# Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)

[Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Transylvania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/transilvania) › [Sibiu County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/sibiu) › [Sibiu](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/city/sibiu)

> A narrow passage of stone and brick in Sibiu, with vaulted arches, steps and the buttresses of a medieval wall, running down from near Huet Square to the Lower Town.

**At a glance:** Monuments and historic sites in Sibiu, Sibiu County. Opening hours: daily open 24 hours. Ticket: Free. The visit takes 15 min. Information verified on 23 October 2026.

## Key facts

- **Opening hours:** daily open 24 hours — The passage is a public thoroughfare, open at all times.
- **Ticket:** Free — public thoroughfare
- **Visit duration:** 15 min — the passage only, without stops
- **With kids:** Yes — steep steps, uneven paving
- **Parking:** Yes, paid — around the historic centre
- **Best season:** All year round — all year round
- **Address:** Pasajul Scărilor, Sibiu, Sibiu County
- **Coordinates:** 45.79756, 24.14917
- **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasajul_Sc%C4%83rilor_din_Sibiu
- **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q12737599
- **Categories:** [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice), [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetati-si-fortificatii)

## 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.

### What you can see

From the Huet Square end you walk under several brick arches, one after another; they are best seen from below, looking up through the dark frame of the first arch, or from above, where the eye runs down beneath them to the tiled roofs of the Lower Town. The passage has two parallel ways: wide stone steps with a handrail, and a slope paved with cobblestones. Between them and the tall wall stand the brick buttresses, capped with tiles, and lamps on iron brackets are fixed to the houses and walls.

### Good to know

It is a public pedestrian way, open at all times. The steps are wide and steep, and the cobbled paving is uneven and slippery in rain or ice. It should not be confused with the Stairs Tower, the gate tower on Huet Square.

## Don't miss

- The brick arches set one behind another, seen from below, from the paving of the passage.
- The view from above, beneath the arches, to the tiled roofs of the Lower Town.
- The massive brick buttresses of the wall that protected the Upper Town.
- The wide stone steps and the cobbled slope that run side by side.
- The four old houses along the passage, built in the 15th–16th centuries.

## 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

## Details

- **Construction period:** 14th century
- **Historical period:** Middle Ages
- **Civilisation:** Transylvanian Saxons

## Frequently asked questions about Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)

**How much is a ticket to Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)?**

Admission to Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor) is free (public thoroughfare). Walking through the passage is free.

**What are the opening hours of Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)?**

Opening hours at Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor): daily open 24 hours. The passage is a public thoroughfare, open at all times.

**How long does a visit to Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor) take?**

A visit to Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor) takes about 15 min (the passage only, without stops).

**Can you visit Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor) with kids?**

Yes, Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor) is suitable for children (steep steps, uneven paving).

**Where can I park at Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)?**

There is paid parking at Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor) (around the historic centre). 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.

**How do I get to Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)?**

Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor) is located at Pasajul Scărilor, Sibiu, Sibiu County. 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.

**When is the best time to visit Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor)?**

The best season for Stairs Passage (Pasajul Scărilor): All year round (all year round).

## Nearby attractions

- [History Museum – Altemberger House (Casa Altemberger)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/muzeul-de-istorie-casa-altemberger) — Museums and memorial houses · Sibiu, SB · 36 lei · 1 – 1½ hours · 0 km
  The history department of the Brukenthal National Museum, in a civil Gothic complex of the 15th–16th centuries, Sibiu's former town hall: lapidary, arms and armour, treasury and guild objects.
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- [Small Square (Piața Mică) and Bridge of Lies](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/piata-mica-si-podul-minciunilor-sibiu) — Monuments and historic sites · Sibiu, SB · Free · 30 min · 0 km
  The second square of old Sibiu, with guild houses arcaded at street level, the Arts House and the Bridge of Lies, the 1859 cast-iron footbridge over Ocnei street.
- [Grand Square (Piața Mare)](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/piata-mare-sibiu) — Monuments and historic sites · Sibiu, SB · Free · 45 min · 0 km
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Last updated: 23 October 2026
Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania