Madrid Sights

Museo Naval Review

Anyone interested in Patrick O'Brian's painstakingly detailed naval novels or in old vessels and war ships will be bouncing off the walls experiencing the 500 years of Spanish naval history displayed in this museum. The collection, which includes documents, maps, weaponry, paintings, and hundreds of ship models of different sizes, is best enjoyed by those who speak some Spanish. Beginning with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand's reign and the expeditions led by Christopher Columbus and the conquistadors, exhibits also reveal how Spain built a naval empire that battled Turkish, Algerian, French, Portuguese, and English armies and commanded the oceans and the shipping routes for a century and a half. Moving to the present day, the museum covers Spain's more recent shipyard and naval construction accomplishments.

    Contact Information

  • Address: Paseo del Prado 5, Retiro, Madrid, 28014 | Map It
  • Phone: 91/523-8789
  • Cost: Free
  • Hours: Tues.--Sun. 10--6. Guided tour, in Spanish only, weekends at 11:30
  • Website:
  • Metro: Banco de España.
  • Location: Salamanca and Retiro

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