The Museu Maritim occupies the Drassanes Reials, the medieval royal shipyards where the Catalan-Aragonese fleet was built from the 13th century onward. The Gothic halls themselves -- vast stone naves that once held ships under construction -- are as impressive as anything inside them.
The star exhibit is a full-scale replica of the Royal Galley of Don Juan of Austria, the flagship at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Other displays cover navigation instruments, cartography, figureheads, and the evolution of Mediterranean seafaring. Temporary exhibitions rotate through the upper galleries.
The museum sits at the bottom of the Ramblas, right next to the Columbus monument and the harbour. Combined tickets with a harbour boat trip are available.