Caesaraugusta (Zaragoza) was the only city in the Roman Empire that enjoyed the privilege of bearing the full name of the Emperor Caesar Augustus, founder of the city.
The Caesaraugusta Route is composed of four museums located in the historic centre of Zaragoza, which will allow us to discover how life was lived in this city during Roman times two millennia ago. These museums are a must for anyone who wants to learn about the history of the city and the Iberian Peninsula.
Each of these sites are excavated underground in their original location in Roman times. The buildings that can be visited date from the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. All four sites can be visited on foot in one day, and tickets can be purchased together or separately at a very affordable price.
The museums: Theatre, Thermal Baths, Forum and Port
Below you can see what each of the museums consists of:
- Theatre Museum: The Roman theatre of Zaragoza was discovered in 1972 after an intense search, as its exact location was unknown, as it was hidden under the earth and the buildings that were built on top of it for several centuries. Since its discovery, work has been undertaken to accommodate the area and restore it to convert it into the current museum that can be visited today.
The theatre was built in the 1st century AD, at the time of Emperor Tiberius and had a capacity for 6,000 spectators, one of the largest in Roman Hispania.
- Thermal Baths Museum: The thermal baths of Caesaraugusta also date back to the 1st century AD. The thermal baths were the place to go to cleanse, relax, as well as to have a social life. They had warm and cold rooms, as well as attached rooms such as changing rooms and a gymnasium.
- Forum Museum: This museum is located in the underground of the Plaza del Pilar, next to the Cathedral of La Seo. The forum was the public part of the Roman city where you could find shops as well as administrative buildings, and it was also the centre of civil, political and religious activity in the Roman city.
In the museum you can see the foundations of the buildings, as well as all kinds of objects from the period, as well as video projections on the history of the city.
- Port Museum: Finally, this museum is next to the Ebro River, and shows us what the city's river port was like in Roman times.
Photos of the Roman Theatre:
Photos of the Forum (exterior facade, as the site of the visit is underground):
Location map
Below you can see the map with the museums (click to zoom). You can walk from one place to another.
The approximate duration of the visit is: 1:30 hours Theatre, 1 hour Forum, 30 minutes Baths and 30 minutes Port.
Other places to visit in Zaragoza
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Plaza del Pilar: Facing the Basilica del Pilar and the Cathedral of La Seo, the Plaza del Pilar is one of the best known and most emblematic public spaces in Zaragoza.
- Monument to Caesar Augustus and Roman Wall.
- Puerta del Carmen.
- La Aljafería: A must-see for all tourists coming to Zaragoza. This is the most visited historical site in the city: A medieval Islamic palace built by the Muslims in the 11th century.
- Other museums in Zaragoza: Pablo Gargallo Museum, Museum of Natural Sciences, Pablo Serrano Museum, CaixaForum Zaragoza, Aquarium of Zaragoza, etc.
- Plaza del Pilar: Facing the Basilica del Pilar and the Cathedral of La Seo, the Plaza del Pilar is one of the best known and most emblematic public spaces in Zaragoza.
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