USS Midway Museum Admission: Valid Any Date
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
San Diego, USA
- 2 to 5 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Take a trip through American naval history when you go for a self-led tour of the USS Midway Museum in San Diego, with the benefit of prebooked admission tickets. This enormous ship, the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century, now offers a range of interactive exhibits, an audio tour, and numerous restored aircraft across its 4 acres (1.6 hectares). It’s an essential piece of the country's military history.
- Skip the line: Proceed directly to the front gate for admission
- Check off one of San Diego's top tourist attractions at the USS Midway
- Arrive whenever suits you best, and explore at your own pace
- Learn more from the audio tour, included in the admission price
What's Included
- Audio Tour
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Embarcadero Adventure Offers including discounts for other nearby attractions
- World famous Midway volunteers will bring the flight deck alive
- Ability to skip the ticketing line - does not apply to lines within the attraction.
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Parking: please note that during the summer, parking is limited and early arrival is encouraged.
Meeting and Pickup
Operating hours
- 01/03/2023 - 09/20/2027
Monday - Sunday : 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Departure Point
- USS Midway Museum, 910 N Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101-5811
What To Expect
Begin your USS Midway visit on downtown San Diego’s Embarcadero, boarding the ship any time during its regular hours of operation. This marvel of engineering once housed more than 4,500 crew members across its various decks, and served in the US Navy between 1945 and 1992, making it the longest-serving aircraft carrier of the 20th century. Over the years more than 225,000 sailors have walked its sturdy decks.
Once on board the ship, you have a range of options to explore. For more than a decade this famous carrier was the largest ship in the world (too large to fit through the Panama Canal, in fact), so there’s no shortage of things to do. Continue on a self-guided audio tour, told through the stories of the ship’s former officers and sailors.
Or, visit some of the 65 highlighted locations throughout the vessel, covering its bridge to its engine room. There are also 25 restored aircraft lining its deck, and a range of interactive exhibits to suit visitors of all ages. You can also get a better sense for life at sea as you explore the ship’s restored living quarters, including the galleys, sleeping quarters and officer’s country.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the flight simulator, and make sure to stop by the gift shop and café to cap off your visit.
Once on board the ship, you have a range of options to explore. For more than a decade this famous carrier was the largest ship in the world (too large to fit through the Panama Canal, in fact), so there’s no shortage of things to do. Continue on a self-guided audio tour, told through the stories of the ship’s former officers and sailors.
Or, visit some of the 65 highlighted locations throughout the vessel, covering its bridge to its engine room. There are also 25 restored aircraft lining its deck, and a range of interactive exhibits to suit visitors of all ages. You can also get a better sense for life at sea as you explore the ship’s restored living quarters, including the galleys, sleeping quarters and officer’s country.
Before you go, don’t forget to check out the flight simulator, and make sure to stop by the gift shop and café to cap off your visit.
1
USS Midway Museum
Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Complimentary, loaner wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator access from Navy Pier onto the ship, from the hangar deck down to the second deck and up to the flight deck
- Approximately 60 percent of the museum’s exhibits are wheelchair accessible.
- Stroller accessible
- Narrated video tour of all museum exhibits is shown continuously in the hangar deck
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Parking is available adjacent to Midway for an additional fee through Ace parking.
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- HOURS ARE 10AM TO 5PM HOWEVER LAST ADMISSION IS 4PM.
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 2,324 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Jennifer_K, Aug 2026
The history regarding aircraft carriers was impressive. Great exhibita. The volunteers at the Midway made the visit extra special.
Sue_G, Aug 2026
I was fantastic, so well organised! But please allow a minimum of 3 hours to do the tour, the ship is so so big it requires this amount of time as a minimum!
Mary_M, Aug 2026
This was a fascinating and huge museum-really a floating city. I appreciated the volunteers/workers sharing their knowledge and experience. We could have stayed longer!
Marcella_P, Aug 2026
This ship is unbelievable. Everyone visiting San Diego needs to experience this immense ship. The volunteers were incredible.
Tammy_B, Aug 2026
This was truly a one of a kind museum!! The history and education of what it was like to live/work on the USS Midway gave a glimpse of what our heros experienced. It is a floating city. Well worth it. We spent at least 5 hours exploring.
Karen_W, Aug 2026
So much history. Wonderful time. Will be back. My husband and I enjoyed it so much. Thank you. From Karen and Gary.
Derek_W, Aug 2026
Plan on 3-4 hours. Parking can be limited so you may have to park a block away. Ship is amazing with simulators and exhibits. Upper deck tour is very cool. Simulators are extra, but is very worth it. VR experience not so much. Very rare planes specific to the midway, including president Bush’s war plane.
Lee_C, Jul 2026
This is a must do! We spent 5 hours exploring and really loved it! The audio tour was great, the volunteers were friendly and knowledgable and the whole museum is very well done. Only negative was the picture they took when we entered was terrible. I always buy the pictures but didn’t buy this one. When compared to others it was easy to see something went wrong.
Cindy_D, Jul 2026
It is nice that they have elevators, and very well laid out that you can do the tour self guided! Nice
Gloria_P, Jul 2026
Fantastic bit of history & the reitred servicemen volunteers add to the experience and answer questions
Laura_C, Jul 2026
It’s a lot of walking and the self guided portion below deck is a little confusing and hard to follow. Could use more directional signs.
Franklin_P, Jul 2026
So much to do on the ship. Whether it was looking at all the past aircraft that is on the ship, to all the decks of the carrier. You really get to see the life of the sailors and people that served on the ship. I spent about 3-4 hours there with my fiancée. The stories that were told were great and a good way to spend part of your day in San Diego. Especially since it honors the people that served for our country. Definitely will be coming back next time we are in San Diego.
David_L, Jul 2026
Docents are fantastic. Very informative and the ship, contents and features are not to be missed. Highly recommend.
Reid_W, Jul 2026
Great tour. Get there early to do the bridge tour. It gets very crowded. Figure to spend between 2-3 hours.
Kim_D, Jul 2026
Be ready to spend some time and don’t rush through. The volunteers are exceptional. Also, make sure you visit all three floors.
Susan_S, Jul 2026
Self guided tour allows you to experience life on an aircraft carrier. Thank goodness for good signage because the ship is huge!
Kale_S, Jul 2026
We learned so much about the ship as well as the battle during World War II. We appreciate so much more the sacrifices and commitment that our service men and women give for our nation.
Keith_B, Jul 2026
Buying tickets online is easy and we spent 4 hours on the ship. Lots of great old planes on the flight deck to see!
Candileigh_M, Jul 2026
Plenty of steps to climb; many doors to step over to get through. They do have elevators. The size of this ship is massive! The docents (some have flown and lived aboard aircraft carriers) were the best part. They answered questions and brought experiences to light.
Arron_A, Jul 2026
Plan for at least three hours, and that would be a short visit of wonderful history. Watch the short film first, then head up for the bridge tour. Lines can get long fast. We went on the 4th of July, got inside around 10am. We kind of beat the crowd, no real long waits, about 20min for the short film and we got to choose our seats because we waited in line. Go right up front if you can. This tour was worth every penny, I would go again on a day that might be a little less crowded.
Shelley_M, Jul 2026
This was a great museum! Lots of interactive exhibits and the ability to learn so much about the history and life on the ship!
Barbara_S, Jul 2026
Great museum. Plan to spend at least half a day. My 11 year old Grandson said it was his favorite museum. The talks by the veterans were really up.
James_T, Jul 2026
The narrow and steep stairs could provide some mobility issues in certain areas. But we loved the history and learning about the ship and its history.
Jeanette_E, Jun 2026
It was a very good experience. You had a lot of fun so much information. The audio tour was perfect.
Rosalinda_O, Jun 2026
An awesome place to go with the family. It took us about 4 hours to tour the whole ship. So interesting, and very informative. Would definitely recommend!
Brent_W, Jun 2026
Great experience and seeing Naval history firsthand.
Friendly staff and great interactive experience.
Sue_W, Jun 2026
It’s a great experience. I love all the veterans there telling their stories and explaining things. We parked at Seaport Cillage and made a day of the Midway - the shops and the restaurants. All beautiful. On the Midway be sure to do the island tour. That was our favorite part. And the movie - do the movie! It’s only 15 minutes.
Jamie_G, Jun 2026
I only had 2 hours to check out the ship. That was not near enough time to see it all. 4-5 hours would be much better. It’s definitely worth the money.
Anonymous, Jun 2026
Great learning experience! The docents were very knowable, friendly and helpful! I enjoyed being able to enter airplanes from World War Two !
Sylvia_S, Jun 2026
My grandson (10 years old) absolutely loved this. This tour was his idea🙂 We spent 2.5 hours as he looked at everything and tried several hands on displays
From $41.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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USS Midway Museum Admission: Valid Any Date
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