Naval Museum of Cartagena

The Naval Museum of Cartagena occupies part of the historic CIM building on the waterfront. Its collections follow the city’s close relationship with the Spanish Navy through shipbuilding and the arsenal, navigation, naval artillery, mine warfare, medicine, uniforms, flags and the development of diving.

This breadth is the museum’s main strength. Models and technical objects show how ships were designed, equipped and operated, while uniforms, documents and medical material bring in the people who served aboard them and supported the naval base. Visitors with a particular interest in engineering or military history could spend much longer here than the building’s waterfront frontage might suggest.

The displays continue in the adjoining Isaac Peral Hall. Its centrepiece is the restored experimental submarine designed by Cartagena-born naval officer and inventor Isaac Peral, now protected indoors after many years on outdoor display. Objects, documents and models around it give the vessel and its inventor a fuller context.

The two sections work best as one visit: the main galleries establish Cartagena’s naval background before the Peral hall focuses on one ambitious piece of nineteenth-century technology. The museum also pairs easily with ARQVA and a harbour walk, making this part of the waterfront a good choice when you want several substantial indoor attractions close together.

Our experience: The Isaac Peral submarine is the standout exhibit for us. Seeing the restored vessel under cover, surrounded by a room devoted to its story, is a much stronger experience than when it stood outside on a roundabout.