Great family day out, very well laid out with different sections and in particular the children craft room. The highlight was the on board experience in the ships and submarine. To have a feel of a real ship and submarines was the best.
About Activity
What's Included
Includes
- All Fees and Taxes
Excludes
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation to the museum
Itinerary
- All galleries and special exhibitions, including The Beach & Ocean Photographer of the Year - Action Stations - Navy Destroyer HMAS Vampire (last boarding 4:10 pm) - Navy Submarine HMAS Onslow (last boarding 4:10 pm) - Replica of Captain James Cook's Endeavour (last boarding 4:10 pm) -James Craig (please check the last boarding time upon arrival) - Kids on Deck
Language Offered
Additional Info
Cancellation Policy
Reviews
The see it all ticket was great as you had no restrictions and you could visit everything including the exhibition. The submarine was intriguing trying to imagine living in those conditions. You need to be a bit agile to climb through the holes down into the submarine as well as travelling from one end to the other. You will need to take care if you are tall as there’s not much room. The Endeavour was similar in how small the rooms were and how low the ceilings were, again how hard would it have been to live like this for so long at sea? Well worth the visit.
The four of us toured 4 vessels of the many moored adjacent to the museum. We then examined almost every display and close to the end of our 4+ hour visit, which included a lunch break, we entered the Galloway Hoard display. The Galloway Hoard was the primary reason for our visit, and it was well worth the visit. The museum atmosphere, not stuffy, but presenting history in an enjoyable way. The day we visited the museum was not full of patrons so we were able to move about with ease. My wife and I had not been to the museum for over 20 years and our overseas guests were quite taken by the total experience.
A must see attraction in Sydney. We got to go aboard 5 vessels and to the museum. A lot of walking but worth it. In the museum, we saw the Deepsea Challenger that made the historic dive to almost 11 km.
We had a great day exploring the many ships here. We arrived at opening before the ships were available, so we did a quick walk around the upstairs of the museum. My kids weren't that into it, so it's hard for me to judge because we went through it quickly. But once we got outside, that's where all the fun was had. From the submarine to the warship to the many other types of vessels, the kids had fun seeing what all the different boats were like. They also enjoyed going to the top of the lighthouse for the views. Great place to visit if you're in Darling Harbour for a day.
For maritime history nerds, this place was a real gem. Loved the opportunity to talk with some retired sailors aboard a decommissioned destroyer, and hear their stories of how things used to work— and frequently didn’t! The historic recreations were inspiring as well.
Excellent variety of beautifully restored boats, afloat. One of the few places you can explore onboard a destroyer, and a submarine, let alone an iconic sailing ship. Visit was made by our guide, Bill, who shared experiences of life on board in an interesting and genuine way. Great for kids.
From exploring all four ships to going through the museum, we found a museum filled with amazing staff and volunteers who wanted to tell stories of their ships! As a bonus, the museum’s restaurant was a standout.
This was a last minute activity we decided to do on our last City day. We left it quite late in the day, but the highlight of going on board a Submarine, a War Ship, and a Sail Boat, was more than value for money just doing those. We then had a short time inside the main building, visiting the current Vikings Expedition. An informative and interesting experience.
What a fantastic day out at this museum. So much to do, so much to see at a ridiculously reasonable ticket price. $35 (£18) for a whole day. Went with my daughter who found the day as enjoyable as I did. So much to see. Got to give huge respect to the volunteers who gave their time to show us around and to paint a picture of life on a sub, destroyer etc. Some guides served on these ships so had great personal experience to share. Got to mention Terry and Colin (the Chuckle brothers) who showed us round HMAS Vampire , Steven and especially Bill who had incredible knowledge of pretty much everything maritime. This is the best museum I think I’ve ever visited. Thank you Sydney Maritime Museum
Very educational. Excellent for kids. Volunteers were exceptional. Beautiful views of the harbor. Viator pricing gave discount over regular ticket price.
Great attractions outside ashame about inside, passenger liner exhibits highly disappointing along with rest of inside of museum needs a good update.
What a fantastic day we had exploring the ships and internal displays. The volunteer guides were full of stories which added wonderful personal dimensions to the exhibits. Fantastic value
Great morning seeing some truly beautiful boats, subs and ships on the water. Marvellous restoration everywhere, passionate staff (you can tell the ex-matelots!) and a lovely internal museum too. Well worth a visit. About $30 AUS per adult.
We visited this museum on Easter Monday. Due to the holiday, they had 1 ticket price that included everything that was open…..the main galleries and several of the boats in the harbor. The holiday also caused it to be fairly crowded, with lots of kids, many of which were not well behaved. The galleries were nice and we enjoyed visiting the destroyer and sub (although it’s a little cramped). There was a nice variety of artifacts that were nicely displayed. We recommend
Saw this from the Big Bus and decided to explore. Really glad we did. The submarine and tall ships were great as were the exhibits inside. 2 to 3 hours depending on how much you want to explore and read.
What an amazing museum! Great exhibits, ships and submarine to explore. Even on a busy day it didn’t seem crowded.
We went inside a real submarine, a warship and Captain Cooks HMA Endeavour (replica). It was awesome to see how they lived. Lot of climbing stairs. Felt like going to gym.
We visited the opera house, aquarium, Australian Museum, etc. The opera house was second place. This museum was wonderfully done. The internal exhibits were excellent spanning a wide range or maritime subjects including deep se exploration and medicines derived from the ocean. They had some history of Australia's navy. The ships and submarine were excellent and the guides were very knowledgeable. The only gripe is some of the tour guides were not native English speakers and made understanding them very difficult. In particular there was an Asian guy on the Endeavor sailing ship that I was straining to understand. The other English speaking people going through the ship spent 20 seconds trying, then just ignored him. I understand the desire to reach a range of audiences visiting the museum. It might be a better experience for all to match up a non native English speaking guide with non-native English speaking group.
We had a really wonderful day at the Australian We had a really wonderful day at the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour. From the moment we arrived, the experience was engaging, informative and thoroughly enjoyable. The volunteers were truly amazing. Their passion, knowledge and willingness to share stories about the ships and Australia’s maritime history made the visit particularly special. It was clear they genuinely love what they do, and that enthusiasm made the experience far more meaningful. The outdoor ship exhibits were breathtaking. Being able to walk around and explore the historic vessels up close was an incredible experience and really brought maritime history to life. The videos and presentations throughout the museum were also engaging and fascinating, adding depth and context to the exhibits. Overall, it was an outstanding experience and a place I would highly recommend visiting. The combination of passionate volunteers, remarkable ships and well-presented exhibits makes the Australian National Maritime Museum a truly memorable destination. National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour. From the moment we arrived, the experience was engaging, informative and thoroughly enjoyable. The volunteers were truly amazing. Their passion, knowledge and willingness to share stories about the ships and Australia’s maritime history made the visit particularly special. It was clear they genuinely love what they do, and that enthusiasm made the experience far more meaningful. The outdoor ship exhibits were breathtaking. Being able to walk around and explore the historic vessels up close was an incredible experience and really brought maritime history to life. The videos and presentations throughout the museum were also engaging and fascinating, adding depth and context to the exhibits. Overall, it was an outstanding experience and a place I would highly recommend visiting. The combination of passionate volunteers, remarkable ships and well-presented exhibits makes the Australian National Maritime Museum a truly memorable destination.
I really enjoyed visiting the museum and the photo exhibition inside the main building. Touring the submarine was amazing.
This is one fabulous museum. I would recommend this for anyone visiting Sydney. The Oceanographic Photography was fabulous and well worth the money. The museum deserves at least a full day and you could spend more time there. The museum includes several ships; a submarine, a destroyer, and a replica of the Endeavor as well as some other vessels.
Many activities inside and out. Great for the whole family. We enjoyed the tours from volunteers who were very knowledgable.
Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Very knowledgeable and passionate. The ships were great to explore.
We loved the maritime museum. There was so much to see - we spent over 4 hours and didn't get through everything. Loved going the submarine and ship and looking at the exhibits. There is also so much to do forte kids. We could easily have spent more time looking around. Highly recommended.
Amazing view of the harbour! Submarines/ships were shown by veterans. Beautiful experience! I'd go again
Spent a pleasant morning visiting this attraction. Great value for money for entry with access to the main building, all special exhibitions. 2 ships and a submarine. Beautiful informative and interesting Vidots where I learned a lot. Loved visiting the submarine on site and exploring through the vessel. If you are claustrophobic though you may wish to skip the inside visit. The warship was also great with terrific interpretation signage throughout. Cafe on site and a lovely souvenir shop. Great value and enjoyable visit.
Really good to go and see this. The Endeavour was fascinating and so much smaller inside than I expected. The warships were interesting although we were disappointed the submarine was in dry dock for maintenance so we couldn’t see it. The ships really are the star of the show, in contrast to the Auckland equivalent where the inside exhibits are much more impressive.
We enjoyed boarding and exploring the ships and talking with the volunteer, John, who was so entertaining and enthusiastic. The interior Museum was a bit confusing with regard to flow. Lighting, for the most part, was adequate. Exhibit signage was average to above average, depending on the exhibit itself. Some good videos of aboriginal story telling and oral history. Not enough areas of seating. Several exhibits were worth additional time and reflection, but standing was difficult because of traffic.
Very interesting museum. My wanna be pirate kid loved being able to explore the Endevour. It was cool to see all the different boats & learn about them at the Mu Sea Um.
Well worth the entrance fee and the natural world photographs were worth the entrance fee alone. And info on Australia part in winning WWII
Well worth visiting in a gorgeous spot. We really enjoyed the outdoor ship exhibits of the different vessels you can tour through. Super interesting and staff were great, apart from 1 (asian lady Jenny) at the submarine who was shockingly rude. She barked at us - clip yellow tags on & when we asked her about any information, she literally said to the group “we do not need to tell you”. So we went to enter the submarine but my elderly parents found that without any info- there were very steep steps and areas to climb thru they couldn’t manage, they had to go back, which embarrassed them. All other staff on-site were really friendly & informative though. The indoor photography wildlife section was well worth the visit too and we ate at the cafe which had nice food. Definitely worth the $36 entry fee ($30 for concession holders)
Great day of exploring, so many things to see. Outdoors there are many boats to explore, from the replica Endeavour to a submarine. Very well curated and volunteer guides were friendly and knowledgable. Highly recommend.
This was a fantastic trip the MC was great! We seen everything from the water side And the bottom on the Sydney Bridge. An American Submarine Tender was tied up.
Situated within Darling Harbour, the museum is easy to find and very reasonably priced. We paid to see the historic boats which were all great fun (beware you may feel a bit claustrophobic on the submarine!!). All of the staff we met were super friendly and informative. Great photo opportunities and great views of the harbour from the lighthouse.
I've loved coming here since I was a kid, so I decided to take my son along. It was just as good as I remember it being. The submarine was a huge hit with my son, despite us having to wait about 25 minutes in a queue (if you go during school holidays, factor in queuing for the HMAS Onslow and check what time boarding ends). The HMAS Vampire is also great fun. The best part about the vessels is that there are spots where kids can have their photo taken and pretend they're at sea. I'll admit I've never really looked around inside the museum building, but why would you need to when the ships and lighthouse are so exciting?
Visited with teenage kids and they loved it. Thoroughly loves the submarine the Onslow and the navy ship the Vampire. The museum is interesting also. The photographer exhibition was on and amazing wildlife images. They were spectacular. Dosn't take that long to wander through the museum, nice gift shop and all clean facilities. Don't go too late of can miss the vessels. Last aboard at 3.10 and closes at 4 so be there well before. Thought it was well priced and nice and close to ferry's and the harbour. Definitely recommend
Came here to see the National Geographic Photography Exhibition and had a great day out. Of travelling by public transport was a nice walk here from Town Hall. There is also a Ferry you can catch nesr by to here aswell. Went to Exhibition with my mum. Very accesable as mum has a walker with her. We pre purched our tickets for a specific exhibition that was running but was also able to see some other parts of museam aswell not just that one exhibition. Was a good day out.
Walking distance from Sydney CBD and offers fantastic information, artefacts and tours covering Australia's maritime history. You can easily spend an entire day here looking at the indoor and outdoor exhibitions, as well as the vessels it has moored at Darling Harbour. Had a chance to step onto the Endeavour replica, HMAS Onslow (incredibly unique going inside a cold war era sub!) and HMAS Vampire, the massive destroyer ship. The museum's guide staff were very professional, passionate and knowledgeable, answering all our questions and keeping the experience smooth and welcoming. Best part of the day was catching the 1 hour tour provided by Bill, a former crew member of HMAS Vampire. Highly informative tour around the ship and inside it, giving both the factual information to help us understand its components, as well as the personal stories attached to its history. Allow a full day if you aim to get to everything on offer. Cloak room services are available and the cafe onsite is excellent.
Very interesting. Great tour guides at specific points. Went into areas of submarine and ship I would not have thought possible.
It was very awesome and I loved the HMAS VAMPIRE, bring a hat and sunglasses because it can get very hot outside
I toured the museum by myself as such places don't interest the rest of the family. I arrived soon after the museum opened and stayed until closing time, a period of almost 5 hours, and still did not see it all. They need to have longer hours for people who want to get it all in. Of most interest to me were the ships in the harbour. There was a replica of a Dutch sailing vessel, which was tiny. The first European ship to touch on Australia's shores. Then there was a replica of the Endeavor, the vessel Captain Cook used to claim Australia for the UK. This vessel was also small compared to the people aboard. The distance and challenges such a ship managed were enormous. Seeing the vessel in real life was a treat. As well, there is a display area on the dock where you can learn much about the tools and methods of sailing at that time. An extra treat was having one of the present-day crewmembers at hand to answer questions. This man was very generous with his time answering questions when he surely had work to do. The next vessels were more modern. A submarine and destroyer which both served in the Australian Navy. It was interesting to go through both vessels to see their design, capabilities, and history. My only complaint is that I would have appreciate more attendants or signs on the destroyer Vampire to explain equipment and operations. There was some signage, but not enough. Most of the attendants I did chat with were quite knowledgeable on their vessel, but one or two individuals might have been new and did not really have answers to my questions. With time running short, I had to skip the last tall sailing ship and move indoors. I raced through the exhibits inside in about 40 minutes. You should probably spend two hours inside and three outside, to do it all justice. I would go back again when in Sydney.
I was pleasantly surprised by this maritime museum. There were so many things to see and do. I especially enjoyed the vessels to board and look around. I would definitely go back!
Loved all the information there along with the ships that were there to tour.Really enjoyed Captain Cook replica of Endeavor. We spent the entire day there.
Interesting museum, volunteer guides knowledgeable and polite … Terry on ‘the Vampire’ was very engaging and humorous. The submarine was interesting and claustrophobic… how those poor men spend anytime in the sub .. cramped, lack of privacy .. I dread to think what it smelt like inside after a period underwater. My only gripe really is I feel it’s a little expensive $35 each.
It is a wondrous museum. Don't miss touring the submarine (go early to avoid lines), the Capt Cook exact replica ship, "Vampire", James Cameron special exhibit, etc. Grab lunch in the cafeteria overlooking the museum marina and harbor skyline.
My purpose of writing this review and giving it 5 stars is to acknowledge the effort of the volunteers that help with the queues and showing people through the submarine and ship. They do a great job! We enjoyed our morning at the Maritime Museum.
Easy to walk around- ramps & lifts. Historic ships, submarine & the Titanic expeditions amazing. Great place for children. Many interactions for the children
We’ve spent here approximately 2h. The museum consists of outdoor exhibitions - real battleship, ship used in 18th century, submarine and full replica of Captain Cook’s ship. All of them are interesting to visit, but be ready that usually there is a queue to visit a submarine. The indoor halls consists of different exhibits and thematic areas. For example, now there is a zone dedicated to James Cameron’s dive experiences - you’ll see Titanic and bathyscaph immersions and films about it. There is a cafe in the territory - sandwiches and couple of main dishes are available, different drinks including cocktails.
Great museum of the maritime history of Australia. Outside exhibits of naval vessels is impressive. Get there early if you want to go onto the submarine. Cafe service was a little slow.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
Reach us by phone
Reach us by email
