Roman Britain itinerary

For almost four centuries, from AD 43 to 410, Britannia was a province of the Roman Empire, its northernmost and one of its most heavily garrisoned. The Romans built towns, roads, baths, villas decorated with mosaics and, on the border with Caledonia, the most famous wall of the ancient world. Much of that world is still visible, often surprisingly so: a temple of Mithras in the heart of the City of London, baths in Bath still full of hot water, a palace with mosaic floors in Sussex, an amphitheatre in the middle of Chester, the forts of Hadrian's Wall on the northern hills.

This nine-day itinerary follows Roman history in almost chronological order: from the landing and the first capital, Colchester, destroyed by the rebel queen Boudica, to the towns and villas of the south, and on to the great military bases of Chester and York and the northern frontier. It is a trip for lovers of ancient history, families with children studying the Romans and anyone who wants to see a Britain different from that of castles and Tudors.

A short history of Roman Britain

Julius Caesar landed in Britain twice, in 55 and 54 BC, but the real conquest began in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, who entered Colchester in person with elephants. In 60 or 61 the queen of the Iceni, Boudica, led a revolt that destroyed Colchester, London and St Albans before being defeated. In the following decades the Romans pushed north, and in 122 Emperor Hadrian had the wall built from coast to coast. Emperor Septimius Severus died in York in 211, and in 306 Constantine was proclaimed emperor there. Around 410 Rome withdrew its last troops, and Britain was left to fend for itself.

Day 1: Londinium

Roman London, Londinium, stood where the City, the financial district, is today. Start at the London Mithraeum, beneath the Bloomberg building, where the remains of a 3rd-century temple of Mithras have been reconstructed on the exact spot where they were found, with light and sound evoking the secret rites: entry is free but must be booked. A few minutes away, beneath the Guildhall Art Gallery, go down among the walls of the Roman amphitheatre, discovered only in 1988. Along the way you see sections of the Roman city wall, such as the one near Tower Hill station. The afternoon is for the British Museum and its Roman Britain galleries: the Mildenhall treasure, with its great silver dish, the Hoxne hoard and the Vindolanda tablets.

Where to stay: in London, for two nights.

Day 2: Colchester, the first capital

By train from Liverpool Street, Colchester is about an hour away. It was Camulodunum, the first capital of the province, with a great temple to Emperor Claudius, destroyed by Boudica. A thousand years later the Normans built their castle on top of that temple: Colchester Castle Museum lets you go down into the vaults of the Roman foundations and tells the story of the revolt with objects burned in the fire of 60. The Balkerne Gate is the largest surviving Roman gateway in Britain, and the town also has the remains of the only Roman chariot-racing circus found on the island.

Day 3: St Albans and south

By train from St Pancras, St Albans is 20 minutes away. In Verulamium Park, site of the third-largest town in Roman Britain, the Verulamium Museum displays superb mosaics and reconstructed painted rooms, and nearby you can see a hypocaust with its original mosaic and the Roman theatre, the only one of its kind visible in Britain. The cathedral commemorates Alban, the first British Christian martyr, executed here in Roman times.

In the afternoon pick up a car and drive south to Sussex (about two hours).

Where to stay: in Chichester.

Day 4: Fishbourne and Bath

Fishbourne Roman Palace, discovered by chance in 1960 while a water main was being laid, is the largest Roman residential building north of the Alps. It may have belonged to Togidubnus, a British king allied with Rome. Beneath a large modern cover you walk among mosaic floors, including the famous Cupid on a dolphin, and outside the Roman garden has been replanted with period plants.

In the afternoon drive to Bath (about two and a half hours) and visit the Roman Baths of Aquae Sulis, dedicated to the goddess Sulis Minerva: the great pool with hot water rising at 46°C, the remains of the temple, the gilded bronze head of the goddess and the curse tablets, small sheets of lead on which Romans asked for revenge for thefts and wrongs. In summer the baths stay open late, lit by torches.

Where to stay: in Bath.

Day 5: Cirencester and Chedworth

Cirencester, an hour from Bath, was Corinium, the second-largest town in Roman Britain. The Corinium Museum is one of the best Roman museums in the country, with mosaics, tombstones and reconstructed houses. A few kilometres away, in the Cotswolds hills, National Trust Chedworth Roman Villa preserves the mosaics, baths and spring shrine of a wealthy 4th-century villa.

Where to stay: in the Cotswolds or on the way to Chester.

Day 6: Chester

From Cirencester to Chester is about two and a half hours. Chester, ancient Deva Victrix, was one of the great legionary fortresses of Britannia. It has the largest amphitheatre uncovered in Britain, right in the centre, and the most complete city walls in the country, Roman in their foundations and medieval above, which you can walk for about three kilometres. The Grosvenor Museum displays legionaries' tombstones, and the small Roman Garden gathers columns and fragments. In summer you meet costumed centurions in the streets leading tours.

Where to stay: in Chester.

Day 7: York

From Chester to York is about two hours. Eboracum was the capital of northern Britannia: Emperor Septimius Severus died here and here, in 306, the troops proclaimed Constantine emperor, the future founder of Constantinople. A statue of a seated Constantine stands beside the Minster, and beneath the Minster itself you can see remains of the fortress headquarters. The Yorkshire Museum, in the abbey gardens, has a rich Roman collection, and in the centre a pub, the Roman Bath, keeps the remains of a Roman bath house in its cellar.

Where to stay: in York.

Day 8: Hadrian's Wall

From York head north (about two hours) to the heart of Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At Vindolanda, a fort just south of the wall, the famous wooden tablets were found, with letters and documents of soldiers and their families, including a birthday party invitation written by a woman, one of the earliest known texts in Latin written by a female hand. In summer you can watch the archaeologists at work. Then climb to Housesteads fort, on the Whin Sill ridge, with the best-preserved Roman latrines in Britain and views of the wall running along the crags. A short walk leads to the famous Sycamore Gap, where the tree that symbolised the Wall was illegally felled in 2023.

Where to stay: in Hexham or Haltwhistle.

Day 9: Chesters, Birdoswald and Segedunum

In the morning visit the cavalry fort of Chesters, with the best-preserved bath house in Roman Britain, or, to the west, Birdoswald, with the longest continuous stretch of wall still standing, and the Roman Army Museum. Before leaving the region drive down to Segedunum, at Wallsend on the edge of Newcastle, where the wall ended: a viewing tower shows the complete plan of the fort from above.

From Newcastle the train back to London takes under three hours, or fly from Newcastle Airport.

How much it costs

To save money: the London Mithraeum, the Guildhall amphitheatre, the British Museum and Chester's walls are free. Housesteads, Chesters, Birdoswald and other Wall forts belong to English Heritage: with the Overseas Visitor Pass entry is included.

Practical information

• Booking: the London Mithraeum and the Roman Baths use timed entry; book ahead in summer.
• Without a car: from Bath to York you can travel by train, and in summer Hadrian's Wall is served by the AD122 bus, linking Hexham, Haltwhistle and the main forts.
• Walking: at Housesteads the fort is a ten-minute uphill walk from the car park; wear comfortable shoes.
• With children: Vindolanda and the Roman Army Museum have activities for kids, and in Chester the tours with legionaries are great fun.
• Documents: passport and ETA, see documents and ETA.

Variations

• Wroxeter: near Shrewsbury, the remains of Viroconium, the fourth-largest town in Roman Britain, with a bath-house wall still seven metres high and a reconstructed Roman town house.
• Scotland: beyond the border, the remains of the UNESCO-listed Antonine Wall; see the page on the Roman conquest of Scotland.
• Wales: the legionary fortress of Caerleon, with its amphitheatre and barracks; see the King Arthur itinerary.
• The Wall on foot: keen walkers can follow the whole Hadrian's Wall Path in six or seven days.

What to read before you go

For the history, a good history of Roman Britain and Book XIV of Tacitus's Annals, which tells of Boudica's revolt. Tacitus also wrote the Agricola, the life of his father-in-law who conquered much of the island. For a novel, Rosemary Sutcliff's The Eagle of the Ninth, set along Hadrian's Wall, appeals to children and adults alike.

Final tips

• Pace: with less time, do just London, Bath and Hadrian's Wall in five days.
• Combinations: in Bath and York this route crosses the Jane Austen itinerary and the literary itinerary.
• A tip: on Hadrian's Wall, walk for at least an hour between Steel Rigg and Housesteads: there, in the wind and the empty fields, you truly understand what it meant to be a Roman soldier at the end of the known world.

See also our other UK itineraries.

York on the map

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