The Roman Republic was established in or around 509 BC. Besides wars with other powers (notably Carthage), the Republican era was characterized by conflicts between the old aristocracy (patricians) and the common people (plebians). Some plebians rose to wealth and political prominence, from which they challenged the old system.

Rome rose as a great power in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, as they defeated and annexed Etruria, Carthage and Ancient Greece. The military became more powerful, and the republic became increasingly corrupt. Julius Caesar was a military leader who conquered Gaul (today's France) and other territories, won a civil war against the Senate, and introduced the Julian Calendar — which forms the base of the calendar used today in the Western world. Caesar started transforming the Republic into a dictatorship, but was betrayed and assassinated in 44 BC. While Caesar's assassins claimed to be acting on behalf of the restoration of the Republic, a power struggle broke out over the inheritance of Caesar. His nephew Octavian outmaneuvered or killed all rival claimants, and assumed near absolute power and the honorary name "Augustus".

Power was transferred to Augustus, the Emperor (Latin: Imperator) in 27 BC, founding the Roman Empire, after almost a century of civil wars. Augustus' conquest of Egypt (where his rival Marc Antony had courted Queen Cleopatra) helped expand Roman control into the Middle East, coming to encircle the Mediterranean Sea.

While Judaea was a small and rather insignificant province, Christianity was founded there. The modern image of the Romans has to a large extent been shaped by the New Testament's description of the 1st-century Roman Empire, including in Biblical art and stories, not to mention its records of the extent of Roman influence and political power in the Near East. Rome reached its greatest territorial extent in the early 2nd century CE under Emperor Trajan, who was succeeded by a number of capable emperors including Hadrian, famous for Hadrian's Wall near the border with Scotland, and the Antonines. Following this period known as the Pax Romana, the Crisis of the Third Century caused the Empire to temporarily lose its northwestern European and eastern Mediterranean possessions to usurpers. Almost two hundred years of corruption, civil war, and assassinations followed during the 3rd and 4th centuries, severely weakening the Empire.

In 395 AD, Theodosius I divided the Imperial administration by bequeathing the imperial office jointly to his sons: Arcadius in the East, to rule from Constantinople, and Honorius in the West, based in Rome. This was not the first such division, but Theodosius would prove to be the last man to control both halves of the Empire at the same time. Shortly thereafter, Rome would be sacked for the first time in eight centuries, by the Visigoths in 410. This was followed by a period of accelerated decline and two more sacks, one by the Vandals in 455 and another by the Magister Militum himself, Ricimer, in 472. The Western Empire deteriorated due to various factors, the immediate ones being the conquests of Germanic tribes and the collapse of the Roman Army; and depending on whom you ask, it fell either in 476 AD, when the Germanic king Odoacer deposed the titular Western Emperor Romulus Augustulus residing in Ravenna or circa 536 following the death of Theodoric and the commencement of the Gothic Wars against Constantinople, which resulted in the abandonment of Rome.

But the Eastern Empire endured and recovered, conquering large parts of the western Mediterranean under Emperor Justinian with his able general Belisarius, though his dynasty was also the last whose primary language was Latin, not Greek. Starting in the 7th century, the Eastern — or Byzantine — Empire engaged in a long struggle against the expansion of Islam and sometimes even fought against other Europeans (particularly Roman Catholics, as Rome and Constantinople had developed different churches). The remnants of the empire, based in modern-day Greece and western Turkey, soldiered on and called itself "Roman" until 29 May 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks after a 53-day siege and the last emperor was killed in action, last seen fighting the attackers after he had removed all rank insignia to die as a Roman.

See also: Greek and Roman mythology

Many faiths and cults rose and fell within the vast Roman Empire. With the Roman conquest of Greece, the Romans adopted much of Greek culture, including a pantheon of Gods, and the legends of the Trojan War. With the Emperors came an imperial cult. Christianity spread across the Roman Empire, and became the official religion by the 4th century AD.

Rome created a foundation for modern Europe, including Christianity, codified law (several Latin expressions, such as nulla poena sine lege - "no penalty without law" - and habeas corpus - "you shall have [possession of your own] body" - are still used on a daily basis by judges and lawyers worldwide), republican government, urban planning, monumental architecture, and the Latin alphabet. Roman heritage was revived during epochs such as the Italian Renaissance. Many of the younger members of the European elite during the 17th-19th centuries went on a Grand Tour in which ancient Roman sites were among the main attractions.

Many later political entities have claimed to be the successor of the Roman Empire. The Byzantine Empire was the part of the Roman Empire that survived throughout the Middle Ages, and the Ottomans, who conquered the Byzantine Empire and captured its capital Constantinople in 1453, saw themselves as their successors. In fact some Ottoman rulers took to calling themselves Kaiser-i-Rum, which roughly translates as "Emperor of Rome". As the Byzantine Empire fell, the Russian Empire claimed to be the "third Rome", and the Russian imperial dynasty even married into the last Byzantine dynasty to further press the claim. Both the Russian title that is rendered in English as 'Czar' or 'Tsar' and the German title 'Kaiser' are derived from the Latin 'Caesar'. World War I ended all European and Mediterranean polities to implicitly or explicitly claim to be (a continuation of) the Roman Empire.

In AD 800, the Pope, who did not recognize the empress of the Eastern Roman Empire, crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as "Holy Roman Emperor". The Holy Roman Empire held various levels of authority over Central Europe, until the Thirty Years War in the 17th century demoted the title to mostly sentimental value.

In 1804, Napoleon had himself crowned Emperor of France to claim power over Europe, and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II, also King of Austria, crowned himself Emperor of Austria a few months later. As Napoleon seized much of the Holy Roman Empire's territory the following years, Francis II dissolved the Empire in 1806 to prevent Napoleon from becoming Holy Roman Emperor; in 1814, Napoleon was defeated by an alliance including Austria. Napoleon III founded the Second French Empire in 1852, though as the newly unified Germany deposed him in 1870, they claimed Imperial status. The German, Austrian, Russian and Ottoman Empires all collapsed at the end of World War I, putting an end to the continuous claims to succeed the Roman Emperors. Later attempts by Fascist Italy under Mussolini to "revive" Roman glory, or by Bokassa to crown himself emperor of Central Africa, in a presumption of Bonapartist as well as Roman continuation, were highly unsuccessful and viewed with ridicule and skepticism abroad. That being said, the Latin language and the Roman ideals and styles are still used in contexts as diverse as science, European attempts at unification or Government architecture.

Some remnants of the classical Roman era are still visible even 2,000 years after they were first constructed, with some still in use for the same or similar purposes they were built for. After the "fall" of the Roman Empire, most of its former territory entered a decline in technology, economy and literacy and, as such, many of its technological and engineering feats seemed superhuman and were indeed referred to by names such as "devil's wall" (for parts of the Limes in today's Germany). Some, including some stones from the Colosseum in Rome, were taken in the Middle Ages to build other structures, but there is still much that remains. To some extent, the Holy See preserves the ancient Roman heritage, and indeed one of the Pope's traditional titles, 'Pontifex Maximus', is the same title the High Priest of Rome (and later the emperor) held in pre-Christian times.

Graeco-Roman literature is also a source for the history of other cultures with few domestic written records, such as the Celts, the Old Norse, and the early Franks. As these were usually adversaries of the Romans, and the writers rarely had first-hand experience, the records are unreliable. In some cases, what might seem to be ethnographic or historiographic works about non-Roman cultures are actually veiled social commentary on the Romans themselves.

Latin, the language of the Roman Empire, has had a large influence on European languages. The Romance languages (chiefly French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Catalan and Romanian) are direct descendants of Latin, and Latin has had some influence on all the other modern European languages. Most European languages use the Latin alphabet, though others use the Cyrillic alphabet, both derived from the Greek alphabet, and some (like Armenian) have their own.

Latin was the sole liturgical language in Roman Catholic churches until the second half of the 20th century and is still sometimes used. It is still the official language of the Holy See, and Catholic priests still use it to communicate with colleagues from other countries. Due in part to huge losses of ancient texts around the time the Western Roman Empire collapsed, the overwhelming majority of all works ever written in Latin were actually written after it was the official language of any Roman Empire, but the quality of the Latin written in the first century BC and AD with authors like Cicero or Caesar, as well as Horace or Juvenal, is still regarded as the standard to emulate, and later works - often written by non-native speakers - are less famous and less often studied in schools. Latin and Greek were among the first languages to have grammar discussed and analyzed in detail, and many grammatical terms and concepts still derive from Latin terms. Some linguists of the 20th and 21st century have bemoaned this Latin-influenced approach to grammar, as it arguably imposes Latin categories on the modern languages analyzed. Due to both Greek and Latin texts discussing pronunciation and phonetic misspellings found in graffiti, modern linguists have a very good idea of classical Latin pronunciation — better, perhaps, than for any other "dead" language spoken so long ago.

Latin was a lingua franca for scientists and philosophers across Europe throughout the Middle Ages and for much of the post-Renaissance period; Newton (English), Descartes (French), Leibniz (German), Galileo (Italian), Copernicus (Polish) and Spinoza (Portuguese Jew living in Amsterdam) all published their work in Latin. Carl Linnaeus founded the practice of latinized scientific names for biological species. In modern English and many other languages much of the terminology in law, medicine and other sciences is derived from Latin. Often there are two ways to say something; where many people would use words from Anglo-Saxon like "He broke his leg", a doctor might use Latin-derived terms as in "He fractured his tibia".

Many European high schools, and some elsewhere, had Latin as a required part of the curriculum until well into the 20th century, and some still teach it. Today many universities still offer degrees in Classics (Latin and Ancient Greek), and some require students of Philosophy or Theology to study these languages. Latin developed "local pronunciations" in school and quotidian usage as it was mostly a written language of people who acquired it in adulthood or schooling. Those pronunciations diverge — sometimes widely — from the reconstructed classical pronunciation now known to scholars and taught in some schools alongside and instead of the traditional "national" pronunciation. English Latin pronunciation, used in the Anglican church, is particularly idiosyncratic and both Ancient Romans and other fluent Latin speakers not familiar with its peculiarities might have problems understanding it. The most widely-used Latin pronunciation today is known as Ecclesiastical Latin, based on Italian pronunciation, that is the official pronunciation used by the Roman Catholic church.

While cities had existed in the Mediterranean world for millennia when the Romans got going in earnest and there had even been some "planned cities" built by the Greeks or rulers like Ancient Egypt's Akhenaten, the Romans introduced their vision of citybuilding to their vast empire. Roman arms would conquer, but Roman culture, architecture, commerce and lifestyle would "civilize" the new citizens of the Empire and - to quote a modern term - would "win hearts and minds". While Rome itself is in many ways an aberration from Roman city planning ideals, in large part because many buildings and streets already existed by the time Romans came up with their concept of how a "proper city" should look like, most Roman founded towns are characterized by a rectangular grid-shaped street layout that the Romans applied even to their army field camps. Two roads intersecting at a right angle, called "Cardo" and "Decumanus" would serve as the basis for the street grid and at their ends would be city gates. Where those two streets intersected, the civic heart of the cit and a forum would be located. A few Roman cities or cities substantially rebuilt by Romans have to this day kept one or both of those "Roman main streets".

• 41.89016912.4922691 Rome/Colosseo (Lazio). The heart of Ancient Rome, with the Colosseum, the Imperial and Roman Fora, the Arch of Constantine and the Capitoline Hill with its equestrian statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (now a replica; the original is in a museum which is also on the hill). 
• 41.899212.46972 Rome/Old Rome (Lazio). This part of Rome contains various ancient Roman relics, but especially the Pantheon, the temple to all the Gods of Rome, which is in wonderful condition and was turned into a church in the 7th century AD. Also in the neighborhood is Piazza Navona, which follows the oval shape of the Stadium of Domitian that used to stand there. (updated Sep 2015)
• 45.73337.31673 Aosta (Aosta Valley). Former Augusta Praetoria Salassorum, capital of the Alpes Graies province, is full of very interesting remains. (updated Sep 2015)
• 43.47333311.874 Arezzo (Tuscany). A former Etruscan capital, full of Etruscan and Roman remains. Has a wonderful Archeological Museum. (updated Oct 2015)
• 45.7735113.366345 Aquileia (Friuli-Venezia Giulia). Once large and prominent in Antiquity, as one of the world's largest cities with a population of 100,000 in the 2nd century AD, today, the city is small (about 3,500 inhabitants). Its Roman ruins are unfortunately limited to a line of standing columns. 
• 45.5396910.225886 Brescia (Lombardy). Home to the best-preserved Roman public complex in Italy, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, complete with a forum, amphitheatre and capitolium (Roman temple), built by the emperor Vespasian. 
• 40.63333317.9333337 Brindisi (Apulia). Brundisium comes from the Greek Brentesion (Βρεντήσιον) meaning "deer's head", which refers to the shape of its natural harbor. In 267 BC, it was conquered by the Romans. After the Punic Wars it became a major center of Roman naval power and maritime trade. Nowadays, some columns remain. (updated Sep 2015)
• 39.223939.112328 Cagliari (Sardinia). Karalis was established around the 8th/7th century BC as one of a string of Phoenician colonies. Under Roman rule, it kept the status of the island's capital. Its highlight is a beautiful hillside amphitheatre, located to the west of the Castello. 
• 40.5514.23339 Capri (Campania). Famously associated with emperor Tiberius. 
• 41.08333314.2510 Capua (Campania). Ancient Etruscan city, said by Cato the Elder to have been founded at about 600 BC. It submitted to Rome in 338 BC. At the beginning of the Second Punic War, it was considered to be only slightly behind Rome and Carthage themselves; after the Roman defeat of Cannae, it defected to Hannibal, who made it his winter quarters. After a long siege, it was taken by the Romans in 211 BC and severely punished. There are a few Roman remains, of which the most special is its amphitheatre, the second largest anywhere to survive (although more dilapidated than the ones at Verona and Pozzuoli), built in the time of Augustus, restored by Hadrian and dedicated by Antoninus Pius. (updated Oct 2015)
• 4212.111 Cerveteri (Lazio). Famous for its Etruscan necropolis. 
• 43.015611.94912 Chiusi (Val di Chiana). One of the twelve cities of the Etruscan League. (updated Oct 2015)
• 42.62777812.11388913 Civita di Bagnoregio (Lazio). Picturesque hilltop city with important Etruscan and Roman remains. (updated Sep 2015)
• 43.266711.983314 Cortona (Tuscany). Ancient Etruscan site, with several Etruscan and Roman remains. (updated Sep 2015)
• 40.84861114.05361115 Cumae (Campania). A suburb of modern Naples, it was founded by Euboean Greeks colonists of Magna Graecia in the 8th century BC, the first colony in the mainland. It's full of ruins of temples to the Greek gods, but perhaps most famous as the seat of the Cumaean Sibyl. Her sanctuary is now open to the public. In Roman mythology, there's an entrance to the underworld located at 40.8401114.070581 Avernus, a crater lake near Cumae. This was the route used by Aeneas to descend to the Underworld, as described by Virgil in the Aeneid. (updated Oct 2015)
• 40.80614.348216 Herculaneum (Campania). A smaller town than Pompeii, buried in the same eruption and also with great mosaics and other relics. 
• 45.4666679.18333317 Milan (Lombardy). As Mediolanum, was chosen by Emperor Diocletian to be the capital of the Western Roman Empire in 286 AD. After the city was besieged by the Visigoths in 402, the imperial residence was moved to Ravenna for strategic reasons. There are a few Roman remains, notably the well-preserved Columns of San Lorenzo, and traces of the ancient walls and gates. (updated Sep 2015)
• 40.8538914.2510718 Naples National Archeological Museum. A great archeological museum that features ancient Roman paintings, mosaics and sculptures, many of them complete and in extremely good condition, that were dug up in Pompeii, Herculaneum, Stabiae and various other Campanian towns that were victimized by the 67 AD eruption. (updated Jun 2015)
• 42.71666712.119 Orvieto (Umbria). The ancient city (urbs vetus in Latin, whence "Orvieto") has been populated since Etruscan times, and features an Etruscan necropolis with more than 100 tombs, Etruscan ruins and the remnants of a wall that enclosed the city more than 2,000 years ago. (updated Oct 2015)
• 41.75712.29820 Ostia (Lazio). The harbor facilities that served the capital, built by order of emperor Claudius. 
• 43.11222212.38888921 Perugia (Umbria). First appears in written history as Perusia, one of the 12 confederate cities of Etruria. Home to lots of Etruscan relics. (updated Oct 2015)
• 40.7514.522 Pompeii (Campania). A mid-sized Roman town that was buried under the ashes of Vesuvius in 67 AD, and only discovered in 1599. Some of it is in fact still buried in ash in order to better preserve it. 
• 40.84444414.09333323 Pozzuoli (Campania). Known in ancient times as Puteoli, a great trading port, but most famous for its local volcanic sand, pozzolana (in Latin, pulvis puteolanus, "dust of Puteoli"), the basis for the first effective concrete, from which the dome of Rome's Pantheon is made. There are also dozens of very interesting Roman remains, including a very large amphitheater with a mostly intact interior, where one can still see parts of gears which were used to lift cages up to the arena floor. (updated Oct 2015)
• 44.42512.209224 Ravenna (Emilia-Romagna). Capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until its collapse in 476 due to its strategic and defensible position. Famous as the location where Julius Caesar gathered his forces before crossing the Rubicon, in 49 BC, and also for its 6th-century churches with exceptional and very well-preserved Byzantine mosaics. (updated Sep 2015)
• 38.11138915.66194425 Reggio di Calabria (Calabria). A Greek colony at first, Reggio is home to one of the most important archaeological museums of Italy, the National Archaeological Museum of Magna Græcia, dedicated to Ancient Greece. During Imperial times, it was called Rhegium Julium, a central pivot for both maritime and mainland traffic, and boasted of nine thermal baths, one of which is still visible today. (updated Sep 2015)
• 44.0512.56666726 Rimini (Emilia-Romagna). Seaside terminus of the Via Flaminia. Home to the Arch of Augustus, the Tiberius Bridge, an amphiteater and the Domus del Chirurgo. Its city museum features Roman and Etruscan antiquities. (updated Sep 2015)
• 42.73333312.73333327 Spoleto (Umbria). Spoletium was first noted in 241 BC. Reflecting the city's importance in ancient Rome, there are various relics, including a 1st-century AD villa, a bridge, and a partially rebuilt theatre with the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Spoleto, a relatively small but good archeological museum, next door. 
• 42.233312.283328 Sutri (Lazio). Features Etruscan and Roman remains. (updated Sep 2015)

• 37.8524115.2922329 Taormina (Sicily). Originally a Greek colony, Tauromenion was founded by colonists from Naxos, according to Strabo and other ancient writers. Famous for its theatre, one of the most celebrated ruins in Sicily, on account both of its remarkable preservation and its beautiful location. (updated Sep 2015)
• 41.9612.830 Tivoli (Lazio). Features the country estate of emperor Hadrian. (updated Sep 2015)
• 45.63333313.831 Trieste (Friuli-Venezia Giulia). Between 52 and 46 BC, it was granted the status of Roman colony under Julius Caesar, who recorded its name as Tergeste in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico. Its preserved Roman relics include a theatre at the foot of the San Giusto hill, facing the sea; two temples, one dedicated to Athena, one to Zeus, both atop the same hill; the Arch of Riccardo, a Roman gate built in the Roman walls in 33 BC, which stands in Piazzetta Barbacan; and many smaller pieces preserved at the Town Museum. (updated Oct 2015)
• 45.0767637.68364132 Turin (Piedmont). Created as a military camp (Castra Taurinorum) at around 28 BC, later renamed Augusta Taurinorum in honor of Emperor Augustus. The typical Roman street grid can still be seen, especially in the neighbourhood known as the Quadrilatero Romano (Roman Quadrilateral). Via Garibaldi traces the exact path of the Roman city's decumanus (main street) which began at the Porta Decumani, later incorporated into the Castello or Palazzo Madama. The Porta Palatina, on the north side of the current city center, is preserved in a park near the Cathedral. Remains of the Roman-period theater are preserved in the area of the Manica Nuova. (updated Sep 2015)
• 45.4474311.0014233 Verona (Veneto). Home to the world's third-largest amphitheatre to survive from Roman times. (updated Sep 2015)
• 43.7902787.60833334 Ventimiglia (Liguria). Formerly named Albium Intemelium, the capital of the Intemelii, a Ligurian tribe which long resisted the Romans, until in 115 BC it was forced to submit to Rome, when it was renamed Albintimilium. Remains of a Roman theatre (first half of the 2nd century) are visible, and remains of many other buildings have been discovered, among them traces of the ancient city walls. (updated Oct 2015)
• 43.410.8535 Volterra (Tuscany). Beautiful walled city, built on the top of a hill. One of the Twelve Cities of the ancient Etruscan League, with some of the original gates from that era still standing, along with a dedicated museum packed with Etruscan and Roman relics. (updated Oct 2015)

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Map of Roman Empire

• 49.89052.29531 Amiens (Picardy). Formerly known as Samarobriva ("Somme bridge"), mentioned for the first time in Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico. Excavations near the city hall and the Palace of Justice revealed the foundations of the forum, thermal baths and amphitheatre, built for a population greater than that of either Londinium or Lutetia. Two skylights cut in the last development of Place Gambetta allow observation of the forum's remains. The Musée de Picardie, the first building to have been built in France to serve as a museum as such, has its basement devoted to archeology, with a rich collection. (updated Oct 2015)
• 43.6778324.630922 Arles (Camargue). Called Arelate in Roman times, when it was a prosperous trade center and military base at the mouth of the Rhône river, favoured by Julius Caesar over Massalia. There are abundant Roman remains, of which the Arènes d'Arles, built in the first or second century BC, is the most famous. Nearby (12 km north) stand the remains of the 43.70254.7213893 Barbegal aqueduct and mill, a Roman watermill complex, originally consisting of 16 waterwheels in two separate descending rows built into a steep hillside; referred to as "the greatest known concentration of mechanical power in the ancient world". The Musée de l'Arles Antique, inside the city, has an informative reconstructed model of the mill. (updated Sep 2015)
• 46.95174.29944 Autun (Burgundy). This small city was the Roman garrison town of Augustodunum. Well-preserved Gallo-Roman walls still surround most of the city, and other Roman relics include a theatre and two gates, one of which is a spectacular double-decker stone structure in very good condition. 
• 50.29813.79895 Bavay (Nord-Pas de Calais). Ancient Bagacum, an important junction of seven roads. Features a Forum from the 1st century, whose importance was unveiled by the 1940 bombing that destroyed the buildings covering it. (updated Oct 2015)
• 47.2347226.036 Besançon (Franche-Comté). Ancient Vesontio was a place of strategic military importance, at a gap between the Jura and the Alps. Its Roman remains consist primarily of the Porte Noire, a 2nd-century AD triumphal arch at the foot of the hill on which the Vauban citadel stands, and the Square Castan, an archaeological garden decorated with Corinthian columns, right beside the Porte Noire. (updated Oct 2015)
• 44.848087-0.5854977 Bordeaux (Gironde). Formerly Burdigala, capital of Gallia Aquitania. The remains of its amphitheatre, with a capacity for 20,000 spectators, are preserved at the Palais Gallien. (updated Oct 2015)
• 50.7255561.6169448 Boulogne-sur-Mer (Nord-Pas de Calais). Under the name Gesoriacum, was the major Roman port for trade and communication with Britain. Its medieval castle and walls are built on foundations that date from Roman times. The belfry serves as a museum of Celtic remains from the Roman occupation. (updated Oct 2015)
• 48.381256-4.4947089 Brest (Finistère). Strategically located on France's finest Atlantic natural harbor, Brest is believed to be the site of ancient seaport Gesocribate, mentioned on the Peutinger Table. Some ramparts of the present castle are made of evidently Gallo-Roman workmanship. (updated Oct 2015)
• 45.78313.082410 Clermont-Ferrand (Auvergne). Alleged birthplace of Vercingetorix, leader of the unified Gallic resistance to the Roman invasion under Julius Caesar. The city's first name was Nemessos – the Gaulish word for a sacred forest (which stood on the mound where the city's cathedral now stands). It's not far from the plateau of Gergovia, where the Gauls pushed back the Roman assault at the Battle of Gergovia in 52 BC. After the Roman conquest, the city became known as Augustonemetum. It was renamed Arvernis in the 3rd century. Nowadays, its main square features a huge statue of Vercingetorix. The ruins and archeological digs atop the battlefield plateau, 6 km south of the city, are also worth a visit. (updated Sep 2015)
• 43.4336.73711 Fréjus (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur). Once one of the most important ports in the Mediterranean, Forum Julii still has a lot of its ruins, of exceptional archaeological value. There's the Roman Amphitheatre, arcades of the Oree Gate, and remains of the Aqueduct arches. Its harbor clogged up and is now mostly a swamp. (updated Oct 2015)

• 43.7738894.832512 Glanum (1 km south of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence). Atmospheric ruins of what was once a prosperous fortified town on the Via Domitia, built around a spring believed to possess healing powers. It was overrun and destroyed by the Alamanni in 260 AD and subsequently abandoned; the first systematic excavations began in 1921. Many of the objects discovered are on display today at the Hotel de Sade, in nearby Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. (updated Oct 2015)
• 49.1211146.17821613 Golden Courtyard Museum (Musée de La Cour d'Or), 2 rue du Haut Poirier (Metz, Lorraine). Built to house the vestiges of Gallo-Roman baths of ancient Divodurum Mediomatricum, and a rich collection of Gallo-Roman antiquities. (updated Sep 2015)
• 48.00770.198414 Le Mans (Pays de la Loire). Seized by the Romans in 47 BC, Cenomanus was within Gallia Lugdunensis. A 3rd-century amphitheatre is still visible. Its ancient wall is one of the most complete circuits of Gallo-Roman city walls to survive. Ruins of the Roman thermal building, dating from the 3rd century, have been uncovered. (updated Sep 2015)
• 45.7597224.81944415 Lyon (Rhône-Alpes). Ancient Lugdunum, arguably the most important city of Roman Gaul, capital of Gallia Lugdunensis and birthplace of emperor Claudius. Home to the Gallo-Roman Museum, which is beside a gorgeous preserved theater, and the Amphitheater of the Three Gauls. (updated Aug 2015)
• 43.2968045.36801816 Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône). Founded by Greek colonists as Massalia (Μασσαλία), by the 4th century BC it had became one of the major trading ports of the ancient world. This status was briefly shaken when the city sided with Pompey against Julius Caesar, who had it besieged and humbled; prominence passed then to Arelate, for a couple of centuries. The Musée des Docks Romains, at the Vieux-Port neighborhood, preserves relics from the warehouses of the old Roman harbor. (updated Oct 2015)
• 45.192855.7321717 Musée de l'Ancien Évêché (Museum of the Former Bishopric), 2, rue Très Cloître (Grenoble, Isère). The museum is housed in the former bishop's palace on Place Notre Dame. Under the museum is an archaeological crypt; the remains of Grenoble's Roman walls and a remarkable 4th-century baptistery, discovered during work on tram line B, are not to be missed. Ask for a free audioguide (French or English) at reception. 
• 43.18333.016718 Narbonne (Languedoc-Roussillon). Founded in 118 BC, as Colonia Narbo Martius. Former capital of Gallia Narbonensis. A strategically important place in Roman times, being at the junction between the Via Domitia and the Via Aquitania. Trade was prominent here and there was a Forum and warehouses for grain and products. The underground storage sites are worth visiting. (updated Sep 2015)
• 43.70347.266319 Nice (Alpes-Maritimes). The upper city of Cimiez was a Greek, then Gallo-Roman settlement and it contains a good archaeological museum, the Musée d'Archeologie de Nice, next to some Gallo-Roman ruins. (updated Sep 2015)
• 43.83334.366720 Nîmes (Gard). Home to the most pristine Roman temple in France, a very well preserved arena, and the gorgeous 43.9472224.5355562 Pont Du Gard aqueduct nearby. 

• 44.136024.8085521 Orange (Provence). Features one of the best preserved theaters, dating from Augustus's reign, and a triumphal arch. (updated Aug 2015)
• 45.19290.721722 Périgueux (Aquitaine). Called Vesunna in antiquity. Here stand the remains of a Roman amphitheatre (known locally as the Arènes Romaines) the centre of which has been turned into a green park with a water fountain; the remains of a temple of the Gallic goddess "Vesunna"; and a luxurious Roman villa, called the "Domus of Vesunna", built around a garden courtyard surrounded by a colonnaded peristyle now housed in the Vesunna Gallo-Roman Museum. (updated Sep 2015)
• 49.2606074.03002623 Reims (Champagne-Ardenne). Known in ancient times as Durocortōrum, was capital of Gallia Belgica province. Has a triumphal arch as centerpiece of its Place de la République. (updated Sep 2015)
• 48.8505562.34333324 Thermes de Cluny, 6 place Paul Painlevé (Paris/5th arrondissement). The remains of the bathing complex of ancient Lutetia Parisiorum, now partly an archeological site, and partly incorporated into the adjacent Musée National du Moyen Age. Site of the coronation of emperor Julian "the Apostate" in February 360. Lutetia, renamed Parisius in the 5th century AD, was mainly built on the Seine's southern margin; the Roman cardo maximus (main axis) is still observed on the Left Bank (Rue St-Jacques) and on the Right Bank (Rue St-Martin). Some 800 m away, stand the 48.8452.3527783 Arènes de Lutèce, a preserved 1st century amphitheater. There's also the Early Christian archeological crypt under the Notre Dame cathedral's forecourt. For more Roman antiquities in Paris, the Louvre is the obvious place to go. (updated Sep 2015)
• 43.7447787.40180325 Tropaeum Alpium (La Turbie village, 4 km east of Monaco). Built in honor of emperor Augustus, to celebrate his definitive victory over the ancient tribes who populated the Alps, at the boundary between Italy and Gallia Narbonensis. Visitors can also see the Roman quarry, about 500 metres away, with its sections of carved columns in the stone. (updated Oct 2015)
• 44.2395.07466126 Vaison-la-Romaine (Provence). Features a beautiful bridge from the 1st century. (updated Aug 2015)
• 45.52424.878127 Vienne (Rhône-Alpes). Once the capital city of the Allobroges, a Gallic people, ancient Vienna was transformed into a Roman colony in 47 BC under Julius Caesar. Has extensive Roman remains, which include an Imperial temple of Augustus and Livia, the Plan de l'Aiguille, a truncated pyramid resting on a portico with four arches, originally inside its circus, (out of town) the remains of a Roman theatre, and a ruined thirteenth-century castle that was built on Roman footings. Several ancient aqueducts and traces of Roman roads can also be seen. (updated Sep 2015)

• 36.8318-5.240441 Acinipo (20 km north of Ronda, Andalusia). Remains of a Roman city, destroyed in 429 AD by the Vandals. Includes the remains of a Roman theatre, as well as Roman baths. 
• 43.371491-8.395972 A Coruña (Galicia). Home to the Tower of Hercules, it may be the oldest lighthouse in the world that is still in use. It's a UNESCO World Heritage site. (updated Sep 2015)
• 40.481847-3.3642563 Alcalá de Henares (Community of Madrid). Roman Alcalá was called Complutum. It features the House of Hyppolitus, one of the better fitted-out Roman archaeological complexes in the Madrid area, built at the end of the 3rd century or beginnings of the 4th century AD. It is famous for its well preserved mosaics. (updated Oct 2015)
• 38.364444-0.4383334 Alicante (Valencian Community). Ancient Lucentum, probably founded as a Phoenician colony, enjoyed its peak between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD. Its archaeological site covers an area of some 30,000 m² (7.4 acres), and features the remains of the fortifying wall (including the foundations of the pre-Roman defensive towers), the baths, the forum, part of the Muslim necropolis, and a multitude of houses. (updated Oct 2015)
• 36.733333-3.6833335 Almuñécar (Andalusia). City with Phoenician origins, home to very interesting remains, of which the most significant are five aqueducts. All, remarkably, are still standing and four of them are still in use after 2,000 years. (updated Oct 2015)
• 36.089722-5.7747226 Baelo Claudia (22 km west of Tarifa, Andalusia). Trading post and garum (fish sauce) production center, beautifully restored and preserved, includes a forum, theatre and market. 
• 36.534983-6.2963337 Cádiz (Andalusia). Oldest continuously inhabited city in the Iberian Peninsula, traditionally dated to 1104 BC. The remains of its Roman theatre are just behind the Old Cathedral. (updated Sep 2015)
• 37.5995-0.98418 Cartagena (Murcia). Founded as a colony of Carthage, it was conquered by general Scipio Africanus in 209 BC and renamed Carthago Nova. Home to a restored Roman theatre, two important archaeological museums, the remains of the Punic rampart (built in 227 BC with the foundation of the city), a colonnade, among other nice antiquities. (updated Sep 2015)
• 43.384444-3.2159 Castro Urdiales (Cantabria). Established as a Roman colony in AD 74 under the name Flaviobriga, during the reign of emperor Vespasian. The Flaviobriga archaeological site is under the Casco Viejo (old town), two meters deep. Remains of the Roman colony can be visited in the Regional Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria. (updated Sep 2015)
• 35.888333-5.31555610 Ceuta (exclave in North Africa). Called Abyla by the Carthaginians, and Ad Septem Fratres or simply Septem, by the Romans (due to the seven little hills of the promontory where the city lies, that looked like seven brothers, or septem fratres in Latin). The ruins of a Roman basilica have been discovered. (updated Oct 2015)
• 37.88478-4.7795611 Córdoba (Andalusia). Former capital of Hispania Baetica. Has a Roman bridge marked by a triumphal arch and an adjacent single-column monument and it crosses to an old fortified gate (now a museum). (updated Sep 2015)
• 38.266944-0.69833312 Elche (Valencian Community). This original location was settled by the Greeks and later occupied by Carthaginians and Romans. Greek colonists named it Helike around 600 BC. The Romans called the city Ilici (or Illice) and granted it the status of colonia. The present-day Baños Arabes (Arabic Baths) actually re-uses old Roman baths. (updated Oct 2015)
• 36.4636-5.000413 Guadalmina (12 km west of Marbella, Costa del Sol). 3rd-century AD ruins of Roman baths, known as Las Bóvedas ("the domes") within a protected archaeological site. 
• 43.5333-5.714 Gijón (Asturias). Features a lot of interesting remains, such as the Roman baths of Campo Valdés (1st or 2nd centuries AD), the Roman wall (3rd and 4th centuries) and the Roman village of Veranes. (updated Sep 2015)
• 42.605556-5.5715 León (Castile and Leon). León was founded in the 1st century BC by the Roman legion Legio VI Victrix, which served under Caesar Augustus during the Cantabrian Wars (29-19 BC), the final stage of the Roman conquest of Hispania. In the year 74 AD, the Legio VII Gemina —recruited from the Hispanics by Galba in 69 AD— settled in a permanent military camp that was the origin of the city. Its modern name is derived from the city's Latin name Castra Legionis, or Legio for short. There are significant remains of its walls, built in the 1st century BC and enlarged in the 3rd-4th centuries AD, and the typical Roman street grid is observed - Calle Ancha is the Decumanus Maximus. (updated Oct 2015)
• 43.016667-7.5516 Lugo (Galicia). Only city in the world to be surrounded by completely intact Roman walls. (updated Aug 2015)
• 36.719444-4.4217 Málaga (Andalusia). Founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka about 770 BC. From 218 BC it was ruled by Rome, as Malaca. Its highlight is the Roman theatre, which dates from the 1st century BC and was excavated in 1951. (updated Oct 2015)
• 35.3-2.9518 Melilla (exclave in North Africa). Founded as a Phoenician settlement called "Rhusadhir", Russaderion ( Ῥυσσάδειρον) for the Greeks or Rusadir for the Romans. Later it became a part of the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitana. The large fortress which stands immediately to the north of the port, Melilla la Vieja ("Old Melilla"), has ramparts of fundamentally Roman workmanship. (updated Oct 2015)

• 38.916667-6.33333319 Mérida (Extremadura). Formerly Emerita Augusta, the capital of the Roman province of Lusitania. Featured on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its several impressive remains, among them the longest of all existing Roman bridges. (updated Aug 2015)
• 41.383912.1776920 Museu d'Història de la Ciutat de Barcelona (Barcelona/Ciutat Vella). Includes access to the underground ruins of ancient Barcino, whose Roman urban planning is very evident inside the walled city, which is correspondent to the contemporary Barri Gòtic. 
• 37.435278-6.04333321 Santiponce (Andalusia). Features the ruins of Italica, founded in 206 BC by the great Roman general Publius Cornelius Scipio "Africanus", and the birthplace of emperors Trajan and Hadrian. Its highlight is one of the largest known Roman amphitheatres, with seats for 25,000. Well worth the quick trip from Seville (9 km). (updated Sep 2015)
• 40.95-4.166722 Segovia (Castile and Leon). Famous for its aqueduct, one of the best preserved and most scenic anywhere. (updated Sep 2015)
• 41.1156971.24959423 Tarragona (Catalonia). Former Tarraco, capital of Hispania Tarraconensis. A beautiful amphitheater by the beach, a small preserved Forum and a good museum 
• 41.65-0.883324 Zaragoza (Aragon). First named Caesaraugusta, after Emperor Augustus. Its Forum, Thermal Baths, Riverine Port and Great Theatre are very well preserved. You can purchase a "Caesaraugusta route" joint ticket for this route of 4 museums, with a better price than seeing them separately. (updated Sep 2015)

• 38.033333-7.8833331 Beja (Baixo Alentejo). Supposed to be the Roman Pax Julia, or Paca. Still surrounded by remains of old Roman walls. Said to be the richest in Roman remains of all the cities in Portugal, after Évora. (updated Sep 2015)
• 41.544167-8.4219442 Braga (Minho). Ancient Bracara Augusta has some preserved remains and is host to the Braga Romana (Roman Braga) cultural fair, that celebrates the Roman influence in its history. It happens around the streets of the city centre, where people dress like ancient Romans and sell art and other souvenirs in tents. It is usually on the last weekend of May. (updated Sep 2015)
• 41.75-7.5333333 Chaves (Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro). Formerly known as Aquæ Flaviæ. Home to a lovely preserved Roman bridge, 140 m long, with 12 visible arches, built by order of Emperor Trajan. (updated Oct 2015)
• 40.211183-8.4291564 Coimbra (Beira Litoral). In modern Coimbra there are a few remains from ancient Aeminium. The most important is the cryptoporticus, an underground gallery of arched corridors built in the 1st or 2nd century AD to support the forum of the city. It can be visited through the Machado de Castro Museum, formerly the bishop's palace, built during the Middle Ages. 16 km to the south, there's one of the largest Roman settlements excavated in Portugal, 40.099444-8.4905564 Conímbriga, classified as a National Monument. (updated Oct 2015)
• 38.5714-7.90865 Évora (Alentejo Central). Julius Caesar called it Liberalitas Julia. Pliny the Elder also visited this town and mentioned it in his book Naturalis Historia as Ebora Cerealis. Vestiges from this period (the so-called Temple of Diana, city walls and ruins of Roman baths) still remain. (updated Sep 2015)
• 38.71027-9.132416 Lisbon. Believed to have Phoenician origins, Felicitas Iulia Olisipo, built on seven hills at the mouth of the Tagus river, quickly rose to prominence after the Punic wars, as Lusitania's primary port and commercial centre (which it still is). Several buildings on Rua Augusta have underground visitable archeological finds. Its old wall (Cerca Velha) has been studied, proven to be a primarily Roman construction, and been made a valued tourist attraction with several "Wall Walk" signs. The ruins of its theater are enclosed in a dedicated museum. (updated Oct 2015)
• 38.009689-8.6838177 Santiago do Cacém (Alentejo Litoral). Features the ruins of ancient Miróbriga, with a Forum, a hippodrome, baths, an Imperial temple (to worship the Roman Emperors) and a temple dedicated to Venus. The hippodrome and baths are among the best preserved in Portugal. 

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Map of Roman Empire

• 51.38-2.361 Bath (Somerset). Aquae Sulis is the location of the Roman baths, the ruins of which are still visitable. The waters of the Celtic goddess Sulis are the only thermal waters in Britain. You can bathe like a Roman in the modern baths next door. (updated Dec 2016)
• 54.989424-2.602282 Birdoswald Roman Fort, Gilsland, CA8 7DD (7 miles north-east of Brampton, Cumbria). Only fort extensively excavated on the turf sector of Hadrian's Wall. It has produced lots of archaeological evidence for the phases of construction of the wall. Also the first fort to produce substantial evidence for what happened on the wall when Roman rule in Britain ended. 
• 51.610283-2.9562693 Caerleon (Monmouthshire). Isca was the hub of Roman civilisation in Wales. In the town are the public baths, large amphitheatre (with mythological links to Camelot) and the world's last-remaining legionary barracks. The other main attraction is the National Roman Legion Museum, which researches and displays half a million objects of Antiquity from the area around Caerleon. (updated Dec 2016)
• 53.1373-4.26594 Caernarfon (Gwynedd). The mediaeval castle is the main attraction here, but just a few hundred metres away are the remains of the most north-westerly fort in the Roman Empire, Segontium. (updated Dec 2016)
• 51.611-2.7685 Caerwent (near Caldicot, Monmouthshire). Tribal capital of the Silures, most of Venta Silurum's remains date from the 4th century, including the impressive 5 metre-high town wall, houses, forum-basilica and a Romano-British temple, the latter highlighting how Romanisation often existed in harmony with older local traditions. (updated Dec 2016)
• 51.2786861.0814926 Canterbury (Kent). Founded as the Romano-Celtic town of Durovernum Cantiacorum. Home to the Canterbury Roman Museum, built to house the remains of a Roman domus and its courtyard. (updated Sep 2015)
• 54.8947-2.93887 Carlisle (Cumbria). An ideal base for exploring the western part of Hadrian's Wall. 
• 53.1926-2.89188 Chester (Cheshire). Ancient Deva, or Castra Devana, the fortress city of the 20th Legion (Legio XX Valeria Victrix). As one of the great military bases in Roman England, has its fair share of Roman ruins. (updated Oct 2015)
• 50.83652-0.779189 Chichester (West Sussex). Believed to have been one of the bridgeheads of the Roman invasion of Britain. The city centre is built on the Roman town of Noviomagus, and it benefits from the cross-shaped design favoured by the Romans - North Street, South Street, East Street and West Street converge on the Chichester Cross, a medieval market cross. Just outside the city is Fishbourne Palace, home to the largest collection of mosaics in the UK and a unique formal Roman garden. (updated Dec 2016)
• 51.7173-1.971110 Cirencester (Gloucestershire). Ancient Corinium is the Roman highlight of the Cotswolds, with the remains of an amphitheatre - nowadays a grass-covered bowl - and the Corinium Museum. A small section of the old Roman wall can be seen at Abbey Park. (updated Sep 2015)
• 51.890580.90307311 Colchester (Essex). Oldest recorded Roman town in Britain, claimed to be the oldest town in the UK. As Camulodunum, was for a time the capital of Roman Britain. Some modern scholars often speculate that "Camelot" could actually be "Camulod" misspelled. Its castle is built upon the foundations of the Temple of Emperor Claudius. (updated Sep 2015)
• 52.0443-3.9482412 Dolaucothi Gold Mines, Pumsaint, Llanwrda (near Lampeter, Carmarthenshire), ☏ +44 1558 650177, [email protected]. The presence of untapped gold resources was one of the primary reasons the Romans invaded Britain, and here is the proof. Visitors can tour the mines, and walk in the footsteps of 2000 year-old miners. 

• 51.128671.3218513 Dover (Kent). Portus Dubris was founded at the closest point to continental Europe, ideal for a cross-channel port. In the Roman era, it grew into an important military and mercantile harbour. The Roman lighthouse built on the present-day site of Dover Castle may be the oldest stone building in Britain. (updated Sep 2015)
• 50.716667-3.53333314 Exeter (Devon). Its Roman name was Isca Dumnomiorum, and it served as the base of the 5000-man Legio II Augusta for 20 years. Most of the original Roman wall can still be seen today; about 70% of it remains, and most of its route can be traced on foot. (updated Oct 2015)
• 51.87-2.2415 Gloucester (Gloucestershire). Founded in 97 AD under Emperor Nerva as Colonia Glevum Nervensis, or shortly, Glevum. Roman tunnels and fortifications exist underneath the city centre and can be visited through the museum. (updated Oct 2015)
• 54.402728-3.205416 Hardknott Fort, Hardknott Pass, Eskdale, Cumbria (Lake District National Park). The remains of this northern military outpost are well-marked and the situation is dramatic, high in the Cumbrian mountains. (updated Dec 2016)
• 54.9715-2.102517 Hexham (Northumberland). An ideal base for exploring the middle section of Hadrian's Wall. (updated Oct 2015)
• 52.6346-1.14130118 Leicester (Leicestershire). Founded as Ratae Corieltauvorum in 50 AD. Its Jewry Wall Museum features the 2000 year old remains of a Roman bathing complex. In 2013, the discovery of a Roman cemetery, found just outside the old city walls and dating back to 300 AD, was announced. (updated Oct 2015)
• 53.25-0.5519 Lincoln (Lincolnshire). Developed from the Roman town of Lindum Colonia. Its Roman remains are mainly scattered around the cathedral quarter. Walking along Bailgate, notice the circles of old stones in the modern road surface: these are the original foundations of the Roman pillars which lined this route - Ermine Street, which stretched from London to York. (updated Oct 2015)
• 51.517618-0.09677820 City of London. Major port and commercial centre in Roman Britain, under the name Londinium. Its Roman wall survived for another 1,600 years and broadly continues to define its perimeter. There are picturesque exposed sections close to the present Museum of London (which has a permanent exhibition of life in Londinium), near the Barbican Centre, as well as close to the Tower of London. The amphitheatre is now open to the public, underneath the Guildhall. (updated Dec 2016)
• 51.2897011.32881821 Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre, Off Richborough Road (near Sandwich, Kent), ☏ +44 1304 612013. One of the main beachheads of the Claudian invasion of 43 AD, today a collection of many phases of Roman remains still visible, under the auspices of English Heritage, which describes it as 'perhaps the most symbolically important of all Roman sites in Britain'. 
• 54.98837-1.5309122 Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths & Museum, Buddle Street, Wallsend (Tyne and Wear). The remains of the Roman fort at Segedunum, eastern terminus of Hadrian's Wall. It's a short walk away from the Wallsend Metro station. In fact many of the signs at the metro station have been translated into Latin, including the aptly named Vomitorium. A. (updated Apr 2015)
• 51.356481-1.07762823 Silchester (near Basingstoke, Hampshire). Known to the Romans as Calleva Atrebatum, Silchester was abandoned after the Roman era which means that much of the archaeology remains. All that is left on the surface now is a complete ring of city walls and the amphitheatre, though ongoing archaeological digs (which you may get to see) could reveal more. Silchester is about as isolated a place as you will find in south-east England; on a spring weekday you are likely to find yourself sharing the ruins only with cows. Free to access every day, sunrise-sunset. 
• 51.752725-0.33943624 St Albans (Hertfordshire). Verulamium has left behind a well-preserved amphitheatre and city walls. The city's Verulamium Museum is dedicated to local Roman history, and hosts many artefacts including mosaics, coins and wall plasters. (updated Dec 2016)

• 52.670247-2.64557125 Wroxeter Roman City, Wroxeter (near Shrewsbury, Shropshire). At one stage, Viroconium Cornoviorum was the fourth-largest city in Roman Britain. The main attractions today are the remains of the bath house and a tall section of free-standing wall, as well as a reconstructed town house, an impressive piece of experimental archaeology using only methods and materials available to Roman Britons. 
• 53.9622-1.082126 York (North Yorkshire). Founded as Eboracum in 71 AD. After 211, became the capital of the province Britannia Inferior. Constantine the Great was first proclaimed Emperor in this city. Its medieval city walls are built on Roman era foundations. Features several events with re-enactors. (updated Sep 2015)

• 49.6833335.8166671 Arlon (Wallonia). Formerly the vicus of Orolaunum, Arlon has parts of its Gallo-Roman defensive wall, built in the 3rd century, still standing, and an outstanding archeological museum. (updated Oct 2015)
• 50.6452425.5732012 Liège (Wallonia). Was known as Vicus Leudicus in Roman times. An archeological display, the Archeoforum, can be visited under the Place St Lambert, showing Roman and medieval remains. (updated Oct 2015)
• 50.780445.463363 Tongeren (Flanders). Oldest town of Belgium. Founded as the military camp Atuatuca Tungrorum, built around 50 BC by Sabinus and Cotta, lieutenants in the army of Julius Caesar. More than 1,500 meters of the original Roman wall, dating from the 2nd century, has been preserved. The town market features a statue of Gallic leader Ambiorix. There's also a Gallo-Roman museum. (updated Oct 2015)

• 52.13334.651 Alphen aan den Rijn (Groene Hart). Formerly the frontier garrison of Castellum Albanianae on the Old Rhine. Home to the Archeon, a theme park about living history of the Netherlands, containing 43 buildings from the Prehistory, Roman era and Middle Ages. (updated Oct 2015)
• 50.88435.985922 Heerlen (South Limburg). Former Roman military settlement, known as Coriovallum, at the crossroads of the Boulogne-Cologne and Xanten-Aachen-Trier routes. Its bathing complex has been excavated and is now a museum. (updated Oct 2015)
• 52.24.43 Katwijk (Bollenstreek). In Romans times, its name was Lugdunum Batavorum. It was a place of strategic importance, at the Empire's northern border, at the mouth of the Rhine, which in Roman times was larger in this area than it is today. There was a good deal of traffic along the Rhine. It was also a jumping-off point for the voyage to Britain. (updated Oct 2015)
• 50.847915.6934684 Maastricht (Limburg). Started to exist when the Romans built a bridge over the river Meuse (Maas in Dutch, Mosa in Latin) in the 1st century AD, and named it Traiectum ad Mosam. Remains of the Roman road, the bridge, a religious shrine, a Roman bath, a granary, some houses and the 4th-century castrum walls and gates have been excavated. Fragments of provincial Roman sculptures, as well as coins, jewelry, glass, pottery and other objects from Roman Maastricht are on display in the exhibition space of the city's public library (Centre Céramique).The cellar of the Derlon Hotel was surveyed by Maastricht's city archeologists before restoration could start; several Roman remains, from the 2nd, 3rd and 4th century, were found, and considered so important that it was decided to conserve and exhibit them. In the cellar of Derlon Hote can be seen part of a 2nd- and 3rd-century square, a 3rd-century well, part of a pre-Roman cobblestone road and sections of a wall and a gate dating from the 4th century. 
• 51.846385.871115 Nijmegen (Gelderland). Founded as Ulpia Noviomagus Batavorum, or Noviomagus for short, a frontier garrison, in the 1st century BC. A few Roman remains are visible today; a fragment of the old city wall can be seen near the casino, and the foundations of the amphitheatre are traced in the paving of the present-day Rembrandtstraat. The Valkhof museum includes artifacts from the Roman era. (updated Sep 2015)
• 52.1583334.4858336 Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities), Rapenburg 28 (Leiden, Bollenstreek), [email protected]. This is a traditional museum on the history of people. Includes an outstanding collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities, and a small temple that was given to the Netherlands by the Egyptians for their help with the Aswan monuments transfer project. It also features an exhibition on the archeological history of the Netherlands, including dug-up burial treasures and relics from Roman sites in the country. 
• 52.0908335.1216677 Utrecht (Western Netherlands). Its history goes back to 47 AD, when emperor Claudius ordered his general Corbulo to build a defensive line along the Rhine, then the Empire's northernmost border. A stronghold (Castrum) was built at a crossing in the river, and called Traiectum ("crossingplace"). In the local language this became Trecht, Uut-Trecht (uut, "downriver", added to distinguish U-trecht from Maas-tricht) and later Utrecht. On the place where once the castrum stood, now stands the Domchurch built in the 13th century. Remnants of the Roman stone wall can be visited below the buildings around Dom Square. (updated Oct 2015)
• 52.0860814.8845458 Woerden (Western Netherlands). Former frontier garrison town, called Laurum or Laurium. Artifacts and even ships from that time have been found and some of them are exhibited in the parking garage (appropriately called Castellum) and in the city museum. (updated Oct 2015)

50°0′0″N 9°0′0″E

Map of Roman Empire

• 50.7740546.0869511 Aachen (Eifel). According to legend, the Roman spa resort town of Aquae Granni was founded by order of emperor Hadrian, circa 124 AD. Remains have been found of three bathhouses, including two fountains at the Elisenbrunnen, a neo-classical hall covering one of the city's famous hot springs. (updated Oct 2015)
• 50.1098.67862 Archäologisches Museum Frankfurt (Archaeological Museum), Karmelitergasse 1 (Frankfurt, Rhine-Main), ☏ +49 69-212-35896, fax: +49 69-212-30700, [email protected]. Located in a former Carmelite monastery, it displays finds from the Roman town of Nida (Frankfurt-Heddernheim). There's also an open-air archaeological installation, showing the foundations of the oldest building in the city: the Roman baths from the 1st and 2nd century. 
• 48.36666710.93 Augsburg (Bavaria). Germany's third oldest city, being founded as Augusta Vindelicorum, named after the emperor Augustus. Former capital of the province of Raetia and administrative and economic centre of the Roman dominion from the northern Alps to the Danube River. Nowadays, features the Römisches Museum, founded as early as 1822 as "Antiquarium Romanum" (closed for renovation, it has been rehoused at a temporary location until 2022), and hosts the annual German Römerfest. (updated Aug 2015)
• 48.7627788.2408334 Baden-Baden (Black Forest). Known as Aquae to the Romans. The bath-conscious emperor Caracalla once came here to ease his arthritic aches. The ruins of the bathing complex are preserved under the aptly-named Römerplatz (Roman Square). (updated Sep 2015)
• 50.9363896.9527785 Cologne (North Rhine-Westphalia). Founded as Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, was the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior. Home to an extensive Romano-Germanic Museum, above several ruins, right beside the famous cathedral. (updated Aug 2015)
• 49.9935238.2734256 Mainz (Rhineland-Palatinate). Ancient Mogontiacum was founded by the Roman general Drusus, brother of emperor Tiberius and father of emperor Claudius, at the strategic confluence of the Rhine and the Main; later, it became the provincial capital of Germania Superior, and an important funeral monument dedicated to Drusus was built. The so-called Drususstein still stands inside the citadel of Mainz. (updated Sep 2015)
• 49.0201212.098547 Regensburg (Upper Palatinate). Founded as the military camp Castra Regina. Its Porta Praetoria is believed to be Germany's most ancient stone building, dating back to 179 AD. 
• 50.27068.56728 Saalburg (Bad Homburg). The Saalburg fort is on the Limes Germanicus, built to keep the various "Barbarians" out, which has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

• 49.7566676.6413899 Trier (Moselle Valley). The oldest city of Germany is home to the Porta Nigra ("black gate") monument, and the remains of three thermae (bathing complexes). 
• 50.088.2410 Wiesbaden (Hesse). Pliny the Elder first mentioned the thermal springs of Aquae Mattiacorum in his Naturalis Historia. Mogontiacum, base of 2 (at times 3) Roman legions, was just over the Rhine and connected by a bridge at the present-day borough of Mainz-Kastel (Roman "castellum"), a strongly fortified bridgehead. Mainz-Kastel was only detached from Mainz and incorporated into Wiesbaden no sooner than 25 July 1945. Some remains of the so-called Heidenmauer ("Heathen Wall"), and of a Roman triumphal arch, can be seen. (updated Sep 2015)
• 51.6622226.45388911 Xanten Archeological Park (North Rhine-Westphalia). Germany's largest archeological park, on the site of ancient Castra Vetera, another part of the Limes Germanicus. (updated Sep 2015)
• 47.73333310.31666712 Kempten (Allgäu). Cambodunum was conquered from the Celts by general Nero Claudius Drusus, the founder of Mogontiacum, and rebuilt on a classical Roman city plan with baths, forum and temples. Initially in wood, the city was later rebuilt in stone after a devastating fire that destroyed almost the entire city in the year 69 AD. The city possibly served as provincial capital of Raetia during the first century before Augusta Vindelicorum took over this role. Extensive archaeological excavations at the end of the 19th century, and again during the 1950s at what were then the outskirts of Kempten, unearthed extensive structural foundations.  
• 52.40758.1313 Museum and Park Kalkriese (Kalkriese near Osnabrück). Here was fought the Teutoburg Forest battle, in 9 CE, in which Varus and three Roman legions perished against Arminius, a Roman officer of Germanic origin who betrayed the Romans and fought against them.  

• 47.5338897.7213891 Augusta Raurica (Northwestern Switzerland). Very well preserved theater and arena in the greater Basel urban area. Site of the Swiss Römerfest. (updated Aug 2015)
• 46.518946.598642 Musée Romain Lausanne-Vidy, Chemin du Bois-de-Vaux 24 (Lausanne). On display are architectural finds from the Roman camp Lausanna, just by the lake, which still features the remains of walls and a forum from the time of Julius Caesar. 
• 46.17.0666673 Martigny (Valais). Features interesting remains from Octodurus, conquered by the Roman Empire in 57 BC, in order to protect the strategically important pass of Poeninus (now known as the Great St. Bernard). It was later renamed Forum Claudii Vallensium Octodurensium. (updated Sep 2015)
• 46.3833336.2333334 Nyon (Vaud). Founded as Colonia Julia Equestris, later Noviodunum. Home to the best Roman museum inside Switzerland. (updated Aug 2015)
• 47.21677.53335 Solothurn (Berne Region). Founded as early as 350 BC as Castrum Salodurum, a bell-shaped walled fort. The remains can still be seen at Friedhofplatz and in Löwengasse. (updated Sep 2015)

• 48.21079216.3727051 Vienna Roman Museum (Römermuseum), Hoher Markt 3 (Vienna/Innere Stadt), [email protected]. This museum houses a collection of artifacts from Vindobona, as this Danubian garrison settlement was then known. There are Roman ruins in the cellar of the museum itself, first discovered during construction work in 1948, and for many years only accessible to the public via a narrow staircase, before the building was transformed into a full-fledged museum in 2008. 
• 48.11666716.8666672 Carnuntum. Roman city and archaeological park on the site of the former capital of Pannonia Superior. Site of the contemporary Austrian Römerfest. (updated Aug 2015)
• 46.61666713.853 Villach (Carinthia). Called Sanctium in Roman times, home to a hot spring (something very valued at those times) and a museum. (updated Sep 2015)
• 46.724614.429234 Archaeological Park Magdalensberg (close to Klagenfurt, Carinthia). About 4 hectares large, shows important areas of the ancient settlement of Virunum, archaeologically studied since 1948. (updated Sep 2015)
• 47.2946311.60145 Wattens (Tyrol). Nowadays best known as the headquarters of the Swarovski crystal company, the town features remains of a Roman villa, unearthed during construction works in 2012. Next to the glass covered archaeological remains, there are display cases with pottery and coins from a 732-piece gold and silver treasure belonging to a legionary. The St. Larentius church, very near in the town center, also dates back to the Roman period. (updated Dec 2018)

• 47.5639719.05041 Aquincum Museum (Budapest/Aquincum). Aquincum was first a Danubian garrison town and later became capital of Pannonia Inferior. Emperor-philosopher Marcus Aurelius may have written at least part of his Meditations at Aquincum. The Aquincum Museum features indoor and outdoor parts; the latter include two amphitheaters, the Aquincum Civil Amphitheater and the Aquincum Military Amphitheater (both built in the 1st century AD) and the remains of the Roman camp's eastern gate. It hosts the annual Floralia spring festival. (updated Sep 2015)
• 47.658219.11972 Dunakeszi (Central Hungary). Small wall remains of a fort, belonging to the Ripa Pannonica - the fluvial part of the Limes protection system - can be see here. (updated Oct 2015)
• 47.7980618.73633 Esztergom (Transdanubia). As a Roman town, was called Solva. Its castle, built on ancient Roman foundations, is nowadays a museum, with a permanent Roman exhibition. (updated Oct 2015)
• 47.6876217.630794 Györ (Transdanubia). Called Arrabona in Roman times, is home to a good archeological museum. (updated Oct 2015)
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