National Maritime Museum
The National Maritime Museum tells Britain's ocean story as a web of ventures, risks and reckonings. Nelson's Trafalgar coat, pierced and preserved, anchors the human cost beneath grand narratives. Nearby, the 'Sea Things' wall turns thousands of curiosities into a mosaic of everyday seafaring. Pacific Encounters reframes oceans as cultural highways, while Polar Worlds weighs courage against cold and logistics. Time and Longitude reveals the elegance of navigation-precision as empire's quiet engine. Galleries are spacious, family-friendly, and rich with interactives without losing scholarly backbone. Entry is free; special shows vary. Pair with Greenwich Park, the Queen's House or the Observatory, and budget ninety minutes to three hours.
Opening Hours
What's not to miss inside?
Nelson’s Trafalgar Coat
Uniform worn at Trafalgar (1805)Look for the visible bullet hole - a stark reminder of the battle that shaped Britain’s naval story.
📍 Nelson, Navy, Nation gallery
Sea Things Wall
1000+ curious maritime objectsFrom Roman anchors to sailor-made scrimshaw, this floor-to-ceiling display tells seafaring stories in objects.
📍 Ground-floor ‘Sea Things’ gallery
Pacific Encounters
Oceans as cultural highwaysNavigation, voyaging canoes and exchange show how Pacific peoples mapped seas long before GPS.
📍 First-floor galleries
Polar Worlds
Arctic & Antarctic survivalEquipment, diaries and photographs bring Franklin, Scott and Shackleton-era expeditions into sharp focus.
📍 Exploration galleries
Time & Longitude
Finding your place at seaMarine chronometers and instruments reveal how precision timekeeping unlocked global navigation.
📍 Navigation & astronomy displays
Inspire your Friends
- Opened by King George VI on 27 April 1937; created under an Act of Parliament in 1934.
- Part of Royal Museums Greenwich alongside the Royal Observatory, the Queen’s House and Cutty Sark.
- Holds over two million items - from ship models and charts to paintings, uniforms and figureheads.
- Vice-Admiral Nelson’s Trafalgar uniform is displayed with the fatal bullet hole still visible.
- General admission is free; charges apply for some special exhibitions.
