National Museum of Subaquatic Archaeology, Cartagena (must see)

The National Museum of Underwater Archaeology opened in 2008 on the city’s waterfront and serves both as a public exhibition space and as a national research center for underwater archaeology. Its collections present the long maritime history of the Mediterranean coast, displaying artifacts recovered from shipwrecks and submerged sites dating from the Phoenician period through the Roman era and into the early modern age.

Among the museum’s highlights are amphorae used in ancient maritime trade, navigational instruments, anchors, ceramics, and personal objects recovered from vessels that once sailed across the Mediterranean. These finds illustrate the intense commercial networks that connected Iberia with Phoenician, Greek, and Roman ports. The museum also explains the techniques used in underwater excavation and conservation, offering visitors insight into how archaeologists document and preserve fragile objects that have spent centuries beneath the sea.

One of the museum’s most remarkable acquisitions arrived in 2012, when it received a vast cargo of gold and silver coins recovered from the wreck of the Spanish frigate Our Lady of Mercy. The vessel sank in 1804 after a naval encounter with British forces near the coast of Portugal while, was returned to Spain following a lengthy international legal case and was entrusted to the museum for cataloguing, conservation, and scholarly study before being placed on display.

Today, the museum offers visitors a compelling glimpse into the hidden history preserved beneath the waves. Through its exhibitions, research programmes, and conservation laboratories, it reveals how shipwrecks and submerged landscapes help illuminate centuries of maritime trade, naval conflict, and cultural exchange across the Mediterranean world.