Maritime Museum of Crete is located in the city of Chania next to the Venetian fortress of Firka in a small two-story building. The fortress itself is located at the entrance to the city's harbour and is a historical place since December 1, 1913, there was raised the Greek flag in a sign of Union of Crete and Greece.

The Maritime Museum was founded in 1973 to promote Maritime traditions and history of the island. The Museum's permanent collection includes 2,500 exhibits. The exhibition is presented in chronological order and covers the period from the bronze age to the present day. In the collection of the Museum contains models of ships, paintings with a nautical theme, nautical instruments, navigation equipment, maps, photos, documents and more. Many Museum exhibits were raised from the seabed and have important historical value.

The first floor of the Museum is dedicated to ancient times. There are models of ancient ships, and the model of the fortified town and port of the Kingdom of Candia (the official name of Crete, from the period of Venetian rule until the Ottoman period). On the second floor you can see models of ships of the modern Navy of Greece and exhibition dedicated to the German invasion of Crete. The Museum has a special exhibition showing the amazing beauty and diversity of the marine environment, with a rich collection of shells from around the world.

The Maritime Museum has its own library, conducts research programs and collaborates with the Institute of Ancient Shipbuilding and Technology (joint reconstruction of the ancient Minoan ship). The Museum also conducts educational programs for people of all ages, including children and people with disabilities. Today the Maritime Museum of Crete is successfully competing with European museums and the quality of exhibits.