The Guild Towers on Strada Cetății

About The Guild Towers on Strada Cetății

On Strada Cetății, at the edge of the historic centre, the third ring of Sibiu's fortifications survives at its best. It was built in the second half of the 14th century and strengthened in the centuries that followed. The stone-and-brick wall follows the street along its whole length, and three towers stand along it: the Carpenters' Tower (Turnul Dulgherilor), the Potters' Tower (Turnul Olarilor) and the Arquebusiers' Tower (Turnul Archebuzierilor). The defence of each stretch fell to a guild, hence the names, as in many Saxon towns.

The wall is rough stone at the base, while the upper part, added later and almost as tall as the lower, is brick. The towers have their top storey projecting on corbels, with machicolations between the arches, and keyhole-shaped loopholes on the lower levels, made for arquebuses. The Carpenters' Tower, ~21 m tall, has a round base and an octagonal body above it; the Potters' Tower, ~19 m tall, has a rectangular base. The towers were restored in 1967–1972, and Sibiu City Hall rehabilitated the wall and all three towers at a cost of over six million lei before the first two were opened to visitors in 2020.

Information verified on 23 October 2026.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: Sibiu is on the A1 motorway; from Cluj-Napoca it is ~180 km (~2 hours 15 minutes), from Brașov ~145 km on the DN1 (~2 hours 30 minutes) and from Bucharest ~270 km (~4 hours, through the Olt Valley). Strada Cetății is next to the historic centre, ~5–10 minutes' walk from the Grand Square (Piața Mare); leave the car in a car park nearby.

Public transport: from Sibiu railway station you reach the centre by Tursib bus or on foot in ~20 minutes, and from the Grand Square you walk to the towers. There are buses and taxis from Sibiu airport (~5 km).

Where to park

Spaces on the streets around the historic centre are paid, at a machine, by text message or in the app, and fill up quickly in summer, at weekends and on festival days. From the public car parks nearby you reach the towers on foot in a few minutes.

Fees & discounts

The ticket for both towers is 2 lei per person.

Rules

Visiting the towers is governed by rules of its own, posted by City Hall, and the route runs one way: you enter through the Carpenters' Tower and leave through the Potters' Tower. The climb is up narrow medieval tower stairs, and the guard path is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.

Facilities

City Hall tourist information centre, entered from the Grand Square (Str. Samuel Brukenthal 2, entrance F) · cafés and restaurants on Strada Cetății and in the old town · the street is walked on foot