Naval History Museum

Discover the maritime heritage of Venice through extensive exhibits, including ship models, naval artifacts, and the Submarine Enrico Dandolo.

Planning your visit

The Naval History Museum sits beside the Arsenale, the shipyard that built the fleet on which Venetian power rested — at its height it employed 16,000 workers and could assemble a galley in a day using standardised parts, arguably the first industrial production line in Europe.

The museum occupies a former granary over several floors, holding ship models of exceptional quality including the Bucintoro, the gilded state barge from which the Doge performed the annual marriage of Venice to the sea, along with naval instruments, weapons, uniforms, maritime paintings and material on the Battle of Lepanto.

The Ships Pavilion nearby holds full-size vessels, and the submarine Enrico Dandolo, a postwar Italian navy boat, is moored and enterable — moving through her interior is a striking contrast to the models upstairs.

The museum sits in Castello, well away from San Marco's crowds, in a part of Venice where people actually live.

Bookable options include entrance tickets and combined formats covering the museum and the submarine. Current availability is shown below.