Audio Guide: Old Town Walking Tour (Self Guided), Bucharest

Long before its narrow streets filled with cafés, bars and restaurants, Bucharest’s Old Town grew in the shadow of a fortress associated with one of Europe’s most legendary rulers: Vlad the Impaler.

Bucharest’s Old Town preserves the historic core from which the Romanian capital developed. Today, it is one of Bucharest’s most popular and attractive districts, easily reached on foot from much of the city center. Ion Constantin Brătianu Boulevard crosses the historic center from University Square in the north to Union Square in the south, dividing it into two roughly equal sections.

The district’s history is closely connected with the Old Princely Court, established beside the Dâmbovița River. Archaeological evidence indicates settlement here from at least the 13th-14th centuries, while Vlad III Dracula, or Vlad the Impaler, strengthened the princely residence in the 15th century. A document issued by Vlad on September 20, 1459, contains the first clear documentary reference to the “Citadel of Bucharest.”

As the princely court grew, merchants and craftsmen settled around it. Bucharest served alongside Târgoviște as a residence of Wallachian rulers before becoming their sole capital after 1660. The court reached particular splendor under Constantin Brâncoveanu around the turn of the 18th century.

Commerce shaped the neighborhood just as strongly as royal power. Streets became associated with particular trades and merchant communities. Lipscani Street took its name from merchants trading with Leipzig, while inns provided travelers and merchants with lodging, storage and places to conduct business.

The decline of the Old Princely Court in the late 18th century gradually transformed the district. Much of the court was sold in 1798, while the Great Fire of 1847 devastated parts of central Bucharest and accelerated its redevelopment.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, imposing banks and commercial buildings appeared alongside older churches, inns and narrow streets. After decades of deterioration during the 20th century, the historic center underwent extensive revitalization.

Begin at University Square before entering the narrow streets of the Old Town. Pass the imposing National Bank and wander through the glass-covered Macca-Villacrosse Passage toward the National Museum of Romanian History and the historic Beer Wagon. Step into the peaceful courtyard of Stavropoleos Convent, explore lively Smardan Street, and discover the Old Court and its neighboring church. Visit atmospheric Manuc’s Inn before finishing among the shops and cafés of bustling Lipscani Street.

More than five centuries after Vlad the Impaler strengthened his court here, the streets that grew around it remain the historic heart of Bucharest. So step onto the cobblestones and follow in the footsteps of princes, merchants and travelers through the neighborhood where the story of the Romanian capital began.