Roman things to do in Chester

Nine Roman things to do, in order

1. Walk round the Roman amphitheatreThe largest known Roman military amphitheatre in Britain, partly uncovered beside Newgate and open every day in daylight.Free · 30 to 45 min · Best for: Everyone
2. See the Roman north wallNear Northgate the Roman wall still stands close to full height. Look at it from the canal towpath below.Free · 20 min · Best for: History lovers
3. Meet the legion's dead in the Grosvenor MuseumRoman tombstones found in the north wall, with portraits of soldiers and their families.Free · 1 hour · Best for: Adults, older children
4. Take a Roman soldier walking tourA walk round the Roman city with a guide in full legionary kit.Paid · 1½ hours · Best for: Families
5. Visit the Deva Roman ExperienceA reconstructed fortress street and hands-on Roman objects, off Bridge Street.Paid · 1 hour · Best for: Young children, wet days
6. Wander the Roman GardensColumns, carved stone and a rebuilt hypocaust in a garden between the walls and the river.Free · 20 min · Best for: Everyone
7. Find Minerva's ShrineA Roman goddess carved into a quarry face across the Old Dee Bridge.Free · 30 min with the walk · Best for: Curious walkers
8. Walk the whole city walls circuitTwo miles round the most complete town walls in Britain, Roman on the north and east sides.Free · 1 hour · Best for: Walkers
9. Stand at the heart of the fortressThe Cross, and the legion's headquarters at Hamilton Place behind the Town Hall.Free · 10 min · Best for: Everyone

If you have an hour, half a day or a day

• One hour: the amphitheatre and the Roman Gardens, then up onto the walls at Newgate for the view.
• Half a day: add the walls north to the Roman stretch by Northgate, and the Grosvenor Museum.
• A full day: follow our self-guided Roman walk, add a soldier tour or the Deva Roman Experience, and finish with the full walls circuit.

Prefer a guide for part of it? See the guided walking tours in Chester on GetYourGuide. This is an affiliate link: if you book through it we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure.

Roman, or not?

A lot of what looks old in Chester is medieval or Victorian. The black-and-white Rows are medieval galleries, rebuilt many times since. Chester Cathedral stands inside the old fortress but is a medieval building; archaeologists found the remains of a large Roman building near its south porch in 1921 and 1922. The Old Dee Bridge is medieval, and so is most of the city wall you walk on. The walls’ line on the north and east sides, the street plan and the amphitheatre are the Roman inheritance.