Neighbourhood guide · Bucharest, Romania
Old Town (Lipscani)
The historic heart of Bucharest: the ruins of the princely court, the old inns and merchants’ streets, Stavropoleos, Cărturești Carusel and terraces that fill late into the night.
About Old Town (Lipscani)
The Old Town, around Strada Lipscani, is where Bucharest began, around the princely court of the 15th century. Its lanes still carry the names of the old guilds, and among the banks and grand shops of the 19th century you find tiny churches, the old inns of Hanu’ lui Manuc and Caru’ cu Bere, and the white galleries of Cărturești Carusel.
By day it is a place for sights and coffee; at night its terraces and bars fill with people. For quieter evenings, choose a hotel just outside it.
Where Old Town (Lipscani) is
Our 56 places in Old Town (Lipscani)
Restaurants in Old Town (Lipscani)
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Fresh and colourful
Aubergine
A brick-walled Old Town restaurant with bright Mediterranean and Middle Eastern plates and plenty for vegetarians.
Strada Smârdan 33Explore View on map
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Old Town courtyard
Bazaar
A colourful Middle Eastern restaurant and lounge on Covaci in the Old Town.
Strada Covaci 10Explore View on map
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Since 1879
Caru’ cu Bere
Bucharest’s most famous beer hall, founded in 1879, with a dazzling carved and painted neo-Gothic interior and hearty Romanian food.
Strada Stavropoleos 5Explore View on map
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Live music and a terrace
Casa Jienilor
A traditional Romanian restaurant near the Old Town, with live music.
Strada Făinari 5Explore View on map
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Old Town grill
City Grill Covaci
A busy grill restaurant on Covaci in the Old Town, with Romanian dishes.
Strada Covaci 19Explore View on map
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An inn from 1808
Hanu’ lui Manuc
Romanian food in the courtyard of a historic inn built in 1808, with two floors of wooden galleries around a great courtyard.
Strada Franceză 62-64Explore View on map
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Italian in the Old Town
Il Peccato
An Italian restaurant on Strada Franceză in the Old Town.
Strada Franceză 11Explore View on map
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Romanian, reimagined
Lacrimi și Sfinți
“Tears and Saints”: a warm Old Town restaurant cooking Romanian dishes with produce from small farms, in a room of wood and folk details.
Strada Șepcari 16Explore View on map
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A French bistro
Les Bourgeois
A French-style bistro on Smârdan in the Old Town, with a terrace on the cobbles.
Strada Smârdan 20Explore View on map
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Slow-cooked and smoked
Slow
Slow-cooked meat from an artisan smoker.
Strada Colței 50Explore View on map
Cafés in Old Town (Lipscani)
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In the Macca-Villacrosse passage
Bemolle Café
A café under the glass roof of the Macca-Villacrosse passage.
Pasajul VillacrosseExplore View on map
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An Old Town classic
Grand Café Van Gogh
A big, welcoming café in the Old Town, open from breakfast to late, with a terrace on Strada Smârdan.
Strada Smârdan 9Explore View on map
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Coffee and bicycles
La Vita e Velo
A café inside a bicycle shop.
Strada Ion Ghica 4Explore View on map
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Cakes in the Old Town
Mara Mura
A patisserie in the Old Town with cakes and pastries.
Strada Doamnei 15Explore View on map
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A specialty pioneer
Origo Coffee Shop
One of the cafés that started Bucharest’s specialty coffee scene, on Lipscani Street in the Old Town.
Strada Lipscani 9Explore View on map
Bars in Old Town (Lipscani)
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Craft beer in the Old Town
Beer O’Clock
A craft beer bar on Gabroveni in the Old Town.
Strada Gabroveni 4Explore View on map
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Fresh beer and mici
Curtea Berarilor
A neo-traditional beer hall in the Old Town.
Strada Șelari 9-11Explore View on map
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Indie nights
Kulturhaus
A bar and club near the Old Town with indie, alternative and retro nights.
Strada Sfânta Vineri 4Explore View on map
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A rooftop over the Old Town
Linea / Closer to the Moon
A rooftop bar and bistro on Lipscani Street, with views over the roofs of the Old Town.
Strada Lipscani 17Explore View on map
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Live music
Mojo Music Club
A music bar in the Old Town with live bands and karaoke.
Strada Gabroveni 14Explore View on map
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A rooftop in the Old Town
Nomad Skybar
A rooftop bar and restaurant above the Old Town.
Strada Smârdan 30Explore View on map
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Cocktails on Covaci
SIP Cocktail Bar
A cocktail bar on Covaci in the Old Town.
Strada Covaci 12Explore View on map
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Italian aperitivo
Tag Aperitivo Bar
An aperitivo bar on Smârdan in the Old Town.
Strada Smârdan 13Explore View on map
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In a banking palace
The Blank Lounge & Bar
The bar of The Marmorosch hotel, in a restored banking palace.
Strada Doamnei 2-6Explore View on map
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In the old bank vault
The Vault
A cocktail bar in the vault of the old Marmorosch Blank bank.
Strada Doamnei 2-6Explore View on map
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Rock and cocktails
Wicked Bar
A rock bar with music, cocktails and parties.
Strada Spătarului 4Explore View on map
Nightlife in Old Town (Lipscani)
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Indie nights
Kulturhaus
A bar and club near the Old Town with indie, alternative and retro nights.
Strada Sfânta Vineri 4Explore View on map
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A rooftop over the Old Town
Linea / Closer to the Moon
A rooftop bar and bistro on Lipscani Street, with views over the roofs of the Old Town.
Strada Lipscani 17Explore View on map
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Live music
Mojo Music Club
A music bar in the Old Town with live bands and karaoke.
Strada Gabroveni 14Explore View on map
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A rooftop in the Old Town
Nomad Skybar
A rooftop bar and restaurant above the Old Town.
Strada Smârdan 30Explore View on map
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Club in the centre
Q Club
A club in the centre with weekend parties.
Strada Verzișori 21Explore View on map
Shopping in Old Town (Lipscani)
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The “carousel of light”
Cărturești Carusel
A dazzling bookshop in a restored 19th-century building in the Old Town, with white galleries rising over six floors.
Strada Lipscani 55Explore View on map
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A publisher’s bookshop
Humanitas Bookshop, Lipscani
The bookshop of the publisher Humanitas on Lipscani, with Romanian literature in translation.
Strada Lipscani 42Explore View on map
Hotels in Old Town (Lipscani)
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In the Old Town
Hilton Garden Inn Bucharest Old Town
A modern hotel in a historic building on the edge of the Old Town, close to the main sights.
Strada Doamnei 12Explore View on map
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In the Old Town
New Era Hotel
A hotel on Șelari in the Old Town.
Strada Șelari 14Explore View on map
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A small Old Town hotel
Rembrandt Hotel
A small, friendly boutique hotel in a historic building in the Old Town, next to the old National Bank.
Strada Smârdan 11Explore View on map
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A bank palace reborn
The Marmorosch Bucharest, Autograph Collection
A hotel in the grand former Marmorosch Blank bank, built in the early 20th century, on the edge of the Old Town.
Strada Doamnei 2-6Explore View on map
Sights in Old Town (Lipscani)
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The “carousel of light”
Cărturești Carusel
A dazzling bookshop in a restored 19th-century building in the Old Town, with white galleries rising over six floors.
Strada Lipscani 55Explore View on map
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Moorish Revival splendour
Coral Temple
Bucharest’s great synagogue, built in 1866 in Moorish Revival style, with a richly painted interior.
Strada Sfânta Vineri 9-11Explore View on map
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The back story
Dracula and Vlad the Impaler: the man behind the legend
The real prince who signed the first document naming Bucharest, and the novel that made him a vampire.
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A restored inn
Hanul Gabroveni
A restored historic inn in the Old Town, now a cultural centre.
Strada Lipscani 86-88Explore View on map
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An inn of 1808
Hanul lui Manuc
Bucharest’s oldest surviving inn, built in 1808 around a wooden-galleried courtyard.
Strada Franceză 62-64Explore View on map
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The back story
Jewish Bucharest: synagogues, theatre and memory
The Coral Temple, the Great Synagogue and the city where Yiddish theatre found a home.
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Under a glass roof
Macca-Villacrosse Passage
A curving 19th-century shopping passage with a yellow glass roof, lined with cafés and hookah lounges, off Calea Victoriei.
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Where Bucharest began
Old Princely Court
The ruins of the 15th-century princely palace of Wallachia, where Bucharest is first named in a document signed by Vlad III.
Strada Franceză 25-31Explore View on map
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A jewel of the Old Town
Stavropoleos Monastery
A small 18th-century monastery church in the Old Town, with carved stone arcades, painted walls and a peaceful courtyard.
Strada Stavropoleos 4Explore View on map
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The back story
The Old Town: merchants, inns and Lipscani
Princes, merchants’ guilds, caravan inns and a street named after Leipzig: the story of Bucharest’s historic centre.
Art & music in Old Town (Lipscani)
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Big art shows on Lipscani
Art Safari
Large art exhibitions in a historic palace on Lipscani Street.
Strada Lipscani 18Explore View on map
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Teatrul de Comedie
Comedy Theatre
Bucharest’s comedy theatre, near the Old Town.
Strada Sfântul Dumitru 2Explore View on map
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In Hanul cu Tei
MoMart Gallery
A gallery of painting, ceramics and glass in the Hanul cu Tei passage.
Strada Băcani 63-65Explore View on map
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Coins and a bank palace
National Bank of Romania Museum
A museum of coins and banking in the National Bank’s historic palace.
Strada Lipscani 25Explore View on map
See the full list: Art & Music in Bucharest: Concert Halls, Opera & Museums
Walks in Old Town (Lipscani)
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The back story
The Old Town: merchants, inns and Lipscani
Princes, merchants’ guilds, caravan inns and a street named after Leipzig: the story of Bucharest’s historic centre.