Museu de Marinha

The Museu de Marinha (the Navy Museum, sometimes called the Maritime Museum in English) tells the story of Portugal and the sea. It is run by the Portuguese Navy and fills the west wing of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, plus a huge purpose-built hall behind it. King Luís, who had trained as a naval officer before he unexpectedly became king, founded it by decree on 22 July 1863. After a fire, several moves and a big private donation of ship models, it opened in its present home in 1962.

The collection has more than 18,000 objects, and about 2,500 are on show. The museum calls itself a museum “of the sea” in the widest sense, so alongside warships you’ll find fishing boats, merchant ships, royal pleasure boats, lifeboats and naval planes. For a child who loves boats, that variety is what makes it work.

The main galleries start with the Age of Discoveries, the 15th and 16th centuries, when Portuguese caravels and carracks sailed to Africa, India and Brazil. This is where you’ll find rows of detailed ship models showing how Portuguese shipbuilding changed over that period, next to the scientific instruments sailors used to find their way. It’s a good place to ask a child how you’d know where you were in the middle of the ocean with no GPS.

Further on, dozens of models show the ships of the big Portuguese shipping companies from the late 19th century to today, and the Navy’s own ships from 19th-century steam-and-sail warships to modern frigates. Other sections cover cod fishing in the far north Atlantic, the traditional boats of Portuguese rivers and coasts, and royal and pleasure craft. The museum offers audio and video guides.

The biggest hit with children is usually the Pavilhão das Galeotas, a vast hall built specially for the royal barges. As you walk in, the royal yacht Sírius is on your right. Ahead are six galeotas, long rowing barges carved and gilded for the royal family and important guests to travel on the Tagus. Five of them date from the 18th century. The grandest is the royal bergantim, built in 1780.

The same hall holds real traditional working boats: a valboeiro from the Douro, a netinha from Nazaré, an Aveiro moliceiro with its painted bow, a baleeira used for whaling in the Azores and a small dory from the cod fleet. There’s a lifeboat from the Portuguese sea rescue institute and, a surprise for fire-engine fans, horse-drawn steam fire pumps.

At the far end are three seaplanes from Portugal’s naval air service. The star is the Santa Cruz, the plane in which two naval officers, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral, completed the first flight across the South Atlantic in 1922. Next to it are a 1917 FBA “Schreck”, one of the first two seaplanes to reach Portugal during the First World War, and a Grumman Widgeon that served until 1952.

Children of four to seven tend to enjoy the scale of the barges and planes more than the model galleries, so it can help to head for the Pavilhão das Galeotas early and do the rest as energy allows. Eight to twelve-year-olds who have met the Discoveries in books can find the ships and instruments they’ve read about. Teenagers interested in engineering or aviation will get the most from the seaplanes and the evolution of ship design. The museum’s education service runs guided visits led by characters from Portuguese history and hands-on workshops, mainly for school and organised groups; ask the education team (museu.svc.educativo@marinha.pt) about home-education groups.

When we checked in September 2026, tickets were €8 for adults (13 to 64), €4 for children aged 4 to 12 and over-65s, and €21 for a family of two adults and two children. Under-4s go free. A combined ticket with the Planetário de Marinha next door costs €12 for adults, €6 for children and €29 for a family; children up to two are not allowed into the planetarium.

The CulturaMAR pass (€21 adults, €11 ages 4 to 12, €54 family) covers one visit each to this museum, the planetarium, the Aquário Vasco da Gama and the frigate D. Fernando II e Glória across the river, and lasts four months.

Entry to the museum is free on the first Sunday of each month until 14:00, on 18 May (International Museum Day), 20 May (Navy Day) and 22 July (the museum’s anniversary). On 1 June, Children’s Day, entry is free for ages 4 to 12.

Opening hours are 10:00 to 18:00 every day from May to September and 10:00 to 17:00 from October to April, with last entry half an hour before closing. From October to May it opens at 13:00 on Mondays. It closes on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December.

Building works on the Jerónimos facade have moved the ticket office to the planetarium entrance for a while. The museum said it would close on the morning of 28 September 2026 to install the ticket office back at its main entrance, reopening that afternoon.

The museum is on Praça do Império in Belém, in the monastery complex. Buses 714, 727, 28, 729, 751 and 201 stop nearby, tram 15 runs along the main road, and Belém has a train station and a river ferry station. There are disabled parking spaces at the entrance.

Inside, there’s a ramped entrance, lifting platforms and a lift to the first floor, so a buggy can get round. Wheelchairs can be borrowed for the visit, and there’s a tactile route and 2D and 3D models of some key pieces. Benches are spread through the galleries. The museum’s café and shop are in the immediate area of the museum; the café serves full meals as well as drinks.

The first galleries are mostly models and instruments to look at, and a child who needs to press buttons and build things may flag before reaching the barges. The museum’s rules ask visitors to keep quiet and not to knock or damage the displays. Belém is one of Lisbon’s busiest tourist areas, so weekday mornings are the calmest time to go.

Belém is packed with good pairings. The planetarium is next door, the gilded coaches at the Museu Nacional dos Coches make a natural follow-on from the royal barges, and the power station at MAAT Central Tejo is a walk along the river. For a treat, Pastéis de Belém is a few minutes away.

How long do you need at the Museu de Marinha?

Allow two to three hours to see the main galleries and the Pavilhão das Galeotas without rushing.

Is the Museu de Marinha free for children?

Under-4s go free every day. Ages 4 to 12 paid €4 in September 2026, and everyone gets in free on the first Sunday of the month until 14:00.

Can you take a buggy?

Yes. The entrance has a ramp, and there are lifting platforms and a lift to the first floor.

Is it good for young children?

The royal barges, working boats and seaplanes in the big hall suit children from about four. The model galleries hold older children better.

Is there a family ticket?

Yes: €21 for two adults and two children for the museum alone, or €29 with the planetarium, when checked in September 2026.