[Archived] UPDATE: City of Alexandria Welcomes Back Tall Ship “El Galeón,” May 25-30

Update: El Galeón will stay in Alexandria until Tuesday, May 30, for an additional day of tours. 

For Immediate Release: May 15, 2017

The City of Alexandria Marina will once again be the scene of living history as “El Galeón,” an authentic replica of a 16th-century Spanish Galleon, returns from Thursday, May 25, through Tuesday, May 30, following an enormously popular visit in October 2016. Galleons, used by the Spanish Crown for maritime expeditions from the 16th to 18th centuries, were fabled merchant vessels and war ships that made up the early navies of Europe.

El Galeón, commissioned by the Nao Victoria Foundation, was launched in 2009. The 500-ton, 160-foot long vessel has a 32-foot beam and its four masts hold six sails that measure nearly 11,000 square feet. Converted into a floating museum, five of the vessel’s six decks are available for tours. The vessel carries an all-Spanish crew that lives and breathes the history of the ship and its travels from port to port and in the open sea.

The ship will be docked at the City Marina (0 Cameron St.) and will be available for tours from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-12, and free for children under age 5.  The public is encouraged to post photos with the social media hashtag #ElGaleonALX.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.VisitAlexandriaVA.com/el-galeon.

For media inquiries, contact Andrea J. Blackford, Senior Communications Officer, at andrea.blackford@alexandriava.gov or 703.746.3959.