Stroll 0.5km south of the Crusader city along either the road or the waterfront, and you will reach the enormous and extensively restored Roman Theater (tel. (06) 36 13 58). Reopened in 1961, it has recently hosted Eric Clapton, the Bolshoi Ballet, and the New Israeli opera. Ask at the ticket office for concert information, or consult GTIO offices in Tel Aviv or Haifa for more comprehensive listings.

About lkm along the main road running east from the theater stands an archway leading to the ruins of the Roman hippodrome, now overgrown with banana and orange groves cultivated by the nearby kibbutz of Sdot Yam. In its heyday, the racetrack could hold 20,000 spectators; it measures 352m by 68m. Some of the relics unearthed in the fields of the kibbutz have been put on display at the Sdot Yam Museum of Caesarea Antiquities (tel. (06) 36 43 67). Open Sat.-Thurs. 10am4pm, Fri. 10am-2pm. If you get to the Crusader city very early in the morning, you can get iii for free-the local fisherfolk leave the gates open. Unfortunately, the infrequent bus connections make it hard to get to Caesarea from Tel Aviv or Haifa before 9:3Oani- (Open Sun.-Thurs. 8am-6pm, Fri. 8am-5pm; Oct.-March, Sun.-Thurs. 8am-5pm, Fri. 8am-3:30pm. Admission NIS9 for adults and MS7.5 for students to the Crusader city and theater. Other sites free.)