Things to do in Xanten
Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the world, built at the site of the Roman settlements Colonia Ulpia Traiana. Other attractions include the medieval town centre with Xanten Cathedral, many museums and large man-made lakes for various watersport activities. Xanten is visited by approximately one million tourists a year.
TripAdvisor collected a nice list of 10 things that you should not miss in Xanten. Though being a small town, Xanten offers lot's of history and cool things to do.
#1 Archaeologiepark
Reviewed 1 November 2016
I found this place by searching for nearby activities to Dusseldorf. Seeing the Roman ruins interested me. The museum was terrific. I have been to hundreds of museums (I've a masters in Art History) and this is a terrific museum. The curation is impeccable. You can learn a lot by reading the descriptions on the wall. I found this to be a highly educational experience and very well done in terms of display. I place this as one of my top three experiential museums out of the many hundreds I've been to. Even if you know nothing about Roman art/architecture
you will enjoy and learn a lot from this place.
#2 St. Viktor Dom
Reviewed 6 September 2016
Sankt Viktór is a beautiful church. It is so big, compared to the small city. But once Xanten was a relatively powerful place. During WW 2 they took out all objects. During the bombarments they were hidden and they survived the destruction. After the War, the city reconstructed the church abd put back ail the beautiful objects.
The church is really worth visiting. Also go to the crypte, where you van find a monument for German rssistance during the Hitler area.
#3 Marktplatz
Reviewed 24 June 2016
We visited this little market square with Chinese family members. Our aim was to show them the German hospitality and cosiness of this little town with Roman history. The market square is surrounded with a number of bakery/pastry shops and terraces as well as ice cream saloons and restaurants. From the north and east side of the square you have a good view to the beautiful Gothic Cathedral which is the largest Cathedral north of Cologne.