A short walk from the harbour is the Barcelona Maritime Museum dedicated to the city’s sea culture.

The museum is located inside the old Royal Dockyards.  The building itself is one of the most important places associated with shipbuilding in Europe, as it has more than 700 years of history.

Since the 13th Century, boats have been built and repaired here. Galley slave ships, commercial ships, and war galleys saw their beginnings here, contributing to Spain’s reputation of a powerful sea-going nation.

We spent a good half day at this museum. All the exhibits are interesting and you certainly get a great appreciation of the skills of the ship builders.