Archäologischer Park

Top choice in Cologne & Northern Rhineland


The Roman Colonia Ulpia Traiana has been reborn as an archaeological park, an open-air museum that features faithfully reconstructed buildings to help visitors visualise what the Roman town looked like. The self-guided tour takes you past such sites as the Amphitheatre, which seats 12,000 people during Xanten’s summer music festival; the Spielehaus, where you can play early versions of backgammon and Nine Men’s Morris; a Roman hostel complete with hot baths and a restaurant; and the majestic Hafentempel (Harbour Temple).

Also scattered around the grounds are pavilions that zero in on such themes as the life of gladiators, Roman building techniques and the power structure between emperors, citizens and slaves. Kids will enjoy the two imaginative playgrounds, one a Roman fort, the other water-themed (bring a towel).

To make better sense of the park, it's well worth taking a spin around the adjoining RömerMuseum before your visit.

Transportation

  • bus: SL42 Am Rheintor

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cologne & Northern Rhineland attractions

1. Stiftsmuseum

0.25 MILES

This museum in the 1000-year-old abbey near the Dom brims with church treasures going back as far as the 5th century, including sculptures and paintings,…

2. Dom St Viktor

0.29 MILES

The crown jewel of Xanten’s Altstadt is the Dom St Viktor, which has Romanesque roots but is now largely Gothic. It is framed by a walled close, called an…

3. Siegfriedmuseum Xanten

0.33 MILES

The Nibelungenlied (Song of the Nibelungs) is an epic medieval poem about love, jealousy, murder and revenge that shot to international stardom in the…

4. RömerMuseum

0.46 MILES

For a deeper understanding of the Roman presence in the region and the ruins in the adjacent Archaeological Park, the engaging RömerMuseum is a must. In a…

5. St Nikolaikirche

8.45 MILES

Dating from the 13th century, St Nikolaikirche is famous for its nine masterful altars chiselled by members of the Kalkar woodcarving school. Top billing…

6. Schloss Moyland

10.99 MILES

With its Rapunzel towers and Romeo-and-Juliet balcony, neo-Gothic Schloss Moyland is an unexpected sight amid the dull expanses of the Lower Rhine…

7. Landschaftspark Duisburg-Nord

19.25 MILES

Molten iron used to flow 24/7 from the fiery furnaces of this decommissioned ironworks that is now an urban oasis, performance space and all-ages…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "germany/xanten/attractions/archaeologischer-park/a/poi-sig/1140073/1316462",
      "destination": "Cologne-&-Northern-Rhineland",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Germany",
      "region": "Cologne-&-Northern-Rhineland",
      "position": "superzone"
    }