Since 1929, the Museu Marítim de Barcelona has built up a major collection of exhibits which are illustrative of Catalan seafaring culture and make it easier to understand the factors that influenced the country’s maritime history. The museum takes us on a journey through the history of seafaring with spectacular recreations of authentic maritime settings.

Highlights of the museum’s collections include model ships, nautical instruments, ex-votos, seascapes, figureheads and maps. High points of the permanent collection are the full-scale replica of the royal galley used by Juan of Austria at the Battle of Lepanto, and the historic schooner Santa Eulàlia, a 46-metre-long, four-masted vessel dating from 1918, which is moored in Barcelona's harbour.