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Old Towns

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Revision as of 19:56, 30 December 2012 by Blist (Talk | contribs)

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    This article is a travel topic
An Old Town, or a historical district, is a preserved urban neighborhood of significant age, built before the emergence of rail travel, large-scale urban planning and high-rise construction in the mid-19th century. The oldest towns have existed since before the beginning of the common era. Several Old Towns are recognized on the UNESCO World Heritage List.



The Old Towns that exist today, are not necessarily the first settlements built at the location; many of them have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Some Old Towns, such as Düsseldorf, have been restored to its former appearance in recent times.

Foreign-language terms for Old Towns:

  • Arabic: Medina (not to be confused with the Saudi Arabian city of the same name).
  • Czech: Staré město
  • German: Altstadt
  • Italian: Centro Storico
  • Portuguese: Cidade Velha
  • Serbo-Croatian: Stari Grad

Get around

Since the very purpose of Old Towns was to collect buildings with walking distance, Old Towns usually have narrow streets and even narrower alleys, where pedestrians move easier than automobiles.

Pre-modern cities typically had less than 100,000 inhabitants (with a few exceptions, such as Rome, Istanbul and Beijing) and were densely populated, so they are usually less than a kilometer across. Due to grade separation, staircases and cobblestone, travellers with disabilities might have difficulties to get through some points. Wheeled suitcases, strollers and bicycles can also be hard to get through.










As Old Towns are frequented by travellers, meals can be overpriced, and hygiene might be deficient.



Stay safe


Famous Old Towns



A few South European cities date back to the Roman Empire, while most were founded during the Middle Ages (AD 500-1500). Some of them bear scars from warfare. Several Old Towns (not least in Germany and Italy) were once independent city-states. Today, just a few of them fly their own flag (Monaco, San Marino etc).

Middle East




Most Old Towns in North Africa have an Arabic (or at least Islamic) heritage, but some have an even earlier history.





Destination Docents

In other languages