A self-guided Roman walking tour of Chester

The route on the map joins the stops with straight lines; follow the streets and the walls between them as described below.

The route

1. 1

   The Cross

   Allow 5 minutes

   Start where Eastgate Street, Watergate Street, Northgate Street and Bridge Street meet. You are near the centre of the Roman fortress: these four streets follow the line of its main streets out to its gates. The Romans would have recognised the shape of the place, if not the black-and-white Rows.

   Next: Walk a few minutes up Northgate Street to Hamilton Place, beside the Town Hall.

2. 2

   The legion's headquarters

   Allow 10 minutes

   The principia, the headquarters, stood here at the heart of the fortress, and part of it can still be seen at Hamilton Place. Just north of the Town Hall, outside the Coach House inn, stand Roman column bases from the site. Behind the Town Hall lay the mysterious Elliptical Building; nothing of it is on show, but you are standing over one of the strangest buildings in the Roman empire.

   Next: Continue up Northgate Street to Northgate and climb onto the walls.

3. 3

   Northgate and the Roman north wall

   Allow 15 minutes

   Northgate stands on the site of the Roman north gate. Walk east along the walls towards King Charles’ Tower: below you, above the canal, two stretches of the Roman wall stand almost to full height, with up to 13 courses of Roman stone. For the best view, take the steps down to the canal towpath and look back up.

   Next: Carry on along the wall to the corner tower.

4. 4

   King Charles' Tower

   Allow 5 minutes

   The north-east corner of the fortress. Turn south here: the wall you now walk follows the Roman east wall.

   Next: Walk south along the walls to the Eastgate clock.

5. 5

   Eastgate

   Allow 5 minutes

   The Roman east gate stood here, where the fortress’s main street left for the road east. Today’s arch is from 1768 and the famous clock from 1899. Look down Eastgate Street towards the Cross and you are looking down a Roman street.

   Next: Keep south along the walls to Newgate.

6. 6

   Newgate and the amphitheatre

   Allow 30 minutes

   Beside Newgate are the footings of the fortress’s south-east angle tower, where its east and south walls met. Go down to the amphitheatre, the largest known Roman military amphitheatre in Britain, free and open in daylight. Find the doorway to the shrine of Nemesis inside the arena.

   Next: The Roman Gardens start right beside the amphitheatre.

7. 7

   The Roman Gardens

   Allow 15 minutes

   Columns from the baths’ exercise hall, carved stones and a rebuilt hypocaust, set out in a garden in 1949. See our Roman Gardens guide for what to look for.

   Next: Follow the path down to the river and along to the Old Dee Bridge. Cross it.

8. 8

   Minerva's Shrine

   Allow 15 minutes

   In Edgar’s Field, on the far side of the bridge, a figure of Minerva carved into the face of a Roman quarry around the early 2nd century. The council describes it as the only monument of its type in western Europe still in its original position. More about the shrine.

   Next: Cross back over the bridge and walk up Lower Bridge Street, then left along Grosvenor Street.

9. 9

   The Grosvenor Museum

   Allow an hour

   Finish with the Roman tombstones taken from the north wall you walked earlier, free (closed on Mondays). Or, with children, try the Deva Roman Experience off Bridge Street. Both are in our museums guide.

Make it a full Roman day

Add a Roman soldier tour in the morning, walk the rest of the city walls circuit after lunch, or swap the museum for the Deva Roman Experience with children. Our plan your visit page has parking, trains and itineraries.

Would you rather walk with a guide? 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.