March 29 to April 5 Columbus flagship replica docks in Cartagena for public tours

Visitors can explore the 15th-century Santa María in Águilas

A full-scale replica of the Santa María, the ship Christopher Columbus captained on his 1492 voyage to the Americas, is visiting the port of Cartagena from 29th March to 5th April, spanning the whole of Easter Week, and is open for public tours.

The vessel will be moored alongside the Patacha, the floating restaurant alongside the whal'es tail sculpture, and offers visitors a chance to step aboard and experience what 15th-century seafaring was like and tours run from 10.00 to 19.30, with tickets priced at 4 euros for infants, 8 euros for over-10s and 20 euros for families of five or more. Tickets are available online here.

The Santa María is owned by the Nao Victoria Foundation, a non-profit organisation that manages several replicas of historic ships and has maintained a close relationship with many Spanish ports for some years. The replica was built at the Punta Umbría shipyard in Huelva and launched on 16th March 2018 after 14 months of construction. The 200-tonne vessel combines fibreglass with a wooden hull and measures 28.30 metres long and 7.96 metres wide.

Designed with historical accuracy in mind but incorporating modern features that enable it to sail, the ship has five decks and three iron masts plus the bowsprit at the bow, with a total sail area of 250 square metres and a crew of 20 people.

The original Santa María set sail from Palos de la Frontera on August 3, 1492, accompanied by the caravels Pinta and Niña. Interestingly, the ship built in Galicia was not actually a caravel but a carrack, as Columbus noted in his journal. After reaching the Americas, the Santa María ran aground on the northern coast of present-day Haiti on the night of December 24-25,1492, becoming one of the most famous ships in maritime history (despite its unfortunate end!).

Image: Nao Victoria Foundation