Explore Roman Switzerland
For the Romans, the flat or hilly central plateau that lies between the Alps to the South and the Jura Mountains to the north and west was where Alpine routes linked Italia to Germania and Gaul. Of great strategic value then for both trade and military campaigns. And this is confirmed in the rich Roman archaeology of Switzerland. From ephemeral ruins of large rural villas and country estates, to remnants of walls and exceptionally well preserved amphitheatres of significant settlements.Â
This guide to the Roman heritage of Switzerland is part of our guide to Exploring the Roman World. It is produced and maintained by Thomas Dowson, the founder of Archaeology Travel, based on first hand experience and extensive research. Beyond finding information about accessible Roman sites and museums in Switzerland, visitors to this website can choose a membership plan to access resources and tools for trip planning.
Switzerland in the Roman Era
Modern Switzerland was part of both the Roman Republic and Empire. Celtic tribes in the area were conquered by Rome from the 2nd century BC. Military campaigns sought to control strategic Alpine routes from Italy into Gaul. With the establishment of the Empire, the area fell under Roman administration, and all but assimilated by the 2nd century AD. Although Roman control weakened during the crisis of the Third century, it did not disappear until the mid 5th century.Â
In 14 AD Switzerland was largely divided between Gallia Belgica and Raetia et Vindelicia, with the area around present-day Geneva in Gallia Narbonensis. By 117 AD, and the empire at its greatest extent, Switzerland was mostly in the Imperial Province of Raetia, with small areas on the edges incorporated into surrounding provinces.Â
Important Roman towns include: Aventicum (modern-day Avenches), Augusta Raurica (Augst), Vindonissa (Windisch) and Geneva (Genava).
Via Romana
The best Roman sites in Switzerland are to be found along the north western border of the country. From Geneva (Roman Genava) in the southwest to Augst (Augusta Raurica) in the north and on east to Windisch (Vinonissa). With numerous places to visit in between, including Nyon, Lausanne, Avenches and Solothurn. This is the route Romans took moving between Germania and Gaul north of the Alps and Ancient Rome to the south. And is a popular tourist route today. So much so that Geneva/Basel has been designated the Via Romana in numerous Swiss tourism campaigns.
There are, however, many interesting sites to explore on the Swiss plateau beyond the via Romana. For example, Martigny lies in the Alpine foreland at the entrance to the valley that leads to the Great St. Bernard Pass, Summus Poeninus for the Romans. This was an important route across the Alps linking Aosta (Augusta Praetoria Salassorum) in the Italian Aosta Valley with Martigny (Forum Claudii Vallensium). There is an impressive amphitheatre in Martigny, as well as other remnants, and a museum that is well worth visiting.
Roman Sites & Ruins
Augusta Raurica
Colonia Augusta Rauracorum was founded by Lucius Munatius Plancus around 44 BC, and named after the local Gallic tribe, the Rauraci. It was not until 15 BC and Augustus’ conquest of the central Alps that the settlement started to develop, becoming one of the most important Roman towns in Switzerland. Over 20 structures have survived, from the best preserved theatre north of the Alps, a fully furnished house and the longest accessible Roman sewer. Excavations are ongoing, and there is an active programme of events throughout the year.
Aventicum - Roman Avenches
Little is known about the founding of Aventicum, but a settlement existed in the early years of the 1st century AD. As the capital of the Helvetii, and an important stop on the route between Ital and Britain, it became the largest Roman town in Switzerland. Following the sacking in 280s, the town never really recovered and in the early medieval period it was used as a quarry. Despite this, a number of features have survived, including an amphitheatre, a theatre, city walls and temples, making Avenches a good place to explore the country’s Roman past.
Julier Pass
The Julier Pass is a mountain pass in Switzerland’s Albula Alps, connecting the Engadin valley with central Graubünden. The pass, the first Swiss alpine road to be paved with asphalt, crosses the divide between the drainage basins of the Rhine and Danube Rivers. It was in regular use in the Bronze and Iron Age, and was in heavy use during the Roman era. Excavations have revealed the remnants of a sanctuary at the summit. Today motorists can see the dressed stone columns on the side of the road.
Kastell Tasgetium
Tasgetium was a bridgehead fort and civilian settlement on the Danube-Iller-Rhine Limes. All that is visible today is a fragment of the walls of the border fort in Stein am Rhein. The fort was built during Diocletian’s reign (293 and 305 AD); a coin found within the structure suggests construction commenced in 300/301 AD. It is thought the fort was abandoned soon after the collapse of the Rhine frontier in 406/7 AD. Artefacts recovered from excavations of the fort and vicus can be seen in the Museum zu Allerheiligen (Schaffhausen) and the Museum of Archaeology of the Canton of Thurgau (Frauenfeld).
Legionnaire’s Trail Vindonissa
Located in the Canon of Aargau, Vindonissa is the only Roman legionnaire’s camp known in Switzerland. At the site, visitors follow the trail by walking from station to station, learning more about life in the Roman military as they go. The different stations include Roma archaeological sites and reconstructions. Various events include actors dressed in period costume, whether as soldiers or gladiators. Part of the Aargau Museums, the attraction is linked to the Vindonissa Museum, for which there is a combined ticket.
Martigny Amphitheatre
The amphitheatre in present-day Martigny was built for the Roman town of Forum Claudii Vallensium sometime around the beginning of the 2ntury AD, and abandoned along with the rest of the town in the 4th century AD. A modest size, it measures 76 by 63.7 metres, and seated around 5,000 people. An earthen embankment fills the space between the inner arena wall and the outer façade, on which seating was built. The arena is still used to stage local events. Guided tours of the amphitheatre and other Roman features in the town are possible.
Watch Tower, Tössegg
Not far from the mouth of the Töss River where it joins the Rhine River, and on the right bank, are the ruins of a Roman watchtower. The site was excavated by archaeologists in 1979. The tower was built during the reign of Valerian, 364 -375 AD and was surrounded by a wall and a moat. It was part of the Rhine border defences that ran between Untersee and Basel, and a continuous line of watchtowers that linked forts at Stein am Rhein, Zurzach, Kaiseraugst and Basel. Near the town of Freienstein-Teufen, this is a popular area for hikers.
Museums with Roman Exhibitions & Collections
Antikenmuseum Basel
Located in Basel city centre, the Museum of Ancient Art has the largest collection of ancient artifacts in Switzerland. Including objects from the whole spectrum of early Mediterranean cultures, from Greece to Rome and Etruria, from Egypt through the Levant to Mesopotamia and Iran. This represents a history of over 5,000 years. A second location, near the university, the Sculpture Hall on Mittlere Strasse, houses over 2,200 plaster casts of ancient sculptures and reliefs from the Archaic period to the late Roman era. It is one of the most important collections of its kind in the world.
Augusta Raurica Museum
Following many years of excavations at Augusta Raurica, over two million artefacts have been recovered. Only a small selection of the best pieces are on display in the museum. The rest are stored in a nearby storage facility, which can visited by guided tour. Exhibitions in the museum provide a history of the town and the archaeological site, as well as what life was like for the town’s inhabitants. A highlight of the display collection is one of the most important Roman hoards, 270 silver objects weighing 58 kg.
Laténium Park & Archaeology Museum
The Laténium in Neuchâtel canton is an archaeological museum built on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel near to where archaeologists found a Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer camp and Neolithic and Bronze Age pile-dweller villages. Many of the finds are on display inside the museum. Outside, the open-air archaeological park has several reconstructions of prehistoric structures, including a Bronze Age pile dwelling, an Iron Age bridge and a Gallo-Roman barge. Also present is a large excavated block preserving the remains of the hunter-gatherer camp.
Museum of Art & History
With over 650,000 objects, this museum in central Geneva is one of the largest museums in Switzerland. Although only a fraction of the permanent collection is on display, it is a vast museum. You could easily spend a whole day browsing the many and varied exhibitions. Permanent exhibitions focus on five broad themes: history and archaeology, applied arts, watchmaking, jewellery and enamelling, as well as rare and precious books and prints. These include artefacts from Switzerland and further afield. Entrance is by voluntary donation.
Schaffhausen All Saints Museum
Housed in a former Benedictine monastery, the Museum zu Allerheiligen Schaffhausen exhibits regional archaeology, history, art and natural history. One of Switzerland’s largest museums by size, it opened in 1928 and was severely damaged during Allied bombing raids in 1944. Highlights include a Roman glass bowl from Tasgetium depicting hunting scenes, and the Schaffhausen Onyx – and Augustan era cameo that was given a gold and silver setting in the 13th century. The museum also owns the controversial Ebnöther collection of South American antiquities.
Thurgau Archaeology Museum
A former cantonal remand prison in the historic centre of Frauenfeld now houses the Thurgau Archaeology Museum. Permanent exhibitions focus on the region’s history from Neolithic pile dwellers of Lake Constance, the Romans settlement of Tasgetium, to a 1799 Napoleonic Battlefield. The highlight of the museum is the Eschenz Gold Beaker, discovered in 1906 during railway construction. A new permanent exhibition of the beaker opened in January 2026.
