About
The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich is the world's largest maritime museum, exploring Britain's seafaring history and the sea's impact on culture, society, science, and the environment. With over 2. 5 million items including maritime art, cartography, navigation instruments, ships, and Nelson's Trafalgar uniform with the fatal bullet hole, it tells the story of Britain at sea from Tudor times to the present.
Located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Maritime Greenwich alongside the Royal Observatory and Queen's House, it offers free entry to one of the world's most important maritime collections.
Categories:
Annual Visitors (2022)
1,895,000
Plan Your Visit
⏱️ Recommended Visit Duration
📅 Best Times to Visit
Quietest: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Busiest: Saturday, Sunday
💡 Combine with Royal Observatory and Queen's House - allow full day
💡 Visitor Tips
- Combine with Royal Observatory and Queen's House - all part of Royal Museums Greenwich
- The Great Map interactive floor is mesmerizing - allow time to explore
- Nelson's uniform is the star attraction - often has a queue
- Free daily talks and demonstrations - check schedule at entrance
- Greenwich Park offers stunning views over London - walk up to Observatory
- Arrive via Thames Clipper boat for scenic approach
Highlights
Nelson's Trafalgar Uniform
The actual uniform coat worn by Admiral Lord Nelson when he was fatally shot at the Battle of Trafalgar, 1805. The bullet hole is visible. Britain's most important naval relic.
Turner's Battle of Trafalgar
J.M.W. Turner's monumental 1824 painting commissioned to commemorate Nelson's victory. The largest painting in the museum at over 8 feet tall.
The Great Map
Interactive floor map of the world showing real-time shipping movements, exploration routes, and maritime stories. Largest interactive map in Britain.
Harrison's Marine Chronometers
John Harrison's revolutionary H1-H4 timekeepers that solved the longitude problem in the 18th century, enabling accurate navigation. Engineering masterpieces.
Collections
The National Maritime Museum holds over 2. 5 million items including the world's largest maritime library and archive, ship models and boats, navigation instruments, charts and maps, maritime art (paintings, prints, drawings), uniforms and flags, weapons and medals, timekeepers and scientific instruments.
Major collection strengths include Royal Navy history, navigation and cartography, polar exploration, the Slave Trade, Turner and maritime art, Nelson and Trafalgar, and Pacific voyages.
The archive includes ships' logs, personal papers, and maritime business records.
Nelson, Navy, Nation 1688-1815
Britain's rise to naval supremacy featuring Nelson's Trafalgar uniform and the Battle of Trafalgar
📍 Sammy Ofer Wing
Traders: The East India Company and Asia
300 years of trade, exploration, and cultural exchange between Britain and Asia
📍 Lower Deck
Tudor and Stuart Seafarers
Early exploration, privateering, and the origins of the Royal Navy
📍 Lower Deck
Atlantic Worlds
Transatlantic exploration, trade, migration, and the Slave Trade
📍 Lower Deck
Pacific Encounters
Voyages of Cook, Banks, and Pacific exploration and colonization
📍 Lower Deck
Polar Worlds
Arctic and Antarctic exploration from Franklin to Shackleton
📍 Upper Deck
Themes
Time Periods
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.
