Sibiu Old Town Guided Sightseeing Tour

Piața Mare: the Big Square

The tour begins in Piața Mare, the Big Square, the heart of Sibiu since the 15th century and one of the largest squares in Transylvania. It is framed by colourful burghers' houses with steep tiled roofs, the baroque Brukenthal Palace, which houses one of the oldest museums in Romania, the Roman Catholic Holy Trinity Church and the Renaissance town hall. In winter the square hosts the famous Sibiu Christmas Market.

On one side rises the Council Tower, a 13th-century gate tower that links the Big Square with the Small Square and can be climbed for views over the rooftops. Your guide explains how the Transylvanian Saxons built the town and why Sibiu was chosen as European Capital of Culture in 2007. This square is the perfect introduction to any Sibiu walking tour, so take your time here for photos.

Piața Huet and the Evangelical Cathedral

Behind the Big Square lies Piața Huet, a quiet square dominated by the Evangelical Cathedral of Saint Mary, the most important Gothic church in Sibiu. Built between the 14th and 16th centuries on the site of an older church, it has a tall tower that is one of the landmarks of the city skyline, and inside it shelters frescoes and old tombstones of the Saxon community.

Around the square stand the old Saxon school, one of the oldest German-language schools in Romania, and the passages and stairways that lead down to the lower town. Your guide shares how religious life shaped the community over the centuries. If you wish to see the interior, check the cathedral opening hours after the tour, as visits depend on services and restoration work.

The Bridge of Lies

The Bridge of Lies, or Podul Minciunilor, is the most famous bridge in Sibiu and a favourite photo spot. Built in 1859, it was the first cast-iron bridge in Romania, crossing the sloping street that connects the upper town with the lower town. Its decorated railings and graceful curve make it a small masterpiece of 19th-century engineering.

Several legends explain its unusual name: one says that the bridge creaks whenever someone tells a lie while standing on it, another that young lovers made promises here that they did not always keep, and another that merchants who cheated their customers were thrown off it. Your guide tells the stories with plenty of humour. Is the Bridge of Lies worth visiting? Yes; it is one of the symbols of the city.

Piața Mică: the Small Square

Piața Mică, the Small Square, curves around the upper town just below the Bridge of Lies. Its arcaded houses once held the workshops and shops of the town's craft guilds, and the old Butchers' Hall, now the House of Arts, recalls the trades that made Sibiu rich. Today the arcades shelter cafés and small shops, giving the square a warm, lively atmosphere.

From here you get some of the best views of the famous eyes of Sibiu, the eyelid-shaped dormer windows on the steep roofs that seem to watch passers-by. They were built to ventilate the attics where merchants stored goods. Your guide shares the stories behind them, and you will find yourself noticing the eyes on rooftops all over the city for the rest of your stay.

Strada Cetății and the city walls

The tour ends along Strada Cetății, the Citadel Street, which runs beside the best-preserved stretch of Sibiu's medieval fortifications. In the Middle Ages the town was protected by several rings of walls and dozens of towers, each defended by a craft guild. Along this street three towers still stand side by side: the Potters' Tower, the Carpenters' Tower and the Arquebusiers' Tower.

Walking beside the brick and stone walls under the trees, you get a real sense of how strongly fortified Sibiu was against invasions. Your guide explains how the guilds organised the defence and how the town changed after the walls lost their purpose. This is also a pleasant place to finish your Sibiu sightseeing, with cafés and the Thalia concert hall nearby.