Santa Pola's Sea Museum. Credit: Ayuntamiento de Santa Pola.
Santa Pola’s Museo del Mar is heading towards a record-breaking year after welcoming 133,145 visits so far in 2026. The figure is already closing in on the almost 150,000 visits recorded throughout the whole of last year, with the museum’s network of historic and cultural attractions continuing to draw visitors to the coastal town.
Museo del Mar approaches annual visitor record
Santa Pola’s Museo del Mar is heading towards a record year after attracting 133,145 visits so far in 2026, already approaching the almost 150,000 recorded during the whole of last year.
The museum complex includes its main exhibitions inside the Castillo Fortaleza, covering the history and ethnography of the sea and fishing, music, archaeology and local history.
The castle also hosts a changing programme of national and international art exhibitions, adding to the range of attractions available within the historic building.
Museum network extends beyond Castillo Fortaleza
Several external sites form part of the museum, including the Mediterranean Aquarium, the preserved Esteban Gonzalez fishing boat and Portus Ilicitanus, the Roman port which operates as an open-air museum.
Visits remain free, including guided activities, workshops, concerts and talks.
The combination of permanent exhibitions, archaeological attractions and cultural activities means the Museo del Mar extends well beyond a traditional museum building, with different sites exploring Santa Pola’s history and its close relationship with the Mediterranean.
Aquarium and fishing boat closed for improvements
Two attractions are currently temporarily closed. The Aquarium is undergoing improvements and new museum installations, while the Esteban Gonzalez is receiving major restoration work to its hull.
Both are expected to reopen in December.
Portus Ilicitanus has also experienced temporary closures during archaeological excavations and work to install a protective shaded structure over part of the remains.
La Picola will join museum network in 2027
The museum network is set to expand again in 2027 with the addition of the La Picola archaeological site.
The Iberian and Roman site is being prepared for visitors through a €1.25 million project fully funded by Spain’s Ministry of Industry and Tourism.
Its addition will give visitors another archaeological attraction to explore as part of Santa Pola’s growing museum network, while the strong visitor figures recorded during 2026 put the Museo del Mar within reach of surpassing last year’s total.