de Navidad. A ministerial order of 1980 founded the Museo y Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Arqueológicas Submarinas, which opened in 1982 in a new building on the same site, and in 1983 it was renamed the Museo Nacional de Arqueología Marítima.

In 1992 the Junta de Obras del Puerto ceded land to the Ministry of Culture for a larger headquarters. The design by the architect Guillermo Vázquez Consuegra was chosen in a competition in 1999, works began in 2001, and the new building, on the Paseo del Muelle Alfonso XII, opened in 2008. During construction the floor area was reduced to about 3,800 m². That same year a royal decree regulated the museum and its departments, and in 2012 the conservation laboratories (ARQUAtec) were set up in a warehouse on the outskirts of Cartagena.

The collection comes mainly from excavations and underwater finds off the coast of the Region of Murcia, from campaigns at other Spanish sites, and from the cargo of the frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, of which the museum is the custodian and which is presented in the exhibition “La Navegación Oceánica”, opened in 2014. The museum also works to protect underwater cultural heritage in line with the UNESCO Convention of 2001, which Spain ratified in 2005.

Highlights

• The two Phoenician ships of Mazarrón
• Elephant tusks and other pieces from the Phoenician wreck of Bajo de la Campana
• Cargo of the frigate Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes: coins, gold objects and navigation instruments
• Models, dioramas and tactile reproductions of vessels
• Amphorae, lead ingots and lamps from Roman wrecks

Permanent exhibition

• Exposición permanente – Tour on two levels: the upper floor explains underwater archaeology and its methods, and the lower floor shows, in chronological order from protohistory to the 20th century, finds from wrecks, shipbuilding and ocean navigation.

Founded

2008

Operated by

Ministerio de Cultura

Director

Iván Negueruela

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Saturdays from 14:00, all Sundays and public holidays when the museum opens exceptionally; also 18 April, 18 May, 12 October and 6 December.

Tickets are bought at the museum ticket office on the day of the visit, in cash or by card. Free entry, with accreditation, also applies to the groups listed above: unemployed people, members of large families, members of ICOM and other professional associations, teachers, official guides and practising journalists, donors of cultural goods and cultural volunteers. The museum also accepts the Bono Cultural Joven.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Building without architectural barriers, with lifts between floors. Wheelchairs are available at the ticket office, and a free electric scooter is available in the lobby, unlocked with an app. Accessible toilets at the entrance, in the temporary exhibition room, in the café and in the educational area. Induction loop at the ticket office and in the assembly hall, where places can be reserved for people with reduced mobility, and portable sound amplifiers. Shop with an adapted counter. Guided tours in sign language and tours adapted for people with specific needs, with advance booking.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide

The museum has a section for children and families, with educational workshops, a guide for visiting the museum as a family and activities on special dates.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the Paseo del Muelle Alfonso XII. By road, from Albacete via the A-30, and from Almería or Alicante via the A-7. Tourist boats leave from the Alfonso XII quay. Nearest airports: Región de Murcia and Alicante-Elche.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

The café-restaurant on the first floor is listed as temporarily closed. Shop with stationery, textiles, gifts, children's products and publications (Tuesday to Saturday 11:00–14:45 and 16:00–19:45; Sundays and public holidays 10:00–14:45). Left-luggage service.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit