The National Maritime Museum, sometimes called the Navy Museum, is part of the Comissão Cultural de Marinha of Portugal, which comprises a range of historio-cultural facilities, such as the Navy Museum, the Vasco da Gama Aquarium, the Frigate Fernando II & Gloria and the Calouste Gulbenkian Planetarium. By far the most visited is the Navy Museum which is located in a neo-Gothic building that is part of the Jerónimos Monastery. It shares the building with the National Archaeology Museum and is worth a visit for the building alone. It’s big, extensive and value for money at €6.50 per adult entry. Portugal has a long tradition as a maritime power and this is evident in the museum. There are sections on the voyages of discovery in the 1500s, Portugal’s colonial history, and extensive exhibits of maps, artillery, sailboats, nautical instruments and nautical aviation. The coverage is not limited to the Navy, and includes coverage of marine fishing, the merchant marine fleet, recreational sailing and the role of river boats. The missionary focus of previous centuries is also depicted. Interpretive signage is in Portuguese with much of it also in English. There are also photographs and nautically themed artwork hung throughout. There is literally something for everyone. We almost raced through in 2 hours, so a leisurely stroll would take at least a whole morning or afternoon. There is a small gift shop and a cafeteria which we did not visit. There were no queues on the day we visited, compared to the queue that stretched for hundreds of meters for the nearby Jerónimos Monastery. An unexpected find and worthwhile addition to our itinerary. The LARGE mural in the entrance hall is a must see.
