Fishbourne Roman Palace image

Fishbourne Roman Palace

Cafe Tourist attraction Museum Education center Archaeological museum

Vast, excavated villa with floor mosaics, recreated Roman style gardens plus learning workshops. People often mention site, Roman, visit, history, interesting, mosaics, museum, preserved, time, garden,


Address

Roman Way, Chichester PO19 3QR, United Kingdom

Website

sussexpast.co.uk

Contact

+44 1243 785859

Rating on Google Maps

4.50 (1.2K reviews)

Open on Google Maps

Working Hours

  • Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Sunday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Monday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Tuesday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Wednesday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Thursday: 10 am to 5 pm
  • Friday: 10 am to 5 pm

Featured Reviews


Frequently mentioned in reviews: site (11) Roman (10) visit (9) history (8) interesting (8) mosaics (7) museum (7) preserved (6) time (6) garden (6)
Reviews are sorted by relevance, prioritizing the most helpful and insightful feedback at the top for easier reference.
  • 5/5 Liz A. 2 years ago on Google
    Fabulous place to visit. The biggest Roman Palace ever found in Britain. Really well laid out for all ages and no problems for the disabled. The mosaics are amazing and the information was clear and easy to follow. The video room was ideal for learning the history of the discovery. Superb.
    13 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 dave c. 2 years ago on Google
    Remarkably well preserved Roman palace in the middle of suburbia next to the main road. Spend a long time wandering around and imagining how life was almost 2,000 years ago. Some remarkably well preserved mosaics…
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Benjamin Murtagh (Benjamin M. 9 months ago on Google
    Good hour walk around, nice garden outside. Videos could be spread out abit to stop crowding. Cafe could do by being a bit bigger for the amount it was serving, staff seemed to be abit short for space. Greater care could've been taken when cleaning cutlery, mine had obviously been missed Overall the palace is worth visiting at least once.
    4 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Huiling Z. 2 years ago on Google
    Stunning mosaics that come in large quantities; really worth a visit if you are interested in Roman architecture and art. The museum display is somewhat less satisfying: too technical. Illustrations look as if coming from published articles. Better specimen would be the Bloomberg findings and Corbridge Museum. Nevertheless there are many activities for children in the hands on zone. The Roman garden is also quite interesting.
    3 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Chris M. 1 year ago on Google
    Fascinating place. Great see the remains being cared for so well whilst also allowing them to be visited. Be sure to get in on one of the guided tours, so much easier to understand what you are looking at. Plenty of car parking and cafe on site.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Romà J. 1 year ago on Google
    A great day with the romans for history lovers. The Palace itself is worth a visit even without the romans. You can get 2x1 or 50% with the BBC Gardeners World Card or if you’re a member of English Heritage.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Jack H. 2 years ago on Google
    We went today mainly to see the live gladiator battle, which was amazing! We had a good time watching and getting involved with the audience participation. The actually exhibit was very informative. There is lots of reading involved but also lots of little practical activities for kids. The cafe is pretty basic, but very cheap so all's good. Overall, a fantastic few hours out.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Wright choice p. 2 years ago on Google
    Genuinely one of the best roman sites I've been to in the UK. Interesting museum and information section. Amazing mosaic floors beautiful outdoor garden section and an interesting video explaining what it all used to be like. Well worth a visit. £11 per adult at time of visit
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Debbie H. 6 months ago on Google
    We were made so very welcome, with a film intro, then a really interesting and fun talk about the story of the Palace, a look at the fantastic mosaics and gardens, and a wander round the small museum of finds. Had no idea we had such a large and important Roman Palace in Britain! Great cakes in the cafe too!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Andrew H. 6 months ago on Google
    Brilliantly preserved & well managed site. Our mosaic volunteer guide, Alan, was just brilliant.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 T S. 9 months ago on Google
    A huge, well preserved Roman palace, affordable entry price. Mostly covered area so it could be perfect for rainy days out with the family.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Peter C. 9 months ago on Google
    I first came to Fishbourne about 30 years ago, and while not much has changed in the artefact displays, there are some interesting additions to the story. There are new gardens built on the original layout and a great new video telling the story of the discovery and history of the villa. Entry price is still considerably lower than some other roman sites we have visited
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 4/5 Simon H. 9 months ago on Google
    Reasonably well preserved mosaics, well-interpreted grounds, and a solid museum makes the Fishbourne Roman palace a solid destination for Ancient History fans. Bonus points having some stuff for young children - helping them learn about archaeology and Romans. It’s not monumental, but it is well presented and informative.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Bailey L. 9 months ago on Google
    Our grateful thanks to David who gave us a superb 1 hour whistle stop guide of the site, due to an unfortunate emergency change of plans. We fully intend to return and visit at a more leisurely pace, and will brush up on our roman knowledge first. Thanks again David.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Laura R. 10 months ago on Google
    Wonderful! So interesting, informative and mysterious! Tour guide was so well informed and a wonderful storyteller! Plan to go back soon.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Dave J. 1 year ago on Google
    Visited on a Friday and the site was quiet and peaceful, sunny with the scent of new mown grass. Obviously still early in the year to get the most out of the garden but still a pleasant walk around a, mostly, level site. Large covered area with raised walkways to view the assorted mosaic floors.

  • 5/5 Sandy T. 9 months ago on Google
    Very interesting and informative museum. It's much larger than you would expect. The roman flooring is amazing. We came on their summer open weekend, so there were lots of stalls & great entertainment. The gardens are beautiful. Will definitely come back again.

  • 4/5 Eric B. 1 year ago on Google
    Visited with my grandfather on Friday very quiet . The museum part is small but interesting and there's a beautiful collection of mosaics to view and the outside garden is lovely too. The staff were nice one guy even gave us some information about the palace and the model he was cleaning at the time. Only problems were it was slightly too small for the price and the gift shop was rather overpriced too. Overall, my grandfather and I had a great time.

  • 5/5 Julie S. 1 year ago on Google
    Wonderful Roman Palace well worth the visit. Thank goodness this place was saved for future generations to see. The only negative was the café sadly did not feel welcomed.

  • 4/5 Mark 9 months ago on Google
    We've been a few times over the years. Great to see the Roman history 'brought to life'. I particularly liked the recreated kiRoman garden.

  • 5/5 Richard L. 1 year ago on Google
    Anyone interested in history, especially the Roman history of Britain has to have Fishbourne on their bucket list. Even if you don't like history you still need to visit and be blown away. It is simply awe inspiring. The mosaics for Britain are unparalleled. The scale of the site awe inspiring. As someone who loves history and archaeology it has to be towards the top of my list. The information boards around the site, bring the site to life, but well worth seeing the 15 minute introductory video first and watching the other videos available. The museum tells the story of the site and the opportunity to visit the finds centre shows the scale of material found at the site. Really enjoyed a talk from the curator on animal bones in an archaeological setting which might have been a bit academic but surprisingly engaging to the more scholarly as well as the young children who had been dragged along by their parents. A note of thanks to the staff member who took time out to discuss the site at length and who for me made it even more interesting.

  • 5/5 Kirsty H. 1 year ago on Google
    Absolutely fantastic, the kids loved it. We loved it. Incredibly preserved. And the little secondhand bookshop was a nice bonus and really hard not to be the best bit haha.


Call +44 1243 785859 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible toilet
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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