Brașov walking tour & city guide

The old town

Council Square, with its old town hall and colorful merchant houses, is the center of life in Brașov. Beside it rises the Black Church, the largest Gothic church in Romania, named for the walls blackened in a great fire of 1689. Inside hangs one of the largest collections of Ottoman carpets in Europe, gifts from merchants returning from the East.

A few streets away, Rope Street (Strada Sforii) is one of the narrowest streets in Europe, barely wide enough for one person. Parts of the medieval walls and bastions survive along the edge of the old town, and the Schei district, the historic Romanian quarter, has the first Romanian school and the Saint Nicholas Church.

Mount Tâmpa and around

A cable car or a forest trail climbs Mount Tâmpa, right above the old town, to a viewpoint beside the giant Brașov sign. Brașov is also the best base for the region's castles: Bran Castle, marketed as 'Dracula's Castle', is about 30 kilometers away, and the peasant fortress of Râșnov and the Peleș Castle in Sinaia are easy day trips.

Visiting tips

The pedestrian Republicii Street is the main walking street, lined with cafés and shops. The ski resort of Poiana Brașov is just above the town, so winter brings snow sports as well as Christmas markets in Council Square. Summers are mild thanks to the mountains.