Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)

About Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)

The Stairs Passage links the Upper Town, by Huet Square and the Evangelical Cathedral, with the Lower Town, through a narrow corridor of stone and brick, with vaulted arches overhead and steps below. It is part of the medieval town's fortifications: the wall that protected the Upper Town, about 10 m high, is held up here by massive buttresses, which rest on flying arches against the houses of the Lower Town. Most sources date it to the 14th century, and some historians think it was built as early as the 13th century; its German name, Pempflingerstiege, comes from Markus Pemfflinger, mayor of the town in the 16th century. It is also known as the "Wall with needles".

The four houses along the passage, numbered 1–4, were built in the 15th–16th centuries, altered in the 18th century and restored in 1860. In 2006 the ground was consolidated, the masonry rebuilt and the steps given a new paving, in place of the cobblestones.

Information verified on 23 October 2026.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: Sibiu is on the A1 motorway; Cluj-Napoca is ~180 km away (~2 hours 15 minutes on the A3, A10 and A1), Brașov ~145 km on the DN1 (~2 hours 30 minutes) and Bucharest ~270 km on the A1 to Pitești and then the DN7 through the Olt valley (~4 hours). The passage is in the historic centre, where car access is restricted; leave the car in one of the car parks around the centre and continue on foot.

Public transport: Sibiu railway station is ~1 km away, about a 15-minute walk through the lower town. From the Grand Square you pass the Council Tower, cross the Small Square and the Bridge of Lies to Huet Square, and from there go down the passage to the Lower Town; you can also do it the other way round, walking up.

Where to park

Car access to the historic centre is restricted. The nearest public car parks are Cazarma 90, next to the pedestrianised Nicolae Bălcescu street, and the one on Piața Teatrului, a 10-minute walk away; spaces on the streets around the centre are paid, at the machines, by SMS or in the app. In summer, at weekends and on festival days they fill up quickly.

Fees & discounts

Walking through the passage is free.

Rules

The passage is for pedestrians. The steps and paving call for sturdy footwear, especially in rain or ice. The houses along it are old buildings: they are viewed from the street. Flying a drone over the town requires authorisation, as over any built-up area.

Facilities

pedestrian way with steps and a paved slope · street lighting · cafés and restaurants nearby, on the Small Square and Huet Square · tourist information centre on the Grand Square