Caerleon Roman Amphitheatre

Visitor Notice

Due to poor weather conditions at this time of year we occasionally need to close Caerleon Amphitheatre to protect both visitors and the monument.

Please check our social media channels before visiting to ensure the site is open and safe to visit or contact our team at Caerleon Roman Baths: 01633 422518

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Blood-soaked Roman entertainment meets Arthurian myth

Built around AD 90 to entertain the legionaries stationed at the fort of Caerleon (Isca), this impressive amphitheatre was the Roman equivalent of today’s multiplex cinema. Wooden benches provided seating for up to 6,000 spectators, who would gather to watch bloodthirsty displays featuring gladiatorial combat and exotic wild animals.

Long after the Romans left, the amphitheatre took on a new life in Arthurian legend. Geoffrey of Monmouth, the somewhat imaginative 12th-century scholar, wrote in his History of the Kings of Britain that Arthur was crowned in Caerleon and that the ruined amphitheatre was actually the remains of King Arthur’s Round Table.

Opening times & prices

Opening times

1st March - 30th September	10am-5pm
1st October - 28th February	10am-4pm
Last admission 30 minutes before closing Closed 24, 25, 26 December and 1 January