Thalassa Sea Museum of Ayia Napa

The Thalassa Sea Museum  of Ayia Napa Municipal opened its gates to the public in August 2005. The Pierides Foundation, in association with the Hellenic Institute for the Preservation of Nautical Tradition and the Tornaritis-Pierides Marine Life Foundation are directing the Museum.

The Museum is built at the center of Ayia Napa and its subject is the sea. It is the first museum of its kind all over the Mediterranean region with the principle to present the local and foreign visitors, the impact and the importance of the sea life upon the history of Cyprus, from pale-ontological and prehistoric periods until today.

The museum is a modern three story building and offers unique experiences appealing to all our senses with its ‘bird eye view’. There are six levels and the exhibits are presented with four different methods: in underground showcases, where the visitors are able to walk and view the objects from the top or in modern showcases. Some exhibits are freely placed in the museum whereas others are hanging from the roof. All the exhibits are spotlighted by fiber optics.

At the museum the visitor is bound to receive information from audiovisual panels regarding all the historical periods of the island throughout the centuries. Observing and admiring Cypriot antiquities, which cover 7000 years, from the Neolithic period to the Venetian rule (5000 B.C. to 1600 A.D.) can be an exciting and educative experience for all the family. Among the most important exhibits are a composite vase with vertical handle of red polished ware dating back to the Early Bronze Age III (2100-1900 B.C.), a spectacular clay model of a ship with captain and sailors from the Cypro-Archaic II period (600- 480 B.C.) and four red figured plates decorated with fish dating to the Classical and Hellenistic periods (475-30 B.C.). Further to that, there is the replica of a Mesolithic (9000 B.C.) papyrus vessel, which was used for carrying obsidian. However, the main exhibit of the museum, is the ‘Kyrenia II’ vessel, a life size exact replica of the ancient ship of Kyrenia, of the Classical period (400 B.C.), which was built in 1985 for scientific experimental purposes. What is more exciting is that the visitor walks on a glass floor, where the reconstruction of the original old shipwreck is displayed and a documentary film is screened, showing the excavations of the ancient ship and the preservation of it, which took place in the now occupied castle of Kyrenia.

Furthermore, the museum hosts pale-ontological exhibits, which include fossilized fishes, shells, ammonites, corals and stuffed sea animals such as fishes, turtles, mammals, seals, corals, sea-urchins, sponges, starfish, several marine plants and others found in various parts of the island.

This contemporary Municipal museum complex is supplemented by an attractively designed cafeteria, a gift shop, an open air amphitheater that serves the community for concerts, dances and various cultural performances as well as a multipurpose hall for periodic shows, lectures, seminars,  educational programs and workshops.

Kriou Nerou 14, P.B.: 30707

5345 Ayia Napa, Cyprus

Tel: 00357 23816366

Opening Hours:

Summer Season: 01 June - 30 September

Monday: 09:00 - 13:00 & 18:00 - 22:00

Tuesday - Saturday: 09:00 - 17:00

Sunday: 09:00 - 13:00

Winter Season: 01 October - 31 May

Monday: 09:00 - 13:00

Tuesday - Saturday: 09:00 - 17:00

Sunday: Closed

Entrance: Adults 4 Euro, Children 1.50 Euro (Special price for students and groups)