Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [444]
On the southern edge of the Palastgarten stands the Kaiserthermen ( 436 2550; Weimarer Allee 2; adult/7-18yr/senior & student/family €2.10/1/1.60/5.10; 9am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Mar & Oct, to 4pm Nov-Feb), a vast thermal bathing complex created by Constantine. The striped brick-and-stone arches, once part of the caldarium, make you feel like you’re at the Forum in Rome. You can get a sense of the layout from the lookout tower.
About 700m to the southeast is the Roman Amphitheater ( 730 10; Olewiger Strasse; adult/7-18yr/senior & student/family €2.10/1/1.60/5.10; 9am-6pm Apr-Sep, to 5pm Mar & Oct, to 4pm Nov-Feb), once capable of holding 20,000 spectators during gladiator tournaments and animal fights – or when Constantine the Great crowned his battlefield victories by feeding his enemies to voracious animals.
Halfway up Petrisberg, the vine-covered hill just east of the Amphitheater, you come to the Weinkulturpfad (Wine Culture Path), which leads through the grapes to Olewig (1.6km). Further up, next to the stop for bus 14, a multilingual panel traces local history from the first known human habitation (30,000 years ago) through the last ice age to the Romans. The panoramic views are tremendous.
Found by accident in the 1980s during the construction of a parking garage, the Thermen am Viehmarkt ( 994 1057; Viehmarktplatz; adult/7-18yr/senior & student/family €2.10/1/1.60/5.10; 9am-5pm, closed 1st workday of each week) are sheltered by a dramatic glass cube.
The early-18th-century baroque town house in which the author of Das Kapital was born is now the Karl-Marx-Haus ( 970 680; www.fes.de/marx; Brückenstrasse 10; adult/student €3/2; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct, 2-5pm Mon, 11am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov-Mar), whose exhibits take a highbrow, dialectical look at Marx, the meaning of his intellectual and political legacy, and social democracy. Admission includes a free audio-guide that opens with the stirring cadences of L’Internationale; it’s available in six languages, including that spoken by fully one third of visitors, Chinese (not at all surprising if you think about it). Well worth a stop if you’re trying to figure out whether Barack Obama really is bringing socialism to America – or if you’re in the market for a bust of Marx, or a Marx coffee mug, or a Marx collector’s plate… Gift shop profits (er, surplus value) go to a foundation affiliated with the SPD (Social Democratic Party), whose historical perspectives inform the exhibits.
The Römerbrücke still has five of the 2nd-century support columns (out of seven) that have been holding it up since legionnaires crossed on chariots. Parts of the arches date from the 1300s.
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Courses
The Europäische Kunst Akademie (European Academy of Fine Arts; 998 460; www.en.eka-trier.de; Aachener Strasse 63) offers a wide variety of short courses (two days to nine weeks) in painting, sculpture, drawing, printmaking, photography and ceramics.
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Tours
City Walking Tour (adult/6-14yr/student €7/3.50/6; 1.30pm Sat May-Oct) A two-hour city tour in English that begins at the tourist office.
Wine Tastings (4/6/8 wines €4.50/6.50/8.50; 10am-6pm) Each week four different vintners play host. Contact the tourist office for a schedule.
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Sleeping
Campingplatz Treviris ( 820 0911; www.camping-treviris.de; Luxemburger Strasse 81; per adult/tent/car €6.25/4.30/2.25; year-round) On the Moselle’s left bank 1.5km south of the Römerbrücke. To get there from the centre, walk or drive south along St-Barbara-Ufer and then turn right over the river at Konrad-Adenauer-Brücke.
Hille’s Hostel ( 710 2785, 0171 329 1247; www.hilles-hostel-trier.de; Gartenfeldstrasse 7; dm from €14, d €28-50; reception 8am-noon & 4-6pm; ) An independent hostel with a 1970s vibe, this laid-back place has a piano in the kitchen and 10 brightly decorated rooms with private