National Museum of Underwater Archaeology (ARQVA)
Museo Nacional de Arqueología Subacuática
A national underwater archaeology museum by the harbour, displaying original Phoenician shipwreck finds and the silver coin treasure from the wreck of the Mercedes.
The museum building is modern and showcases Mediterranean maritime history and underwater archaeology techniques. Highlights include the 7th-century BC Phoenician shipwreck Mazarrón 1 and the hundreds of thousands of silver coins recovered from the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, sunk by a British warship in 1804. Entry costs about €3. It is free on Saturday afternoons and Sundays, and closed on Mondays. It is about a 10-minute walk from the Roman Theatre.
Opening hours
Tue–Sat 10:00–21:00 (until 20:00 in winter), Sun 10:00–15:00
Nearby sights
- Civil War Air-Raid Shelter Museum
- Castillo de la Concepción & Panoramic Lift
- Roman Theatre of Cartagena
- Calle Mayor & Modernist Buildings
- Casa de la Fortuna
- Roman Forum District (Molinete)
- Naval Museum of Cartagena (Peral Submarine)
- Punic Wall Interpretation Centre