Xanten combines the history of a Roman city with a Lower Rhine landscape shaped by river meadows and interconnected cycling and hiking trails. The LVR Archaeological Park focuses on archaeological finds and historic buildings, while Bislicher Insel offers a different side of the region. The medieval town centre and activities on the water round out the picture.

Roman life and buildings

The LVR-RömerMuseum uses archaeological finds to bring everyday life in the former Roman city to life. The park also presents the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Lower Germanic Limes in the Limes Pavilion and ship tent. In this way, finds relating to everyday life and the presentation of the Limes offer different perspectives on Roman history.

In summer, the Grabung Live programme lets you watch the excavation team at work. An APX workshop gives participants the chance to handle, examine and describe genuine Roman-period finds. Guided tours offer further perspectives: they reveal archaeological remains beneath the harbour temple, explain gladiatorial combat in the amphitheatre or convey the atmosphere of Roman baths in the Herbergsthermen. A tour of the craftsmen’s houses explores life and work in the Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Tour availability and booking details may change; check them in advance.

The reconstructed Herbergsthermen illustrate Roman bathing with hypocausts, wall paintings and pools. The amphitheatre’s passageways house a gladiator exhibition; its presentation may change. After the Capitol, the harbour temple was the city’s second-largest temple. Together, these places offer different perspectives on everyday life, architecture and public entertainment in Roman times.

Town culture and the spa park

The medieval town centre is also part of Xanten’s cultural identity. This includes St. Victor’s Cathedral: the Gothic building is a five-aisled basilica associated with art and history. The SiegfriedMuseum presents 600 years of the reception history of the Nibelung legends. The focus is therefore not only on the stories themselves, but also on how they have been received over the centuries.

The spa park was created from the city’s former ramparts. Its accessible design makes it easy to stroll around the city centre. The graduation tower creates air rich in salt; the Kneipp facility offers a refreshing water treatment. Alongside museums and architectural history, this provides an urban space for a walk and a break outdoors.

River meadows and wildlife

Xanten is nestled in the varied natural landscape and river meadows of the Lower Rhine. Interconnected cycling and hiking trails are part of this landscape. The Bislicher Insel nature reserve covers 1,200 hectares in an old bend of the Rhine. Beavers and overwintering geese are associated with the area, making this natural environment a contrast to the city’s Roman and medieval themes.

At the NaturForum on Bislicher Insel, the AuenGeschichten exhibition explores river-meadow habitats and local wildlife. It adds a focus on the landscape’s habitats and inhabitants. Nature enthusiasts will find a different emphasis here than in the city’s exhibitions and historic buildings.

Activities on the water and when to visit

There are also various ways to enjoy some active time: on the shore of the Xanten South Sea, a high ropes course has three climbing levels. The Freizeitzentrum Xanten offers water skiing and wakeboarding on a cable system. You can rent sailboats, electric boats and pedal boats at the harbours of Xanten and Vynen; check current availability in advance.

The time of year changes what you can focus on: Grabung Live takes place during the summer months, while overwintering geese can be seen on Bislicher Insel. This lets you choose between insights into excavation work and an interest in winter birdlife.

When choosing accommodation, check the location and current availability of each offer.

Discover more destinations: Voshövel, Sonsbeck, Hamminkeln, Neukirchen-Vluyn, Moers, Dinslaken, Wesel, Kamp-Lintfort

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