National Maritime Museum of China
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The National Maritime Museum of China in Tianjin showcases marine ecology, history, and culture through extensive exhibitions and interactive programs.
Planning your visit
The National Maritime Museum of China opened at Tianjin in 2019 in a building by Cox Architecture whose four finger-like wings project over the water, and it is enormous — around 80,000 square metres, making it one of the largest maritime museums in the world.
The scope is unusually broad, covering ocean science and marine ecology as much as human maritime history: aquarium tanks, a suspended blue whale skeleton, dinosaur and marine fossil galleries, ship models and full-size vessels, and China's naval and merchant history including Zheng He's fifteenth-century voyages.
Interactive and children's programming is extensive, and the site includes outdoor exhibits along the waterfront.
Admission is free with advance registration, though some attractions inside are ticketed.
Tianjin is around thirty minutes from Beijing by high-speed rail, and the museum is well outside the centre in the Binhai district. Allow half a day. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is National Maritime Museum of China?
National Maritime Museum of China is in Tianjin, China. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for National Maritime Museum of China?
Allow half a day. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book National Maritime Museum of China in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
