Asterix and the Sea: exhibition at La Cité de la Mer

This new exhibition at La Cité de la Mer, located in the entrance hall, takes a humorous dive into the maritime world of the famous comic books: adventures at sea, longships, incredible voyages and encounters, astonishing sea creatures….Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix have often answered the call of the sea, and this time they’ll take you with them!

“Asterix and the Sea”, an exhibition at La Cité de la Mer for all the family

Beneath the vaulted ceiling of the Transatlantic Passenger Terminal you’ll be able to find frames from many Asterix stories that show how our favourite heroes have crossed rivers, seas and even oceans without the sky falling on their heads!  A chance to understand how, through hell and high water, the maritime world is represented in the Asterix comic strips.

Although the village on the coast appears to be located in Brittany,  the new exhibition “Asterix and the Sea” has dropped anchor right here in Normandy, in the Cotentin.  You can enjoy re-reading various frames as a family and have fun playing on the interactive devices such as a game of Memory designed for younger children.

You can use touch screens to follow the voyages of our indomitable Gauls together.

Children will be able to grasp the content thanks to specially written texts in a question-and-answer format.  Was there a Gaulish village in the Cotentin? Did they get their fish delivered from Lutetia (Paris) like Unhygienix? They’ll find out in the new Cité de la Mer exhibition.

ASTERIX®- OBELIX®- IDEFIX® / © 2025 LES EDITIONS ALBERT RENE / GOSCINNY – UDERZO

Ready to board?

From the start of your visit you’ll dive straight into the indomitable Gauls’ famous village on the coast between land and sea. On the extra-large format panels you’ll learn that the first time our heroes leave their beloved Armorica by sea, hitching a ride on a ship, isn’t until the fourth album (Asterix the Gladiator, 1962) when they go to save Cacofonix, who has been kidnapped and taken to Rome. After that, they set off for destinations that are sometimes exotic and faraway, including Africa, America and even Atlantis! (Asterix the Legionary, 1967; The Great Crossing, 1975;  All at Sea! 1996).

But although our Gauls sometimes embark on “luxurious” cruises (as in Asterix and Cleopatra, 1965) what was it really like to travel by sea in ancient times? Which sea routes did ships use? How did they propel their boats without the help of Obelix, who had fallen into the Magic Potion when he was little? And as no voyage could be undertaken on an empty stomach – especially with a hungry Obelix on board – there will also be a section of the temporary exhibition devoted to the sea as a resource (marine wildlife, ecosystems, species of fish).

©LES ÉDITIONS ALBERT RENÉ

“Asterix and the Sea” is an exhibition curated by Nicolas Tellop, editor-in-chief of “Cahiers de la BD”, in collaboration with La Cité de la Mer and Editions Albert René, in partnership with Ouest-France.