Possibly the most famous thing about Trier is Porta Nigra. It’s an eye catching building that will certainly pique your interest. We bought tickets so we could go inside the gate. Each level is a bit different, so I am glad I walked up to each floor. The inside isn’t fancy by any means, but it does have some carvings on the stone walls.

An absolute "must see", Porta Nigra is Latin for black gate. This structure is the oldest in ancient Trier and one of the oldest in all of Europe, about 1850 years old. The black color comes from oxidation of manganese in the building materials. It is an incredibly unique piece of architecture.

The Black Gate is an excellently preserved gate, which dates back to 170 AD. The gate served as one of the main entrances to the Roman city, and was later converted into the church of St Simeon. At the time of Napoleon, the church was dismantled and the gate was restored. It can be entered and visitors can climb up and look out over the city and imagine the city as it once was in Roman times.

This Roman structure is hard to miss as you walk into the old city! I was so surprised to see it in such good shape! The Porta Nigra serves as a grand entrance into this old city. Definitely worth seeing.

Was told a lot about it and it's history is a worthy story but on the scale of ancient structures it isn't up there as a top site. It's probably not helped by the way the city is built around it. If you're close by visit but don't expect to be overwhelmed.

This isn’t a big site but we managed to spend almost an hour learning and exploring it. (We bought the Antikencard basic which gives entry for one adult + up to four children to 2 x Roman sites plus the state museum for €12.) It’s fascinating to learn how the site was changed from Roman city gate, to church and back again. There could have done with a little more information around the site though.

You can walk through the gate on the ground level but if you pay 4E you can go up inside. Though the plaza is busy, the inside of the Porta Nigra is not. There are four levels accessed by a spiral staircase only (no elevator). There’s a little signage and 3-d model but otherwise you are looking at the views and the carving (some are very faint and some are reconstructions). It is safe with railings but open. My husband is afraid of heights, so he only went to the second level. I went all the way up, totally worth it!

Porta Nigra (black gate) is an ancient Roman city gate and the largest one north of the Alps. It’s a well preserved and impressive building. We paid four euros to go inside and we climbed up all the four floors via a spiral staircase and hand rail. We were rewarded with great views of the city. A definite must do.