Aquincum

The Romans arrived in the area that is now Budapest in 35BC, and in the years that followed until their final departure in the 5th century this settlement was an important stronghold at the eastern edge of the empire. Their town was called Aquincum. A military camp lay in today’s Óbuda, and you can still see remains of the soldiers’ bathhouse under the Szentendrei út flyover and a massive amphitheatre a little further up. However, the most concentrated cluster of ruins comes 3km to the north, at Aquincum itself, where you can look around the Roman town that grew up alongside the legionary base. The museum on the site contains some fascinating artefacts that have been unearthed during excavations, including a fabulously well-preserved portable water organ.