How to find the Ocean Race Museum
The Ocean Race Museum is the world’s only dedicated institution to this gruelling sailing competition.
Located in the marina at Alicante, this excellent interactive exhibition spans over 50 years of history, showcasing the evolution of the race over the years. It also tells the human story behind this ultimate sporting challenge particularly well. You can’t miss the museum as it has a big boat in front with the words “The Ocean Race” written on the side.
The global yacht race known as The Ocean Race has been a recurring event since 1973, taking place every three or four years. Initially titled the Whitbread Round the World Race due to sponsorship from the British brewing company Whitbread, it transitioned to the Volvo Ocean Race in 2001 when Volvo became the primary sponsor. In 2019, it was rebranded as The Ocean Race.
The Ocean Race and the “Village”
Alicante has been the chosen starting point for the past five editions of The Ocean Race, beginning in 2008. This distinction has firmly marked the city in the race’s history and endeared it to sailors and fans alike. Moreover, Alicante has been designated as the starting port for the 2026 edition of the round the world race as well.
The start of the Ocean race is always another excuse for a weeklong party for Alicantinos. The whole marina turns into The Ocean Race Village where you can see the state-of-the-art yachts that are taking part and speak with the crews. They also have loads of entertainment and food on offer. If ever get a chance to visit at the time of the start of the ocean race, you’ll have an amazing time.
What to Expect at The Ocean Race Museum
The museum itself is pretty cool. It’s very informative. There are some simple tactile exhibits for kids with buttons to press and levers to pull to replicate the sailing of a boat, but it’s not really a museum aimed at entertaining toddlers. However, it’s very suited to older children and adults who are curious about the ocean race. You can walk around by yourself, which is what we did and it was really interesting. Or you can opt for a guided tour, which includes trying out a race simulator that makes you feel like you’re racing on the sea at crazy speeds as well as a virtual reality experience.
Among the exhibits, you’ll see how the onboard rations have changed over time (you’ll see how they carry a lot less beer now than they did in the first race!!!) and learn about the cramped conditions the sailors have to put up with.
At the Ocean Race Museum, it’s not all about the adrenaline rush of the race. The museum also tries to shine a light on ocean conservation. After all, the seas produce over half of the planet’s oxygen and provide food for billions of people. You’ll learn about how the ocean is also a bit of a hero in the fight against climate change, absorbing excess heat caused by the burning of fossil fuels and drawing down a quarter of the carbon dioxide that’s been emitted. The museum describes efforts to protect our oceans and keep the race sustainable. It’s pretty eye-opening actually.
The museum is completely indoors, so that makes it a perfect candidate for those rare days when it rains in Alicante and you’re looking for things to do.
Plan your visit
Entry to The Ocean Race Museum is free. You can wander around at your own pace. There are also options for joining a guided tour led by friendly staff who know a lot about the Ocean Race and you can sign up for the simulator and Virtual Reality experiences too. These additional options all have a very reasonable fee.
If you need a break during or after your stay, there’s The Ocean Race Museum café and it’s easy to get around the museum even if you’re in a wheelchair. They also have a shop on your way out that sells the official Ocean Race clothing.
We would say that, if you find it fascinating and want to read everything (like we did) then your visit can last up to 2 hours but we imagine that the general visit time would be more like 1 hour. We must also say that the staff and super friendly and helpful.
Pirates of the Caribbean in Alicante
Even if you don’t make it as far as the The Ocean Race Museum itself you can still see the outside of the Pirates of the Caribbean boat from the 2005-6 Ocean Race. It was sponsored by Disney as a promotion for the famous pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Unfortunately, it had to quit after the first leg, because of a broken bulkhead and a leak in the hull. Since December 2015, it has been located in Puerta del Mar plaza just next to Postiguet Beach.
Museum Address & Contact Information
- Address: Muelle de Levante 10, Puerto de Alicante, 03001 Alacant/Alicante
- Phone: +34 965 05 07 73
- Email: museo@museotheoceanrace.com
- https://www.museotheoceanrace.com
For other things to do in Alicante check out this post : Itinerary: 1 Day in Alicante
