The Galician Maritime Museum is located by the sea at Punta do Muiño in Alcabre. It officially opened in June 2002 and was designed to create a focal point in Vigo dedicated to the sea. The building itself was designed by the architects Aldo Rossi from Italy and the Galician César Portela and is considered an ambitious project in the realm of culture and science.

The area is made up of six parts: the garden; five restored warehouses; a stone walkway between the beaches; the new building built on an area reclaimed from the sea; a pier with an aquarium; a lighthouse; and the sea itself that surrounds the whole museum.

Entrance to the first part of the museum is free and here the visitor comes into initial contact with the sea in all its grandeur. An entrance fee is charged to the permanent exhibition which centres on the social and economic development of the Galician fishing industry. There are sections covering all stages of production, from the fishing and storage to the sale.

Facilities also include an aquarium showing the ecosystems in the inlets and bays ("rías") of Galicia. Archaeological remains are also to be found at the site, which show how fishing resources were exploited in prehistoric times and this is the central theme of the permanent exhibition at the museum.