Aventicum at Avenches

Aventicum was the main town of Roman Helvetia, laid out on a plain near Lake Murten and large enough to need a city wall several kilometres long. The medieval town of Avenches later grew inside a corner of it, so the Roman remains sit half in the streets and half in the surrounding fields. The amphitheatre is the centre of it, with a medieval tower planted on its entrance that now holds the archaeological museum. Out in the meadows stand a single tall column from a temple sanctuary, the theatre, the baths and one surviving gate tower of the old wall, each reached on foot across farmland.

What you actually see

• The amphitheatre - the oval arena with the medieval tower built over its main entrance.
• The Cigognier column - one column left standing from a large temple sanctuary in the fields.
• The city wall and Tornallaz tower - a surviving round tower and long stretches of Roman wall.
• The museum - mosaics, inscriptions and a copy of the gold bust found on the site.

When to go

Spring to autumn, when the fields are dry enough to cross and the museum keeps longer hours. The amphitheatre hosts an opera festival and concerts in summer, so seating and scaffolding may be in place for weeks. Early evening light suits the temple column, which stands alone in open meadow.

Honest expectations

The remains are scattered across working farmland, and connecting them means walking roads and field edges for an hour with few signs. Several of the outlying pieces are little more than low walls. The museum is compact and closes over lunch, and the town itself is quiet with limited places to eat outside the centre.

Nearby

The walled town of Murten and its lake lie a short drive north.