Reviews about Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex. (Other) in Mossel Bay (Western Cape).

Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex

1875 Customer Reviews

91 User Comments

Other

Maritime museum

Museum

Tourist attraction

1 Market St, Mossel Bay Central, Mossel Bay, 6500

Details

Information about Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex, Other in Mossel Bay (Western Cape)

Here you'll find location details, hours, peak times, contact information, photos and real user reviews.

This place has excellent reviews, indicating great customer service. Highly recommended!

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Opening hours for Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex

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Reviews of Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex

C. F.

When you enter the Granery it doesn't look impressive but when you go through the glass doors an interesting landscape unfolds. The whale skull and aquarium are very interesting. Some of the exhibits were under renovation and some of the pathways could be marked more clearly. The museum and curio shop are informative and accessible although the replica ship was closed on our visit. We spent a pleasant two hoirs exploring and learning.

S. O. S.

Good history of south African relationship with the Portuguese. Very lovely.

R. C.

Loved the place. There was an outdoor area with amazing views, an entire large meusem section dedicated to the history of Mossel bay with a particular focus on Portuguese explorers. There was also a very charming and surprisingly well kept and fun aquarium dedicated to educating one on the local environment. Overall its a great place and i highly recomend a thorough visit by lovers of site seeing and historical events. I will be visiting again soon to soak in more!

S. K.

Very interesting History .Excellent place to visit for families

L. N.

Really liked this Museum. As it gives alot of history, to much to take in in one go. Will definitely visit again in future. Only bad experience was searching for the graveyard. As we hiked our way across the whole area but found nothing. In my opinion- worth a visit.

M.

The myseum is very nice and they let people go on the ship to explore ar an additional cost. I will recommend tourists interested I history and education take the time to go and see the meuseum as there is multiple expeditions that relate to education and the Caps curriculum for grade 4 to 9.

S. B.

Very informative and interesting! Well kept and neat! Unfortunately can't go onto the boat itself due to Covid regulations.

E. J.

One of the best museums I have visited in a long time. The replica of the Diaz ship is amazing. The grounds are well kept and the view is stunning should one just wish to sit for a few moments. The old "post tree" is also fabulous.

M. A. I.

It was awesome to see a replica boat that was sailed by Bartholomeu Dias from Portugal to South Africa. His journey took him 6 months to reach the Cape coastline where he experienced heavy winds and strong sea conditions.

C. M.

Keeping history alive and being able to walk the deck of a to scale replica of a 1800's Portugese ship. Amazing!

K. M.

I think the ship is cool it’s always been a thing to check out growing up but the exhibit needs to be updated a lot.

j. k.

Quite informative inside. Just remember to have a walk right round the grounds, and especially have a look at the 500 year old milkwood tree ( not to say it is the original Post tree...)

H. v. V.

Awesome piece of history to be enjoyed during your visit ... Very well kept.

R. P.

Still a wonderful place after more then 26 years since my last visit

L. L. R.

Lovely history Could brush up on maintenance but worth the visit!

O. J. -. S.

Never knew this place existed. So informative and well laid out. A bit of a hike at times, but well worth it! Loved the Maritime Museum as well!

M. R.

What an amazing place. Full of interesting history with a spectacular view. Really enjoyed the location and the amount of things to do.

G. D.

Great adventure for the kids, well laid out and very interesting. Fun outing for the family.

A. L.

Very interesting place fore kids to visit. Unfortunately the ship is still not ready for public.

A. L.

Beautiful, well kept and informative museum. Well worth the visit and well priced.

L. H.

To be seen, amongst others: Old post tree and replica of Bartholomeu Dias's caravel which did the same Route from Portugal to Mossel Bay in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Dias arrival here... Definitely worth the visit.

K. K. D.

It has the exact replica of the ship which had sailed in 500 years back, very good collection of maps made during the period and surroundings

N. v. d. W.

Very informative and interesting exhibits. A good place to visit if you are in Mossel Bay.

P. B.

Very informative really liked this museum ,will visit again

M. L.

For a small town like Mossel Bay, this well maintained museum desirves a 5 star and must be visited when here! Cheap entrance as well! Spacious Museum grounds includes a small aquarium which our toddlers enjoyed, also beautiful lawns outside. The Diaz ship was obviously the museum climax! History very interesting. Small curio shop. Send a postcard from the oldest "post office" in South Africa (a post shoe under a tree). Museum situated in the nice Mossel Bay old town.

S. W.

Undergoing some revamp and renovation so not at its best ( in exchange no entry fee)! This is a must visit experience to Mossel Bay it is truly amazing to see and learn about. Had the pleasure of speaking with Kenneth the water colour artist which was a lifetime experience….thank you sir.

R. J.

Ok, but lot of neglect. Staff, not very friendly Expected more of the marine life (skulpie musem). Wold expect proper shells, stuffed/preserved fish, not some persons art and idea on how a fish looks like.

D. N.

I found it very interesting. Going onboard gave me a little indication of how the sailors must have lived.

H. C.

Visited here early January 2024. The museum is well maintained and well worth a visit. It is a pity that we saw the aquarium during a time of rennovation, but I am sure it will be worth the wait.

D.

Great Opportunity to experience walking on an exact replica the was sailed around our coastline by "The first known European explorer"

J. S.

Pleasantly surprised to see the extent and quality of the upgrades since my last visit here, well done

J. H.

Interesting museum, especially the Maritime one. Be sure to visit/embark the Caravel and learn about the maritime development of this region and its incidence on the world at that time.

C. S.

This museum is maintained extremely well! Brimming with historical facts and artifacts!

J. T.

Great Historical value. Amazing place to visit to learn a bit more about Mosselbay and the surrounding area's. Loved it!

M. V. W.

Probably doing the best they can with the funding they have, but can be modernised to have a much greater impact

J. L. F.

History, amazing replica of the Diaz vessel, old maps and naval instruments: certainly worth a visit!

S. B.

Beautiful piece of history.. Loved it!

N. S.

Good and informative visit at a very good price.

K. R.

Well affordable, culturally rich place to visit with Kids

H. E.

Wonderful place to visit if you are in history of our country

S. M.

A lovely day out, without all the political speeches on the day. I love the idea of 'a place to heal', which was not reflected by all of the guest speakers on the day. Would love to see more interactive events for children to learn from.

K. L.

The museum it self is really good. The only thing I found was when we were waking around in the garden area there were boards with the plants names and descriptions on what they were used for but i was not sure which plants were being referred to as there were many different plants in front of the different boards. The boards also had braille writing on but some of the boards were deep inside the garden area where a blind person would not be able to access the braille writing. I would suggest a painting of the plants leaves be painted on the information boards to be able to identify which plant the board was referring to.

M. N.

Really enjoyed the museum, very interesting and informative. It's R40 per adult and that includes going into the caravelle and you can see how it looked like inside. It's in a complex with different things that you can see, there's a little aquarium that you can also go to and it's all included in the price.

F. M.

Beautiful, was busy with repairs.

M. B.

Very intersting and lovely museum to visit on your holiday trip

J. S.

An absolute treat for anyone interested in history. Entrance is really cheap. Definitely recommend paying for the ticket which grants access to the replica ship on display- a great experience!

M. W.

The museum is really very interesting, the full size ship and all the information regarding the history of Portugal's Bartolomeu Dias is absolutely a must to see, very much worth a visit, take a picnic on a nice day you can eat outside overlooking Santos Bay, really amazing

E. J.

Very interesting museum if you are interested in boats and history as well as shells and marine life

J. N.

Dias museum is well worth the money! The staff are friendly-ish, and the museum is well laid out. Kids would love looking at pictures without being bored, and the big replica of Dias's ship will entertain everyone. Well worth a visit if you're in or around the Mossel bay area

R. R.

Must visit. Museum has many interesting artefacts and paintings. The highlight is ofcourse the replica of Dias's ship. To celebrate 500 years of his landing on Mossel bay, a replica was made and it sailed from Portugal to Mossel Bay, the ship was then put inside the museum. Visitors can board the ship and explore the inside. Although exactly the same as the original ship, this one has modern amenities like bathrooms, kitchen etc. Outside on the grounds you can find the post office tree with an interesting history.

A. V.

Well maintained museum, most interesting

W. B.

This is really worth visiting. They have specimens of many fynbos plants which makes an interesting game for children when they go on their next veld trip. See how many plants they can identify andd how many are edible. The boat is a real attraction for the little pirates😁 Try and imagine weeks on the open sea in those bunks or on deck? What did they eat?

F. R.

Loved it!I was looking forward to this visit and was not disappointed.From the Maritime Museum with the antique items on display and the replica of Dias's caravel that was sailed from Portugal to Mossel Bay,it was just amazing!Also the shell museum and botanical gardens on the premises,and the view over the bay were great.A must visit when in Mossel Bay!

P. M.

Very nice place to take out family

G. D.

The replica ship user over 500 years ago by Diaz on his epic journey has central focus here. Some recent construction at the Granary has the exhibition areas filled with all sorts.

A. M.

Neat and interesting display and the atmosphere is conducive to imagine past journeys with that boat.Entrance fee is inexpensive.

S. C.

Very interesting history of the surrounding area. The ship replica of Diaz is definitely the high lite of the tour. Busy with renovation at the time of our visit.

P. S.

What a wonderful place to visit. It is very clean and well maintained. There is a lot of information about the past and the exhibitions are amazing. Time and money well spend!

G. B. K.

This a Small Museum divided into 2 building one on the left hand side and the other one is straight ahead. Enterance fee is Zar 20/- for adults. We are allowed to carry our 📷. There is a Green Lawn in between these 2 building where we can enjoy the Beach side view.

A. L.

If you like maritime history, this is a place to go. There is a real life Portuguese Caravel which you can board in the Museum. It actually sailed the same route thst Vaso de Gama sailed back in the 1497. Well worth a visit.

I. V. B.

Good but small museum with lots of history. Well layed out. One of a few museums that children also can enjoy

D. P.

Small museum, but worthwhile seeing both for the replica ship that Dias used as well as information about mapping and exploration at the time.

S. O.

Provides comprehensive visual and written history of the start of south Africa in its current state. Highlight is full size replica ship that was actually sailed to south Africa. Includes an ocean Muslim as well

c. S.

Great experience with my 1 year old. The building and closed aquarium is a bit of a bumber

M. G.

I'm so glad that this place exists its accessible and tells the history so oft neglected. Very well kept and very affordable! Thank you.

R. P.

Well worth visiting. Interesting historical attraction & many other exhibits. Don't expect too much from little coffee shop.

A. S.

Great little museum about Mosselbay and the Dias landing. The world first "post office" is situated here - a tree sailors used to leave messages in a shoe for passing sailors to read.

I. J. V. R.

Just sad that due to covid we could not have the full experience. But enjoyed our time there

S. V.

The museum is neat and well kept, pity the boat was closed due to Covid. Well worth a visit

P. B.

We attended a Mossel Bay Arts concert. If you're a visitor to the Bay then this a must see place.

N. Z.

A very cool tour, it has a complex with the Bartolomeu Dias museum with a life-size replica of the Caravel, a shell museum and the post office that is a boot, with a lot of explanatory history on the boards. Worth the visit.

H. D. P.

This museum was very cute for us, R30 entrance fee per adult, shell museum, and the boat museum and the grounds with a lot of history. We spent 2 and a half hours here. Plan to spend some time here.

S. S.

Fantastic museum complex! The ticket is R30 and you can spend several hours here without getting bored. An absolute gem is the replica of the Portuguese caravel by Bartolomeu Dias, built in 1987 in Portugal. The replica, commanded by Captain de Sousa, sailed the entire route from Lisbon to Mossel Bay. In the same building, an exhibition presenting the origins and history of the Portuguese maritime search for a route to India. It is worth climbing to the top of the hill above Munrohoek to see the padrão - a stone obelisk that the Portuguese placed on the newly discovered shores. The one in Mossel Bay is a replica funded by Portugal in 1968. You definitely have to see the Postal Tree, a huge milkwood under which correspondence has been left since 1500. Just beyond, in the Shirley Building, there is an impressive collection of shells and live specimens in aquariums

A.

This museum is located in the city of Mossel bay, right in the center. It has a good structure and is very well organized. There is a replica of the caravel used by Bartholomeu Diaz in full scale, which was built in Portugal and was brought sailing across the sea. You can enter the caravel to see its interior and feel what the ships were like at the time. The museum still shows some old equipment and navigation stories. There is also a maritime museum with some species that inhabit the seas. It could be interesting for those who like ancient history and are interested in knowing the origins of people. The ticket cost is low. It's worth a visit.

E. B.

Museum was interesting, there was a huge sailing ship in the center that you could see in its entirety. Unfortunately, the house with the aquarium was really run down, so you just felt sorry for the animals in the individual tanks. Therefore only 3 stars.

M. R.

Anyone interested in history will get their money's worth here. Be sure to walk around the park too. Museum is partly under renovation

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