The back story
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The back story
The Old Town by day and night
Monasteries, inns and a glittering bookshop by day; bars and music by night: how to enjoy Bucharest’s Old Town.
Neighbourhood guide · Centrul Vechi
The Old Town: Our Favourites
Bucharest’s historic heart: Stavropoleos, the Old Princely Court, Carusel bookshop, historic inns, and the best places to eat, drink and stay.
What's onThis week in Bucharest
What to see
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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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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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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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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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A Belle Époque bank palace
CEC Palace
The domed palace of the national savings bank, completed in 1900, one of the most beautiful buildings on Calea Victoriei.
Calea Victoriei 13Explore 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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Treasures and a Trajan’s Column cast
Palace of the Post Office (National History Museum)
The neoclassical former Post Office Palace, home of the National History Museum of Romania.
Calea Victoriei 12Explore View on map
Where to eat
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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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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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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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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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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
Cafés
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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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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
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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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Cakes in the Old Town
Mara Mura
A patisserie in the Old Town with cakes and pastries.
Strada Doamnei 15Explore View on map
Bars & rooftops
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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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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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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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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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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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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
Where to stay
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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
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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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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
Share your Old Town tips
Favourite bar, café or corner of the Old Town? Share it with other visitors.
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