The National Maritime Museum is the largest museum of its kind in the world.
Inside the galleries, you'll discover ships and boats of all shapes and sizes, voyage across the world’s oceans, and experience epic adventures of exploration. After your visit, the sea will never be the same again.
What are the top 10 things to do at the National Maritime Museum? Whether you're short of time, or just want to check out the highlights, we've put together this useful guide to the best things to do at the Museum.
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.
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1. 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.
The galleries include 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 (don't forget your headphones) to find out more about the stories behind the objects.
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2. Meet real astronomers
Head to the National Maritime Museum's newest experience, Astronomers Take Over, to enjoy a unique space-themed adventure.
Inside the new gallery, you can try your hand at landing a Mars rover, use a starlight splitter and step inside an awe-inspiring ‘galaxy box’ to find out just how amazing our universe is.
We absolutely loved Astronomers Take Over... with lots to see and touch and watch! The galaxy room was a favourite along with the Moon room demonstration. It was the perfect size exhibition and felt relaxed and safe. The Explainers were excellent, great with children and extremely knowledgeable.
- Visitor survey, July 2026
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3. Explore our amazing ocean
Ocean Court is the central courtyard of the Museum and home to some of the largest objects in our collection. Following a major refurbishment project, it's the perfect place to explore our amazing ocean.
With a giant 'map of the world according to fish', new objects and displays, two shops selling unique souvenirs and gifts, plus an updated café, Ocean Court offers a brilliant place to meet friends, explore, be inspired, learn or just relax in the heart of the Museum.
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4. Enjoy award-winning photography
ZWO 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. The brand-new exhibition opens on 18 September 2026.
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5. Let off steam in Ahoy! or at the Cove playground
Let your children's imaginations run wild whatever the weather, with the indoor play space Ahoy! or the outdoor playground The Cove at the National Maritime Museum.
Ahoy! remains one of the best museum spaces for under 8s in London, where kids can experiment, play, dress-up, build and learn in an engaging child-led environment.
Outside in The Cove, kids can clamber aboard a 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'!
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6. Take a guided tour
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.
Peter was our guide for ‘the Treasures tour’ and was truly outstanding. It was one of the best tours that we have been on, he completely engaged us for an hour and we felt like we really learnt some new things. It really revealed the best aspects of the museum in such a wonderful way.
- priyanka3669, Trip Advisor review, August 2026
7. Marvel at Nelson's jacket
The jacket Nelson was wearing when he was 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.
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8. 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.
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9. Take your time with an audio tour
Choose from a range of dedicated audio tours of the National Maritime Museum and listen along at your own pace using your own phone and headphones.
We've got two free audio guides (The 'Classic'; and the 'Freedom Fighters' tours) and one £5 Treasures tour.
Whichever you choose, you'll be treated to expert commentary, as well as rich audio, imagery and text, so you can dig deeper into our amazing collection in your own time.
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10. Find your connection to the sea
The Caird Library contains more than 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.
The National Maritime Museum is an absolute winner — and the best bit is it won’t cost you a penny. It’s absolutely rammed with history, from the jacket Lord Nelson was actually wearing when he got shot at Trafalgar (still got the bullet hole and everything) to enormous oil paintings of storm-tossed ships that are genuinely breathtaking up close. It never feels stuffy or overly academic either; there’s a real sense of adventure about the place, like you’re peering into Britain’s slightly mad, deeply obsessive relationship with the sea.
- Luke Daniel, Google review, July 2026
Find more guides to your visit
What’s on
Events at the National Maritime Museum.
