This is a great place to visit for anyone who enjoys the visuals and general knowledge of older sea vessels. This museum includes the oldest sail boat, an antiqued ferry, a couple submarines, and several other amazing ships as well. Included in the admission price is a pilot boat tour around the bay. If you havent been here, put it on your list.

My young boys dressed up like pirates and had such a blast! The staff was very kind to my very excited children, they shared pirate jokes and even gave them a gold doubloon. Thank you for a great experience!

Mostly run by volunteers, however it doesnt hinder the experience. The staff is friendly and informative. There are about 4 ships to explore and a Submarine (closed to the public.) Great place to learn a bit of history.

Will have to go back again after Covid to see the things that were unavailable. Still was very interesting

The prices are very affordable and at the point of my budget. The staff that entertained me was very accommodating and pleasant.

Exelent sperianc

I would like to especially acknowledge the staff for having such positive attitudes on a busy day. I know big crowds and impatient customers can be overwhelming, so I greatly appreciated their professionalism. Joshua, David, Gino and Jamir (I think there was one or two more staff members? Im sorry I didnt catch their names). Either way they all were super friendly and helpful, even with all the long lines and pushing people.

I highly recommend this museum. Worth every penny. Take the time to read the information along the tour. It was just so fascinating to go under deck of these great ships and I absolutely loved the tour of the Soviet era submarine and also the US submarine. Really! Who doesnt want to go inside a submarine and imagine what it must of been like to actually have served and be submerged under water so many years ago. Well run and very informative.

Had a great time with my 2-year-old. Lots of fun things to explore and its nice that it is outside during this health crisis. Great place to learn history and to interact with amazing ships.

Mostly run by 3-5 people they are all friendly and helpful. The submarine is off limits (inside) but they still have a good selection of replica ships to see

All ships are closed inside by COVID 19 and staff don’t tell you about it before you buy a ticket. not necessary to pay for a ticket, you can see the ships from the walking side. Rebecca has been presented by it self such as a supervisor and she is extremely rude and aggressive when I asked her about the refund. Rebecca Hope your life will be changed to better side with my $20 ticket.

The muesum is open but limited to upper decks. athe submarines are not open. They are giving 45 minute bay tours as part of the muesum tour admission.

An incredible place with an amazing collection of boats and submarines. Totally worth the pass to see everything. No better deal exists to see this many historic naval vessels. Helpful and friendly staff on most of the boats, and not particularly crowded, either. Kids will love this.

Fun and worth a visit. If you do the boat tour choose the civilian boat. The other was loud and we couldnt hear our guide.

Awesome day see the old ships and technology. Make sure to add on the bay cruise. Best value in san diego. My kids loved it too!!

Very cool place. I thought I will just walk around and leave soon but stucked there for around 2 hours.There are a lot of thing to see and its very interesting especially if you are into marine stuff.Also, the atmosphere is pretty dope there!

I dont know any other place in the world that does live in action tall ship cruises including firing on pirate ships. This is the coolest place I found in this city. If you havent been, humor me and try it out. So much to learn and so many people that really really enjoy what they do and want to share the fantastic Maritime history that we have.

Great spot to grab that works famous insta pic. It can get busy so go late at night if you want a pic without tons of people in the pic. Weeknights are the best.

The entire museum was great, topped off by the narrated boat ride under Coronado bridge - a real value!

We sailed the San Salvador with a group of volunteer docents. My family and I could not have had a better time. Bill in particular took extra time to discuss facts and experiences and took beautiful pictures of my family and I, we are so appreciative of him and his time! The tour lasts from 11:30-4 and will sail in the bay and on the open water. There are snacks and water as well as toilets (heads) on the boat.The length of time was perfect and nobody got seasick. Recommend to anyone wanting to explore San Diego and who love boats or the ocean!

Surprisingly interesting museum. Theres so much cool information. The boats and ships are so much fun to explore. Theres a Soviet submarine and the HMS Surprise from the movie Master & Commander. I lived it, but then Im a nerd and love history.

Amazing volunteers who know all the details and are highly passionate about everything at the museum - very impressive - rated third best maritime museum in the world after England’s and Australia’s.Take the boat tour $10 for 75 minutes - informative and truly the cost only covers the gas.Lots of displays that never end - really interesting and a bargain to get inThey are always looking for more volunteers so please help out if you are local

We stumbled across the maritime museum by simply walking along the water and we were enticed by the submarines and wooden ships you could enter. This museum is a perfect add on for an afternoon stroll. Its not a huge gigantic museum you need all day to go through, but it has a lot of fun and educational content on boat history and its all on actual boats! It was not crowded at all and we found we usually only shared the boat we were on with one or two other families. The main entrance boat has a museum of ship models and goes into a lot of San Diego specific history that was really fun to learn about. Each boat has its own fascinating history for you to learn. We had a great time and did not experience any museum fatigue.

This is one of the coolest museums that I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. Some real nautical history here and you can spend the whole day perusing through the exhibits for only $18. The soviet submarine was intense to walk through, and really gives a perspective on how things must have been during war times. The Star of India was also a favorite of mine here

Tons of memories in this place. You could see how the sailors traveled. They have two submarines. Impresive, how they could live and work on ships or submarines. Some of the ships are small and some of them are bigger. Must see this place

We cannot say anything but good things about the Steam Ferry Berkley staff. We stopped during our walk around the area and my wife (or is a massive collector) asked if she could have a small sliver of the boards being replaced on the ship. They did one better and gave her an actual, original, bolt that was being replaced which made our entire trip out to San Diego. That was so nice of them to do that and she treasures it. Please, if you have a chance, stop by this location and check it out. We have a full review of the Steam Ferry Berkley on our blog site and YouTube channel.

We both loved the Maritime museum. I wouldnt call myself a fan of boats but I found it really interesting. Our favourite parts of the museum was the Star of India boat. It was incredibly old and the history was fascinating. We also found the Russian submarine really interesting. Worth noting, that if you have back or leg problems, the submarine may not be for you as there are small tunnel doorways to get through. Really recommend this museum. They also put a stamp on your hand so you can re-enter during the day as you please.

What an awesome place! We stayed here for like, six hours and didnt even see everything. If you can plan to go on two separate days, do it. Bring a snack too! You can go inside of both submarines and theyre so cool. If its not busy when you get there, Id suggest doing that first before the cramped space fills up.

Very informative and impressive even without going in the submarines or below decks. Especially the HMS Surprise/Rose

Its a great experience. Just be aware that youll be going inside submarines. Everything about the visit was cool. The staff were really kind. Worth going a second time

Great museum at a reasonable cost. Quite a few ships here both new and old. I especially enjoyed walking on the decks of Star of India and exploring the B-39 soviet submarine. There’s another American submarine and some more older ships so overall plan about 2-3 hours to cover the entire museum. Lots of interesting facts and information.You can also sign up for a boat cruise (45 mins or 75 mins) or go out in an old ship for like 4 hours. Parking was easy, especially if you don’t mind walking a few mins instead of parking next to the ships.

Recently visited for an overnight field trip with a bunch of 9/10yr olds. WOW, the program they have put together and the lengths they go through to make it an authentic experience for the kids is incredible!!!! Very knowledgeable staff and great actors too! So much cool information, hard to get bored on this trip! If you just want to visit for the day, come early when crowds are thinner and bring plenty of quarters for the parking meters out front. Would recommend calling ahead if traveling with someone in crutches or wheelchair as accessing the various ships docked may not be accessible due to their original designs. The Berkeley should be more accessible. Bathrooms located on the Surprise and at the top of the Berkeley. Cant wait to go back and explore on my own!

Friendly staff, some great exhibits and great price.

We had a great time going through the history. The subs were our favorite part. I really like that it is self guided and no one bothers you. If you have questions the staff is really friendly.

I would love to revisit this museum had to rush through to catch my flight back home...definitely recommend if you love history, boats/ships, etc.

There is always a lot to explore! Perfect for active kids and adults! My son has learned so much about ships and history from our visits, and the people working are always great!

Very good place to go! The cost is 18$ for adult. Very interesting, you can spend here all day! Great for kids, interesting for adults.

The ships are very cool. I visited at dusk and many of the ships were already closed so I could not go inside them. The soviet sub tour was the highlight. I wish the Star of India were more of a restored demonstration of what it was used for at its peak. Instead the lower 2 decks are converted into museum space to the history of ships and sailing.More signage throughout the ships would be good, too.

This place has some amazing facts...check it out

Amazing museum via inside of several different ships and submarines. You get to learn about the different vessels as you walk through them. You can even sign up to actually sail on some of them. My whole family had an amazing time; would love to go again!

Loved it! They run an excellent presentation

Really cool place to walk around and kill an hour or so

We learned a lot. Great history and location

Highly interesting place. This museum is packed with information, presented in an agreeable way. Im a landlubber, but was really drawn into the history. Went for a GREAT ride on the Swift Boat. That was awesome. Great fathers day gift.

Very fun place to walk around and learn some history and see amazing ships. Avg price but worth it as you can definitely spend a couple hours playing around.

Amazing place got to enjoy the boats ships and submarines. Very educational and exciting first time here staff is friendly. You have to find Scott he is an amazing staff member. He was very informative and gave us some great pointers.

So cool! I had never wanted to go inside a Russian anything before but the submarine tour was amazing and informative. The ships are gorgeous and carefully recreated.

As part of the Old Town Trolley tour, we stopped off at the Maritime Museum. Submarines and the Tall Ships were fascinating and informative. We spent well over an hour there. Take in the gift shop too!

The museum is a varied collection of ships moored up in San Diego harbour, from an 18th century British warship to a modern US Navy research submarine. Each vessel has an interesting tale to tell, particularly the Russian Cold War era diesel boat and its relationship to the Cuban Missile Crisis. The large river barge holds the rest of the museum collection, including some fantastically detailed models of American warships from WW2 and later. Well worth a visit, especially as it is so close to downtown.

Amazing!!! Between the reproduction of the original ship that landed on these shores in 1542, to maintained original ships and submarines, to the very well learned volunteers, this is a must see in the San Diego area!! Also, definitely do the swift boat tour of the bay.

I wrote a review on the star of India and included the Maritime review. Here we go!!! I Love this place!!!! I look forward to visiting all the ships/boats everytime we go to San Diego and it never gets tiring. My mistake this last time was taking my kids with me. Why take kids to a place where you want to live your childhood dreams. I turn into a sponge and soak up the history the smells and the scenery. I wish I could own one of those ships. The submarines are so awesome to be in and the reality kicks in that you are standing in an enemy ship. What ever you do, make sure you go into the actual museum which is the Berkely. Awesome history, art and picture. What else can I say other than you have to go into the subs and look through the parascope!!!!!!

Amazing, a must visit. So many levels of historic ships, subs, nautical history and more.

Wonderful history! The star of india (the oldest sailing ship) is amazing to be on board! Soviet era sub with amazing cold war history! Definitely worth the price of admission ($20 usd for adults)

Absolutely amazing. Make sure to visit every ship if possible and take your time.

Excellent museum. Full of interesting facts and stories. Whether you are walking through an old sailing ship 250 years old or inside a 40 year old submarine. The kids will love it as well

If you think boats are cool, you should check this out. If you dont, check it out anyways and youll leave thinking boats are cool.

Pretty cool, one ticket can have more over 5 ships touring.

Great to see and amazed of the history to read. Pictures you will take and all ways remember that you had amazing time

I enjoyed this old Soviet sub. Inside, there is a simulation of the harrowing experience the crew went through during the Cold War where they almost launched nuclear weapons. It is very informative and quite fun, too. This sub was more interesting than the American sub nearby.

It was a great experience see all the ships and learning the history of them. Fascinating time.

Amazing ships and submarines! Well worth $

It is probably the best place for children to make them aware about San Diego.There are numerous exhibits and the staff is amazingly helpful. Children love to have fun and learn, and hence this is the best place for children

Aaahhhh, not sure what to say? Kinda cheesy but the kids will like it, I went twice actually because one did not get a chance to see it. Got some beautiful pictures.

We visited with our 7 year old so. And all of us highly recommend visiting if you like boats, history, and/or learning.We explored the Star of India (old trade ship that still sails), the USS Dolphin (deepest diving submarine), B-39 (Soviet era diesel-electric submarine), HMS Surprise (18th century Royal Navy frigate replica that did sail and was used in the movie Master and Commander), and Steam Ferry Berkeley (1898 steam ferryboat).Each was enjoyable (some somber moments when listening to or reading about war-time stories) and we learned about more U.S. and world history with each boat.Would have liked more submarine model or children’s submarine T-shirt gift store options. Then again, we saved money there.Nearby metered parking was easy to find and use.We hope to visit again some day!

Totally worth it. We went with a three years old and it was fine. We couldnt read everything but walking around was perfect. Parking at front is small but we arrived before noon and had place. It is not free to park. I recommend if you are visiting the area.

Very cool ships, old and new. Great historical information and actual crew. Great guides and helpful staff.

A wonderful experience for everyone! A rare gem and extensive peek into Maritime History. Enter through the Amazing Ferryboat Berkeley! Charming Indeed!

I live here and thought this looked like a bad tourist trap, but after reluctantly joining some visiting friends, its actually chock full of interesting history, spread across a wild variety of watercraft. A Soviet nuke sub, spanish sailer from 15 hundred and something; the last metal hull sailing ship. Theres 4+ hours of physical exploration.

Awesome, definitely worth every penny or cent

Great collection of 2 submarines and several tall ships for one $18 fee, open late 0900-2100 hrs in the summer. This is NOT where the USS Midway is parked btw. They have a Soviet Foxtrot class diesel sub on display, in addition to the USD Dolphin, experimental test bed Conventional Submarine.

Cool from the outside . Temporarily Closed for Covid :/

A floating museum comprising sbout 13 ships - some original and some replicas. The star attractions in my view were the Star ot India, the old ferry Berkeley, and an old Russian Foxtrot class submarine. The old Russian Foxtrot class submarine also featured a sight and sound show on board. This is a museum worth visiting.

A lot of stuff to do.In side the museum and more.

My husband & I had the best time walking these ships! Its like stepping into another time period. The oldest one is from 1863! It was just incredible. Well worth an evening activity. We spent about 2-3 hours and, then headed off to dinner. It went by fast! Definitely recommend this Museum.

This is a great place to go. They have so much history and a lot of ships you can tour. The map they have of the ships is pretty easy to follow and you can get a lot of knowledge from walking around. They have a submarine and if you have issues with small spaces do not go in it. I nearly had a panic attack and my husband had to rush me out of there. But all in all it is very fun and well worth the price.

Love this museum, which is really multiple ships, boats, and submarines. The Star of India is the prime attraction, but dont miss the Soviet-era sub and the ferry Berkeley, which has a history of naval bases in San Diego.

Very cool museum with tall ships submarines and other boats floating in the bay for you to explore. Nice people, cool gifts. Definitely worth doing if you are in San Diego.

For the money, this is one of the best Maritime museum in the country. The Russian Foxtrot class sub is somewhat dated, but very interesting to see how cold war submariners served and lived. It is cramped and my only criticism is it is not ventilated well. There should be more air moving throughout the sub. The TV screens were not synched and screens were not displaying when I visited. The Spanish galleon is a newly built ship, sort of a replica based on general design concepts of the 16th century. Then HMS Surprise of the Master and Commander movie fame is great to spend time on. The other sailing ships are interesting but with few informational signs.

This is a magnificent maritime museum. Sea excursions are impressive. A wonderful collection of ships, boats and submarines is open for visiting. The staff is very friendly and very helpful, ready to answer all your questions and tell you about the history of the ships. We spent about 6 hours, passing through ships and two submarines. Interesting and interesting museum for children and adults, as well as very informative. Particularly a great time for those who are fond of this, who have a great imagination and love films related to ships, like pirates of the Caribbean. A great place, worth a visit. I recommend!

Russell Crowe and boat fans alike will love the HMS Surprise exhibit. Tis the ship they used in Master and Commander: Far Side of The WorldThe Star of India is also there. Schoolkids were loading on for a sleepover, which I thought was neat, but Im a nerd.There are submarines, a pirate ship exhibit, and US ARMY things to see too.I had a family emergency and had to leave, but I will be back...

This place is amazing, the living history program is educational and entertaining. The sails around the bay in the tall ships are peaceful and fun to help as the crew lets you help sail and pull lines. Crew members are full of knowledge and willing to teach! Cant say enough good things about this museum!

Learned something about the history of these voyages. Absolutely good fun day with family

This was a terrific experience! But it is definitely an entire afternoon experience. We jumped off during the trolley tour, but really should have reserved the entire day to explore all of these ships for the low price of $20. The docents are priceless! Such a wealth of knowledge! Perfect for anyone just curious about things.

Well worth a visit. I spent around 6 hours going through the ships and the two submarines. It was nice to see the large steam engines in the ferry and how small the submarines were. I also liked being able to see through the periscope (one picture below)

Dont miss it! Great attractions and good value for money! Wonderful day on the waterfront for you and your family! Loved the recreated ships. Numerous photo ops.

Museum was nice but we missed the boat ride because they didnt tell us the times on boat and they were unable to refund us the money. Its $18 each for the museum and an extra $7 for the 45 min boat ride around the bay. Bring good walking shoes you will be walking in and out of 7 ships.

This was an incredible experience. We didn’t expect to be able to see so much. Took about 2 hours and the docent was very helpful on what to look for in each ship. Walked through two submarines, a pirate ship and a host of others. The star of India was our favorite. Three levels with lots to look at. Would highly recommend this museum.

The boats are amazing! And the Soviet Submarine was a great experience for those who dont get stuck. It is a lot of walking though.

Really great place to learn about Naval and maritime history, spend some time here you wont regret it.

The museum is a vast collection of amazing vessels to explore in and out. I have spent days exploring and have barely scratched the surface. They have cruises and guided tours available.

This place was pretty neat. I wish they had more details, labeled somehow so I knew what displays I was looking at. Some of them are marked. It would be nice to have a map with a description numbered to correspond with a number on a display. So I think they could spend a little more money on explanations. Other than that it was a great place to explore and look around. At times I found myself alone in the sub and it gave me an eerie sense of what it must have been like to be a sailor waiting for the signal that war was about to breakout. Creepy and also reflective of the men who came before us and lived these jobs. If you like submarines and ships you are going to enjoy this Museum.

Best collection of operating historic vessels in the world!

Ive been to this Museum many times and its wonderful. The only problem is is finding parking if you do choose to go to this Museum bring a couple rolls of quarters cuz shell definitely need them for the parking. I do recommend parking at the USS Midway parking lot youll ultimately save money if you do choose to spend a significant amount of time at this Museum.

Fun for all ages, worth the money and experience of a lifetime.

Such history preserved. The self guided tour was perfect for our grandson.

Alot of fun, alot of history, and beautiful views !

This place is by far one of the best places in San Diego. For a small fee of $18 for the entrance you can visit five ships and 2 submarines plus you can get a trip around the bay for $10 extra, you cannot beat that price, everywhere else they charge up to $70 to $150 for the same type of trip. Enjoy!

Wonderful location for very historic ships. The Star of India is one of the highlights of this museum. Also two submarines from times passed. A couple of eighteen century ships and a replica of a fourteen century Spanish Galleon. It it located right near downtown San Diego. Mission Bay is a very historic location because being a natural harbor attracted many visitors since before the Spanish first came.

It was easy to spend 2.5 hours looking at everything. Very interesting.

There is a self guided tour at a very good price! We spent hours admiring the ships and didn’t get to all of them! Beautifully up kept and helpful staff that take the time to answer your questions.