The National Maritime Museum is located at No. 377 Haixuan Road, Sino-Singapore Eco-City, Binhai New Area, Tianjin. It is China's first national-level, comprehensive, and public welfare maritime museum, as well as a national 4A-level tourist attraction, enjoying the reputation of the "Maritime Forbidden City". With the core theme of "Ocean and Humanity", the scenic spot comprehensively showcases the natural history, ecological environment of the ocean and the close relationship between humans and the ocean through rich collections, immersive exhibitions and interactive experience projects. Its total construction area is approximately 150,000 square meters, and the exhibition hall area reaches 67,000 square meters. The overall architectural design is inspired by ocean waves, with a magnificent appearance, integrating modern architectural aesthetics and marine cultural elements, becoming one of the landmark cultural buildings in Tianjin Binhai New Area.
History and Culture
The construction of the National Maritime Museum carries the important mission of inheriting maritime civilization and popularizing marine knowledge. In 2010, the National Maritime Museum was officially approved. After years of planning and construction, it was trial-opened to the public on May 1, 2019, and fully opened on June 1, 2021. As a national-level maritime museum, it has collected more than 40,000 marine cultural relics, specimens and other collections from all over the country and even the world, including many treasures with important historical and scientific value, such as ancient ship cultural relics and marine biological specimens. These collections not only witness the long history of human exploration of the ocean, but also reflect the development and evolution of marine culture in different historical periods, providing valuable material for the study of marine history and biodiversity.
Main Attractions
Ancient Ocean Exhibition Hall
The Ancient Ocean Exhibition Hall is one of the core exhibition halls of the National Maritime Museum, covering an area of about 2,000 square meters. Following the timeline, the exhibition hall showcases the evolutionary history of marine life from 3.8 billion years ago to 10,000 years ago through a large number of paleontological fossils, models and multimedia demonstrations. Among them, the most eye-catching are the 22-meter-long megalodon fossil model and complete fossils of Mesozoic marine reptiles such as ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs, making visitors feel as if they have traveled through time to the ancient ocean world.
Today's Ocean Exhibition Hall
Today's Ocean Exhibition Hall covers an area of about 3,000 square meters, focusing on the modern marine ecosystem. The exhibition hall has a large living marine life display area, including coral reef ecological tanks and shark pools, showcasing the biodiversity of different sea areas such as tropical oceans and temperate oceans. In addition, through interactive devices and graphic introductions, the exhibition hall popularizes knowledge on marine environmental protection to visitors, emphasizing the importance of harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.
Voyage of Discovery Exhibition Hall
The Voyage of Discovery Exhibition Hall covers an area of about 1,800 square meters, mainly telling the history of human exploration of the ocean. The exhibition hall displays a large number of navigation-related cultural relics, such as ancient navigation instruments, ship models, and explorers' diary manuscripts. Among them, the model of Zheng He's treasure ship for his voyage to the Western Seas is restored in a 1:10 scale, vividly reproducing the brilliance of navigation technology at that time. Through these exhibits, visitors can learn about the arduous journey of humans from inshore fishing to ocean exploration.
Marine Astronomy Exhibition Hall
The Marine Astronomy Exhibition Hall covers an area of about 1,500 square meters, exploring the close connection between the ocean and astronomy. The exhibition hall is equipped with planetariums, star projection and other equipment, and through simulation demonstrations, it shows visitors the operation laws of the sun, moon and stars and their influence on ocean tides, climate and other aspects. At the same time, the exhibition hall also introduces the history of human use of astronomical knowledge for navigation, allowing visitors to appreciate the wonderful connection between the ocean and the universe.
Marine Humanities Exhibition Hall
The Marine Humanities Exhibition Hall covers an area of about 2,000 square meters, showcasing marine cultures of different regions and ethnic groups. The exhibition hall displays folk cultural relics from coastal areas, marine-themed works of art, such as fishermen's fishing tools and sculptures of marine myths and legends. Through these exhibits, visitors can understand the profound imprint of the ocean on human culture, art, life and other aspects, and feel the diversity of marine culture.
Food
Food in Museum Restaurants
There are several restaurants in the National Maritime Museum, offering a variety of foods. Among them, the seafood fried rice in the marine-themed restaurant is very popular. It is made of fresh seafood ingredients such as shrimps and scallops, stir-fried with high-quality rice, with a rich taste, and the price is about 38 yuan per serving. In addition, the restaurant also provides children's set meals, including cartoon-shaped sandwiches, fruit salads and drinks, which are nutritious and beautiful, suitable for families with children, and the price is about 45 yuan per serving.
Surrounding Food
There are many characteristic restaurants in the Sino-Singapore Eco-City around the museum. The "Binhai Fisherman's Home" restaurant, about 1.5 kilometers away from the museum, specializes in authentic Tianjin seafood dishes. Its steamed swimming crabs are made of fresh swimming crabs caught that day, with tender meat, and the price is about 50-80 yuan per crab, fluctuating according to the season and size. In addition, the restaurant's sauced mantis shrimps are also very distinctive, using mantis shrimps from the Bohai Bay, with a strong sauce flavor, and the price is about 68 yuan per serving.
Tickets
It is open for free, but advance reservation is required. Some special exhibitions may be charged separately.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "国家海洋博物馆" to get the latest news or make online reservations.
Opening Hours
It is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00-17:00 (admission stops at 16:00), and closed on Mondays (except legal holidays). During legal holidays, the opening hours may be adjusted, and the specific information is subject to the official notice. It is recommended that visitors check the official information before traveling to avoid delaying the trip.
Tour Route
Here is a recommended one-day tour route: After entering the museum at 9:00 a.m., first go to the Ancient Ocean Exhibition Hall to learn about the evolution of marine life, which takes about 1.5 hours; then go to the Voyage of Discovery Exhibition Hall to feel the history of human exploration of the ocean, which takes about 1 hour; go to the museum restaurant for dining and rest at around 11:30. At 13:00 p.m., go to Today's Ocean Exhibition Hall to watch live marine life and participate in interactive experiences, which takes about 1.5 hours; then go to the Marine Astronomy Exhibition Hall to explore the relationship between the ocean and astronomy, which takes about 1 hour; finally, go to the Marine Humanities Exhibition Hall to feel the charm of marine culture, which takes about 1 hour, and end the trip at around 16:00. If you are interested in watching 4D movies, you can arrange appropriate time in the afternoon.
Transportation
- Public transportation: You can take Tianjin Bus No. 972, Eco-City Line 3, etc., get off at the "National Maritime Museum" stop, and walk about 500 meters to reach.
- Self-driving: Starting from downtown Tianjin, take the Beijing-Tianjin Expressway to the Shugang Expressway, get off at the Sino-Singapore Eco-City exit, and drive according to the navigation instructions, which takes about 1 hour to reach. The museum has a parking lot, and the parking fee is 5 yuan per hour, with a daily maximum of 30 yuan.
- Rail transit: At present, the nearest subway station to the National Maritime Museum is "Donghailu Station" of Tianjin-Binhai Light Rail Line 9. It is about 20 kilometers from this station to the museum by taxi, with a driving time of about 30 minutes and a cost of about 40 yuan.
Must-visit Attractions
- Ancient Ocean Exhibition Hall: It has a 22-meter-long megalodon fossil model and complete fossils of ancient organisms such as ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs. It systematically displays the evolution of marine life from 3.8 billion years ago to 10,000 years ago, and is a must-visit place to understand the natural history of the ocean.
- Today's Ocean Exhibition Hall: It has a large living marine life display area, including coral reef ecological tanks and shark pools. Visitors can observe a variety of marine organisms up close and learn about marine protection knowledge through interactive devices, which is suitable for visitors of all ages.
- 4D Cinema: Through 4D special effects technology, the audience feels as if they are in the ocean scene, with a strong sense of experience. The content of the films is mostly related to marine exploration and marine life, with a duration of about 20 minutes, which is an unmissable interactive experience project.
Tour Suggestions
- The recommended visiting time is 4-6 hours. Due to the large area of the exhibition halls and rich exhibits, reasonable time arrangement is necessary to fully experience.
- Families with children can prepare some snacks and water in advance. Although there are restaurants in the museum, there may be queues during peak hours.
- Before visiting, you can check the explanation time of each exhibition hall on the official website. Participating in free explanations can help you understand the stories behind the exhibits more deeply.
- It is recommended to wear comfortable shoes because a lot of walking is needed in the museum.
- Cameras can be carried, but the use of flash photography is prohibited in some exhibition halls, so you need to abide by the museum's regulations.
Notes
- Admission to the museum requires a reservation code and valid documents. Be sure to make a reservation in advance and bring relevant documents to avoid being unable to enter.
- It is forbidden to bring flammable, explosive, controlled knives and other dangerous items, as well as pets (except guide dogs) into the museum.
- Keep quiet during the visit, do not touch the exhibits and facilities in the exhibition halls, and follow the instructions of the staff.
- The museum is equipped with mother-and-baby rooms, barrier-free facilities, etc. Visitors in need can consult the staff.
- There are many visitors during peak hours (such as holidays). It is recommended to travel during off-peak hours or arrive at the venue in advance to avoid the peak of admission.