Espaço Cultural da Marinha, Naval museum at Orla Conde, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Espaço Cultural da Marinha is a museum in downtown Rio de Janeiro that displays ships, maritime artifacts, and naval equipment across open galleries near the waterfront. It occupies the former customs docks between two historic squares.
The museum opened in 1996 on the site of former customs docks built on land reclaimed from Guanabara Bay during the 1800s. This transformation of the waterfront was part of Rio's modernization efforts during that period.
The collections here tell stories about Brazil's relationship with the sea through ship models and naval uniforms that belonged to sailors and officers from different eras.
The museum is best visited in the afternoon on weekdays or early on weekends to avoid larger crowds. Bring comfortable walking shoes because the layout spreads across open-air galleries near the waterfront.
Daily boat trips to Ilha Fiscal depart from here, offering views of multiple sites along Guanabara Bay that tell different parts of Rio's naval history. Few visitors know this option exists when they first arrive.
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