# Old Town (Lipscani)

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Muntenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/muntenia) › [București](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/bucuresti)

> The pedestrian quarter between Calea Victoriei and Piața Unirii, with streets named after the old guilds, the ruins of the Princely Court, Bucharest's oldest church and covered arcades from the 19th century.

**At a glance:** Monuments and historic sites in București. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 1½ – 2 hours. Information verified on 20 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The streets are open at all times. The Curtea Veche Church is a parish church and can be visited outside services. The Princely Palace (the Curtea Veche museum) has been closed since 18 November 2015 for restoration, with no reopening date; the ruins can only be seen from outside. Shops, bookshops and venues keep their own hours.
- **Ticket:** Free — the streets and the church
- **Visit duration:** 1½ – 2 hours — a walk, without museums
- **With kids:** Yes — pedestrianised, but busy at night
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — paid central zone
- **Best season:** All year round — quieter in the morning
- **Address:** Strada Lipscani, at the junction with Strada Smârdan, București
- **Coordinates:** 44.43202, 26.09983
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bucharest_Old_Town
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12723820
- **Categories:** [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monuments-and-historic-sites)

## About Old Town (Lipscani)

The Old Town is the core from which Bucharest grew: a web of narrow streets between Calea Victoriei, Bulevardul Regina Elisabeta and Splaiul Independenței, on the northern bank of the Dâmbovița. The Princely Court of Wallachia stood here, and a deed issued by Vlad the Impaler in 1459 "in the fortress of Bucharest" is the first documentary mention of the city. After the fire of 1718 and the earthquake of 1738, the princes moved to the New Court, and the market stayed on around the old residence.

The street names preserve the memory of the merchants and craftsmen of the past: Lipscani, after the traders who brought goods from Leipzig (Lipsca in old Romanian), Șelari (saddlers), Covaci (smiths), Șepcari (cap makers), Gabroveni. Today's buildings date mostly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries: banks, shops and inns in the eclectic style. The area declined after the nationalisation of 1948, and the rebuilding of the streets in the early 2010s uncovered the ruins of old inns beneath the paving. The whole ensemble is a listed historic monument.

### What you can see

On Strada Franceză are the ruins of the Princely Palace, with brick walls, arches and columns, a bust of Vlad the Impaler and, next to them, the Curtea Veche Church, dedicated to the Annunciation and to Saint Anthony, founded by Mircea Ciobanul in the mid-16th century and considered the oldest surviving church in the city. On Lipscani you see façades with ornaments and wrought-iron balconies, Hanul cu Tei, from 1833, and the building at no. 55, turned in 2015 into the Cărturești Carusel bookshop, with white galleries on several levels. Towards Calea Victoriei, the Macca-Villacrosse Passage, completed in 1891 to designs by Felix Xenopol, is a horseshoe-shaped arcade under a glass roof.

### Good to know

The Princely Palace, the Curtea Veche museum of the Bucharest Municipal Museum, has been closed since 18 November 2015 for restoration; work stopped around 2020, and in July 2026 the City Hall announced only works to make the site safe. The ruins can be seen from outside. In the evenings and at weekends the streets are full of terraces, clubs and loud music.

## Don't miss

- The ruins of the Princely Palace on Strada Franceză, with their brick arches and the bust of Vlad the Impaler.
- The 16th-century Curtea Veche Church, with its façade of bands of exposed brick and plaster.
- The Macca-Villacrosse Passage, the glass-roofed horseshoe arcade from 1891.
- The white galleries of the Cărturești Carusel bookshop, in the building at Lipscani 55.
- Hanul cu Tei, from 1833, with the year of its building carved in stone above the entrance.

## Good to know before you go

### Getting there

**By car:** The Old Town is in the middle of Bucharest, ~3 km from Gara de Nord and ~17 km from Otopeni Airport (~30–40 minutes, depending on traffic). The streets inside are pedestrianised or have restricted access; leave the car in a car park nearby, towards Piața Unirii or Piața Universității, and walk in.

**Public transport:** the nearest metro stations are Piața Unirii (M1, M2, M3), to the south, and Universitate (M2), to the north, both ~5–10 minutes on foot from Lipscani. Several bus and tram lines run along the surrounding boulevards.

### Where to park

You cannot park in the Old Town itself: the streets are pedestrianised. Spaces on the surrounding streets and boulevards are paid and fill up quickly, especially in the evenings and at weekends. The most practical option is a public car park around Piața Unirii or Piața Universității, a few minutes' walk away.

### Fees & discounts

Walking the streets and entering the Curtea Veche Church are free. The Princely Palace is closed, so no tickets are sold. Museums and sights nearby have separate tickets.

### Rules

Enter the church in modest dress (shoulders and knees covered) and quietly, without disturbing services; photography inside only with the priest's consent. The paving is stone and uneven: wear comfortable shoes. In the evenings the area is very crowded and noisy; watch out for pickpockets. Flying a drone over central Bucharest requires permits.

### Facilities

Cafés, restaurants, bookshops and shops on almost every street · toilets in the venues · stone paving, hard going with a pushchair on some streets · good mobile signal

## Details

- **Historical period:** 15th–20th centuries
- **Civilisation:** Wallachia

## Frequently asked questions about Old Town (Lipscani)

**How much is a ticket to Old Town (Lipscani)?**

Admission to Old Town (Lipscani) is free (the streets and the church). More under “Fees & discounts”.

**What are the opening hours of Old Town (Lipscani)?**

Opening hours at Old Town (Lipscani): daily open 24 hours. More under “Opening hours”.

**How long does a visit to Old Town (Lipscani) take?**

A visit to Old Town (Lipscani) takes about 1½ – 2 hours (a walk, without museums).

**Can you visit Old Town (Lipscani) with kids?**

Yes, Old Town (Lipscani) is suitable for children (pedestrianised, but busy at night).

**Where can I park at Old Town (Lipscani)?**

There is paid parking at Old Town (Lipscani) (paid central zone). More under “Where to park”.

**How do I get to Old Town (Lipscani)?**

Old Town (Lipscani) is located at Strada Lipscani, at the junction with Strada Smârdan, București. More under “Getting there”.

**When is the best time to visit Old Town (Lipscani)?**

The best season for Old Town (Lipscani): All year round (quieter in the morning).

## Nearby attractions

- [Stavropoleos Monastery](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/stavropoleos-monastery) — Monasteries · București · Free · 30 min · 0 km
  A small convent in the Old Town with a Brâncoveanu-style church from 1724, façades painted with saints in medallions, an arcaded courtyard and a lapidary of stones from vanished Bucharest churches.
- [Macca-Villacrosse Passage](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/macca-villacrosse-passage) — Monuments and historic sites · București · Free · 20 min · 0 km
  A fork-shaped shopping arcade from 1891, roofed in yellow glass, with a rotunda under a coloured-glass dome and stucco façades, between Calea Victoriei and Strada Eugeniu Carada.
- [Zlătari Church](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/zlatari-church) — Churches · București · 20 min · 0 km
  An Orthodox church on Calea Victoriei, between Lipscani and Stavropoleos, rebuilt from 1850 on the site of a place of worship more than three centuries old, with paintings by Gheorghe Tattarescu and the relics of Saint Cyprian.
- [National Museum of Romanian History](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/national-museum-of-romanian-history) — Museums and memorial houses · București · 32 lei · 1½ – 2 hours · 0 km
  The museum in the Post Office Palace on Calea Victoriei shows the Historical Treasury, with the royal crowns and Getic gold, the Lapidarium and a full-size copy of Trajan's Column.
- [Gabroveni Inn](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/gabroveni-inn) — Monuments and historic sites · București · 30 min · 0 km
  An inn in the Old Town on Strada Lipscani, built in the early 19th century and restored in 2009–2014: today the seat of ARCUB, with a cobbled passage between Lipscani and Strada Gabroveni.
- [Russian Church (Saint Nicholas)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/russian-church) — Churches · București · 20 min · 0 km
  A church built in 1905–1909 by the Russian embassy, with seven Russian-style towers, brick façades with glazed ceramic, a gilded iconostasis and interior painting with icons by Viktor Vasnetsov.

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Last updated: 20 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania