Seven-lap chariot races and bloody gladiatorial contests in which prisoners and slaves battled lions and crocodiles were held in the 10,000-seat amphitheatre (aka the hippodrome and the circus), the 250m-long dirt plaza between the harbour and the Promontory Palace. Because the chariots tended to crash when going around the turns, seats at each end of the amphitheatre were most prized.
Herodian Amphitheatre
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
22.25 MILES
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29.68 MILES
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Park HaYarkon is Tel Aviv's answer to Central Park. Joggers, cyclists, skaters, footballers and frisbee-throwers should head for this 3.5-sq-km stretch of…
Centre International Marie de Nazareth
27.61 MILES
Almost across the street from the Basilica of the Annunciation, this stunning complex is run by Chemin Neuf, a Roman Catholic community based in France,…
Nearby attractions
0.1 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.
0.12 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…
0.18 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…
0.18 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…
0.22 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)…
0.23 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…
0.23 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…
0.31 MILES
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…