Vancouver Maritime Museum
Vancouver Maritime Museum
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Vancouver Maritime Museum is a fun, family-friendly place to explore and learn about the sea and the ships that sail it. Climb aboard the historic St. Roch, the first ship to make the west-east traverse of the Northwest Passage. Wander the decks and immerse yourself in the experience of the crew who worked aboard the boat in the 1940s. Kids can imagine, create and play in Underwater World, and the whole family can explore galleries and exhibits that chronicle the rich maritime history of the Pacific Northwest and the Arctic. Enjoy rotating art exhibits that explore our relationship with the sea and take in exhibits on shipwrecks, lighthouses, early fur trade, fireboats, warships, deep-ocean exploration, ship models, the Arctic and more.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Neighborhood: Kits Point
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
311 reviews
Excellent
112
Very good
136
Average
56
Poor
4
Terrible
3
breggie
Asheville, NC970 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
The St Roch ship there (from 1928-54) and it’s history pre WW2 and during, is quite well done and is the icon of the museum. It came here from Halifax to rest when the city bought it, they dry docked it here, then built the A frame museum over and around it. The museum is quite nice, smallish, and worth a visit. In the long run, it’s curating is a bit dated now compared to high end museums with big budgets. We walked from Granville Island, along the water and past the large Vancouver Museum building.
Written September 21, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rebecca S
Cambridge, UK181 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
The museum, though relatively small, is interesting. It’s a bit of a mixture and given the absolute importance of maritime history in relation to Vancouver and the surrounding areas I’m surprised there wasn’t more. You will find a sextant used by Lt Joseph Barker on Vancouver’s ‘Discovery’, but it’s a single artefact hidden around the back of the St Roch.
The highlight of the museum is the St Roch, which you can take a walk around. This is done at set times to allow you space on board. It’s really interesting but it would have been good to have had a 5 minute talk from the person sitting by the entrance to the vessel, they sat there mute and as we went on board said that if we had any questions we could ask afterwards. I feel they are missing a bit of a trick here! Give us a little background from a real person prior to us boarding, build up that story!
The highlight of the museum is the St Roch, which you can take a walk around. This is done at set times to allow you space on board. It’s really interesting but it would have been good to have had a 5 minute talk from the person sitting by the entrance to the vessel, they sat there mute and as we went on board said that if we had any questions we could ask afterwards. I feel they are missing a bit of a trick here! Give us a little background from a real person prior to us boarding, build up that story!
Written September 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beebeeanca
Blainville, Canada232 contributions
Sep 2021
When our plans for the day were shifted due to inclement weather, we were left with extra time in Vancouver. We decided to visit the museum and it was a good way to speak time, learning and away from the rain.
The museum itself was interesting and educative. The staff were nice. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to visit, but if you find yourself with extra time on a rainy day and/or visiting other nearby museum, it's a pretty cool place to visit.
The museum itself was interesting and educative. The staff were nice. I wouldn't necessarily go out of my way to visit, but if you find yourself with extra time on a rainy day and/or visiting other nearby museum, it's a pretty cool place to visit.
Written October 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Laurel M
Calgary, Canada855 contributions
Sep 2021 • Couples
It was an easy 25 minute walk to the museum from downtown Vancouver and once there we spent a good amount of time admiring the many beautifully constructed ship models on display. The best part of our visit was chatting with the Historian on site. I’m sorry I didn’t get her name. The reason the building is shaped like it is is because of the tall masts of the St Roch ship inside. It is a decommissioned RCMP supply ship that sailed to the Arctic and also performed a census of the Inuit people. Most interesting was that during WWll, they were the first ship to sail eastward through the Northwest Passage to Greenland to observe any German activity there. When they sailed back to BC, they became the first ship to sail the passage in both directions. Before it was decommissioned it sailed the Panama Canal making it the first ship to circumnavigate North America. Quite a feat for such a small ship. Definitely check it out!
Written September 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vanessa P
Calgary, Canada1,465 contributions
Oct 2021
Not as big as it seems, however it has a great local first nations collections explaining their culture and life living and moving around ocean. Also, there is a big boat in on the museum's wing and it is possible to explore inside.
The museum is located in a beautiful area, it worth to go for a walk and explore.
The museum is located in a beautiful area, it worth to go for a walk and explore.
Written October 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike H
London, UK351 contributions
Dec 2019
….which houses the St Roch exploration vessel that navigated the North West Passage and now beautifully preserved and presented, acts as the centrepiece of the museum. Really rather thrilling, to be able to climb aboard and see the tiny living spaces and working innards and then, in the main part of the museum, follow the black-and-white film footage of the expedition.
They have a wide selection of ships models and nautical bits and pieces and tell the terrific story of ships and shipping off Vancouver and in the north Pacific.
The signage needs improving from the ample car park to the entrance – it isn’t very clear where to go once parked, but it is effectively round the back of the pointy building.
They have a wide selection of ships models and nautical bits and pieces and tell the terrific story of ships and shipping off Vancouver and in the north Pacific.
The signage needs improving from the ample car park to the entrance – it isn’t very clear where to go once parked, but it is effectively round the back of the pointy building.
Written January 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DayTrip767597
4 contributions
Oct 2019
An interesting building, and a beautiful location right on the water. A little way out of the main city centre, but worth the bus trip. The main exhibit, the St Roch boat can be boarded and explored.
Written September 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lubomyr
Kingston, Ontario24 contributions
Mar 2013 • Solo
If you are a prude you should avert your eyes when visiting a museum if you see something that offends you; the scrimshaw exhibit is perfectly acceptable as a reflection of the lives & times of the whalers who owned/carved these pieces and so they should be displayed. Don't like it, don't go back.
Written March 23, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
louchaboola
Winnipeg Canada40 contributions
Mar 2013 • Couples
My husband spent an hour here while I went for a walk on the beach.. He says there was a lot of information in a small space but he enjoyed it. We both saw the tattoo and scrimshaw exhibit and were adequately warned by the front desk staff that some of it might be seen as offensive. I am a firm defender of proper treatment of women but saw this exhibit as a statement of past treatment of women and actually found it quite entertaining and informative. The staff was very friendly and helpful.
Written March 22, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Burnsy-fae-Perth
Perth, UK71 contributions
Nov 2016
This museum is well worth a visit. It has the bonus that it does not take all day to see round it and, as it is mainly based on the life and history of just one vessel, the St Roch it should not bore kids either. Also some interesting pictures and archive photos in a adjoining wing. Well worth a visit and only a 20 minute walk from Granville Island.
Written November 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tuesday - Saturday: 10am-5pm*; Sunday: noon - 5pm
Thursdays Nights: 5pm–8pm
Written September 17, 2016
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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