Carnuntum Archaeological Park is an archaeological park near Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, halfway between Vienna and Bratislava.
This collection of buildings, which can be visited right on the banks of the Danube River, is a little different from an ordinary archaeological museum that brings the ancient world to the present day. The streets where the people of the ancient world roamed are like an open-air museum. In the 1st century, Carnuntum was one of the magnificent cities in this region and today this historical site, known as Carnuntum Excavation Site, is a special excursion point for those who are curious about the Roman Empire.
There are three important places to visit in Carnuntum. The Carniantinum Museum where you can discover the hidden secrets of the ancient Roman period, the amphitheater with a capacity of 13 thousand spectators just outside the city and the reconstructed anti-Roman city quarter. The buildings in the Roman quarter bear the traces of antiquity. Furniture, wall paintings, kitchens and Roman bathrooms with underfloor heating give you a better understanding of Rome. The museum’s main goal in the future is to increase the number of streets where the Roman people lived and allow visitors to travel through history. The number of buildings in this neighborhood during the ancient Roman period is much higher than the number of buildings standing today. They tended to create a city like no other in the world, with houses built using traditional Roman techniques. Today, the main attraction of the archaeological site is the Roman baths and surrounding buildings, marked as Roman City Quarter on the map above.
The Roman bath was actually a public service used by the public. The underfloor heating of the bath and the water brought to the pools were completely prepared with the water and heating system used in ancient times. The building next to it, called Villa Urbana, is thought to be a hotel where rich people could come and stay. The building to the south, Domus Quarta, is one of the houses that have been raised and decorated with wall ornaments and floor mosaics. Both of these houses have their own private baths. The House of Lucius (Lucius’ House), to the west, probably got its name from the discovery of an inscription belonging to the owner of the house. While the first house is for the upper class, the second house is for the middle and upper classes, Lucius’ House shows visitors how a house for middle-class people looks like.
As we mentioned, Carnuntum is a Roman city and is spread over a large area. Another amphitheater site in this city is 2.5km from the Roman quarter, where the Roman baths and other structures are located, on the Bratislava side. You can see a few theater structures here too. Not places to visit without a car. If you continue in this direction to the town of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, the road leads you to the Carnuntum Museum, a historical building built with large yellow stones. In the museum, which mainly exhibits sculptures made during the Ancient Roman period, you can access a wide range of information about Carnuntum. After leaving the museum, don’t forget to spend some time in the greenery across the street. It turns into beautiful colors especially in autumn. In fact, if you walk 250 meters from the museum, you will reach the Danube River.
The fee to visit the historical buildings in Carnuntum Archaeological Park is 11€. But if you come to Vienna and get a ViennaPass card, keep in mind that this place offers free entrance to ViennaPass city card holders. The distance between Vienna and Carnuntum is 42 km and you can reach in about 40 minutes. You should travel from the south side of the Danube, as if you were going to Bratislava. Hop on Hop off buses in Vienna also stop by this archaeological park. It is located on the Grey Line route. We came across Carnuntum on our way back from Bratislava and since it was past visiting hours, we couldn’t enter, we could only take photos from the outside. But we couldn’t pass without introducing such an important project.
