Outside the Crusader walls, a few hundred metres east (away from the sea) from the park's northern entrance, is the fenced-in, excavated Cardo (Byzantine street). The red porphyry statue – one of two large figures from the 2nd or 3rd centuries AD – may portray Emperor Hadrian holding an orb and sceptre. An inscription in the mosaic floor credits Flavius Strategius, a 6th-century mayor, with making improvements to the Cardo.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Caesarea attractions

1. Crusader City

0.13 MILES

The original 9th-century walls enclosing this fortified Arab city were bulked out into a Crusader fortress by King Louis IX of France (St Louis), better…

2. Crusader Church

0.15 MILES

One feature of the Crusader City site in Caesarea National Park is this 13th-century Crusader-era church. It was built over the site of an older Byzantine…

3. Bathhouse

0.22 MILES

The ruins of a large bathhouse are the only notable remnants of a Byzantine-era governor's palace at this site in Caesarea National Park.

4. Caesarea Experience

0.26 MILES

The park's visitor centre, aka the Caesarea Experience, is located on the harbour's jetty. Inside, a 10-minute film (available in seven languages)…

5. Time Tower

0.28 MILES

Out on the the jetty, on the top floor of the Citadel, is the Time Tower, whose computer-generated graphics present the city at different periods in its…

6. Herodian Amphitheatre

0.31 MILES

Seven-lap chariot races and bloody gladiatorial contests in which prisoners and slaves battled lions and crocodiles were held in the 10,000-seat…

7. Roman Theatre

0.42 MILES

Israel's most ancient theatre is used these days for open-air concerts by top-tier international and Israeli talent. Built by Herod, the impressive…

8. Promontory Palace

0.42 MILES

Jutting into the sea next to the southern end of the Herodian amphitheatre, the Roman-era Promontory Palace includes a pool believed to have been used as…