Are you ready to celebrate European Maritime Day on May 20, by visiting one of the world’s most renowned maritime museums? If you have a Europesure annual travel insurance policy, you could head to more than one in a year. And you would enjoy travel cover protection on each trip! On that basis, here are a few world maritime museum suggestions for you.
The Age of Discovery and the Galata Maritime Museum, Genoa, Italy
Several maritime museums pay homage to the Age of Discovery. This was a period of history when intrepid pioneers of exploration, including Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama, sailed around the world discovering new parts of the globe.
If you make a bee line for the Galata Maritime Museum in Genoa, you will be enjoying the largest and most innovative maritime museum in the Mediterranean. Here since the 1990s, it allows visitors to embark on their own journey of exploration. It allows visitors to step into the shoes of Christopher Columbus.
There is much to see. In fact, paintings, medieval nautical maps, atlases, scientific instruments used by explorers, armoury and helmets are just some of the things within the 12,000m2 of displays. Not-to-be-missed is the Code of Privileges. This is one of only two copies in the world and a document detailing the concessions and rights bestowed on Columbus before and after the discovery of America.
Add to this five full-scale reconstructions and a permanent exhibition dedicated to the 1951 ship, the unfortunate Andrea Doria, and it’s a fascinating experience. If that’s not enough, head to the dock in front of the museum. There you will find an open-air part of the museum and have the chance to immerse yourself in life aboard a submarine, if you board the Nazario Sauro.
Portuguese maritime museums to explore with a Europesure annual travel insurance policy
Portuguese explorers and navigators were some of the most prolific on the high seas, so it is no surprise to find two superb maritime museums in Portugal. There is the World of Discoveries in Porto and the Museu de Marinha, in Lisbon.
The World of Discoveries, located in an old warehouse close to the Douro River, is an interactive experience which communicates the spirit of adventure that underpinned maritime missions. Immersive exhibits bring the Age of Discovery to life, appealing to all senses in unique ways. Visitors can literally travel the globe, whether discovering what occurred in Brazil, Japan, Timor and China, India, tropical forests, Africa or around the Cape of Storms.
The Museu de Marinha
The Museu de Marinha, on the other hand, is housed in the famous monastery of Jerónimos and dedicated to extending knowledge of the pioneering Portuguese navigators of yesteryear. This is achieved through 23,000 exhibits, including replicas and real boats, maritime instruments, from compasses to sextants and astrolabes, and charts and chart-reading devices.
Visitors can even see replicas of the famous ‘padroẽs’ – stone pillars that explorers such as Bartolomeu Dias and Vasco da Gama would erect at the site of each new territory find.
There is a Tall Ships exhibition hall featuring ships from the 18th and 19th centuries, a Navy planetarium and ceremonial barges outside. Don’t miss the statue of Henry the Navigator at the entrance, or the last sailing warship in the Portuguese navy – the Frigate of Fernando II and Glória, which once undertook the India Run.
The Naval Museum, Madrid
This 1932 naval museum in Madrid presents the maritime history of Spain (and its famed Armada) from medieval times to the present day. Weapons, flags, uniforms and medals are juxtaposed with navigators’ instruments and astronomical devices and intermingle with the personal possessions of some of the sailors whose stories make up Spain’s naval narrative.
Here, you can see the very first map of the American continent, created on parchment and wondrously illustrated by Juan de la Cosa, who accompanied Columbus on three voyages to America.
Other things to catch the eye include Ming porcelain, paintings, sculptures, a model of a warship and even the Blessed Sword of John of Austria.
The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum and the USS Constitution Museum, Boston
Beyond Europe, Boston, USA is blessed with rich maritime history, with the most renowned maritime feat perhaps being the Boston Tea Party. This is the theme that underpins the museum celebrating that remarkable act of rebellion and its importance in the fight for US independence.
The museum buzzes with the voices of live actors, as well as thrilling visitors with its full-size replicas of the 18thcentury sailing vessels of the time and its engaging interactive exhibits.
Learning all about the Boston Tea Party in this environment is a memorable experience, whether you are focusing on the Meeting House in which the protest was planned, or throwing tea overboard yourself!
Things to do at this museum
By parlaying with the Sons and Daughters of Liberty around you, you can discover so much. Augment this with the knowledge you can acquire by viewing an award-winning documentary and you will be an American Revolution expert before you know it.
Whether aboard the brig, Beaver or Eleanor, experiencing the mood on Griffin’s Wharf the day after the Tea Party, or viewing the only known surviving tea chest from 1773 – the Robinson Tea Chest – you will be enthralled.
If this is not enough maritime action, however, simply add to Boston’s USS Constitution Museum, in the historic Charlestown Navy Yard. There, you can learn all about the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessels still afloat today – the Ironsides. Discover their role in the post-Revolution and Napoleonic eras and you will progress your historical knowledge even more.
Just remember the importance of your Europesure annual travel insurance policy when travelling in the USA, where medical costs are sky-high.
The Titanic Belfast
What overview of stunning maritime museums would be complete without mention of the Titanic Belfast? This visually striking museum draws you into the story of one of the biggest maritime disasters, during the period that marked the zenith of mass migration across the Atlantic.
Be moved by the tales of those whose lives were touched by RMS Titanic, whether that is the people who built her or those aboard. Discover so much more than you ever knew about the ship’s story, from her conception and construction to her disastrous maiden voyage. As you explore the slipways and plaza, look out for hidden symbolism, and, whilst enjoying a self-guided tour of the 10 interactive galleries, breathe in the sights, sounds and smells of the iconic 852.5-foot-long ship.
Whilst at Titanic Belfast, also check out SS Nomadic, the RMS Titanic’s tender ship and the world’s last remaining White Star Line vessel. Do also explore attractions on the rest of the Maritime Mile in the Titanic Quarter and enjoy a bite to eat in one of the Titanic inspired eateries.
Warnings for British expats
Remember that, if you are a British expat now living in Europe, you cannot rely on the same level of free healthcare that you once enjoyed through the NHS, if you now visit Northern Ireland. An EHIC will offer you some medical support but a Europesure single trip or annual travel insurance policy will be your best buddy, if voyaging back to the UK.
One of these policies will not only cover your medical costs, but offer you medical repatriation back to your home, if required – something your health card will not do. Then, your chosen policy will offer you all the additional benefits that come with travel insurance – cancellation, delay and curtailment cover, liability protection and theft and loss benefits.
Whichever maritime museum you decide to visit, get to understand how travel insurance works and do not embark on your travels without it. That way, you will not have that sinking feeling, should the worst occur.
Head to https://www.europesuretravelinsurance.com to buy the right travel insurance for you, whether you live in the UK, EU, EEA, Monaco or Gibraltar, as a European resident or British expat.
