Diocletian’s Palace
Split, Croatia
Diocletian's Palace is the retirement residence that the Roman emperor Diocletian built on the shore at Split…
31 tickets & tours
Worldwide
Ancient sites with free entry in the world
Free here means no ticket at the gate for the ruins themselves, and that covers very different visits: a Roman palace that is now the old town of Split, a theatre beside a Málaga street, a mountain city above the Köprülü Canyon. Several entries keep a paid part inside the free one, such as the cathedral, bell tower and cellars of Diocletian's Palace, the summer visitor centre at the Hill of Tara or the Water Temple of the Zaghouan Aqueduct, and Zubarah in Qatar asks for a free ticket.
| # | Site | Country | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diocletian’s Palace | Croatia | Free to walk in; cathedral, bell tower and cellars ticketed |
| 2 | Al Zubarah | Qatar | Free, but a free ticket is required |
| 3 | Selge | Turkey | Free |
| 4 | Zaghouan Aqueduct | Tunisia | Free; a small fee may be charged at the Water Temple |
| 5 | Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) | Jordan | Free |
| 6 | Mehrauli Archaeological Park | India | Free |
| 7 | Roman Theatre of Malaga | Spain | Free |
| 8 | Hill of Tara | Ireland | Free; small fee for the summer visitor centre |
| 9 | Kokino Megalithic Observatory | North Macedonia | Free; no ticket office on the summit |
| 10 | Xcambo | Mexico | Free or a small INAH fee; check at the gate |
| 11 | Acropolis of Rhodes | Greece | Free |
| 12 | Canyon de Chelly | United States | Free; canyon-floor tours with Navajo guides are paid |
| 13 | Ancient Sparta | Greece | Free; the town museum and other sites charge separately |
| 14 | Aqueduct of Segovia | Spain | Free |
| 15 | Mizdakhan | Uzbekistan | Free; donations welcome at the shrines |
| 16 | Catalhoyuk | Turkey | Free entry at the time of writing; check before you go |
| 17 | Babylon Fortress | Egypt | Free to see; Coptic Museum charges a separate fee in EGP |
| 18 | Great Dolmen of Zambujeiro | Portugal | Free |
| 19 | Necropolis of Pantalica | Italy | Free |
| 20 | Tuvixeddu Necropolis | Italy | Free park entry; guided tomb visits charged |
| 21 | Ancient Theatre of Milos | Greece | Free |
| 22 | Roman Theatres of Fourvière | France | Free; the Lugdunum Museum charges a small entry fee |
| 23 | Dolmens of Antequera | Spain | Free for EU citizens; a small fee for other visitors |
| 24 | Callanish Stones | United Kingdom | Free |
| 25 | Standing Stones of Stenness | United Kingdom | Free |
| 26 | Bodrum Ancient Theatre | Turkey | Free or a small fee; check at the gate |
| 27 | Poulnabrone Dolmen | Ireland | Free |
| 28 | Tombe dei Giganti di Madau | Italy | Free |
| 29 | Castlerigg Stone Circle | United Kingdom | Free |
| 30 | Roman Amphitheatre of Catania | Italy | Free from the street; small fee or free for the galleries |
Al Zubarah
Al Shamal, Qatar
Al Zubarah, on the north-west coast of Qatar about 105 km from Doha, is the excavated ruin of a walled pearling and…
11 tickets & tours
Selge
Manavgat, Turkey
Selge is a ruined Pisidian city high in the Taurus Mountains above the Koprulu Canyon, about 60 km inland from Manavgat…
9 tickets & tours
Zaghouan Aqueduct
Mohamedia, Tunisia
The Zaghouan Aqueduct is the Roman water line that carried spring water from the mountains of Zaghouan to Carthage, 132…
9 tickets & tours
Little Petra (Siq al-Barid)
Wadi Musa, Jordan
Little Petra, or Siq al-Barid, is a Nabataean settlement carved into a narrow sandstone canyon about 8 km north of Wadi…
5 tickets & tours
Mehrauli Archaeological Park
Delhi, India
Mehrauli Archaeological Park covers about 81 hectares of scrub and woodland in south Delhi, right next to the Qutub…
4 tickets & tours
Roman Theatre of Malaga
Málaga, Spain
The Roman Theatre of Malaga is a 1st-century BC theatre at the foot of the Moorish Alcazaba, in the heart of the old…
4 tickets & tours
Hill of Tara
Navan, Ireland
The Hill of Tara in County Meath is the ancient ceremonial seat of the High Kings of Ireland, a grassy ridge about 45…
3 tickets & tours
Kokino Megalithic Observatory
Staro Nagoričane, North Macedonia
Kokino is a Bronze Age hilltop sanctuary in northern North Macedonia, set at about 1,030 metres on the rocky summit of…
3 tickets & tours
Xcambo
Dzemul, Mexico
Xcambo is a small Maya port town on the Gulf coast of Yucatan, about 30 km east of Progreso, that grew rich on salt…
3 tickets & tours
Acropolis of Rhodes
Rhodes, Greece
The Acropolis of Rhodes is the hilltop sacred quarter of the ancient city, on Monte Smith about 3 km south-west of the…
3 tickets & tours
Canyon de Chelly
Chinle, United States
Canyon de Chelly is a national monument in north-eastern Arizona where red sandstone canyons hide cliff dwellings built…
3 tickets & tours
Diocletian's Palace leads by tours booked, ahead of Zubarah, Selge and Little Petra, 8 km from the paid gate of Petra. What you still pay for is the journey: a taxi with waiting time, a guide, parking, or the Navajo-led tours on the floor of Canyon de Chelly.
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