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 the beginning of the Western calendar. Several Old Towns are recognized on the UNESCO World Heritage List. An Old Town is inhabited, in contrast to an archaeological site.
Old Towns are not necessarily the first settlements at the location; the neighborhoods might have been destroyed and rebuilt several times. Some Old Towns, such as Düsseldorf, have been restored in recent times, according to old plans.
Foreign-language terms for Old Towns:
Old Towns usually have narrow streets and even narrower alleys, where pedestrians move easier than automobiles; the very purpose of Old Towns was to collect buildings with walking distance. Because of this, the districts are usually less than a kilometer across. Due to grade separation, staircases and cobblestone, travellers with disabilities, as well as wheeled suitcases, infant strollers and bicycles might be difficult to push through certain alleys.
Entering an Old Town by automobile can be physically impossible, illegal, or at least very difficult.
Architecture in Old Towns can be totally unique. Old Towns are usually dominated by city walls or other fortifications, together with palaces and religious buildings (churches, mosques etc). Non-government profane buildings can be prominent in merchant cities, such as Venice.
Several Old Towns offer horse-carriage rides, in old-style carriages. These are often costly, far from genuine, and should primarily be considered if a guided tour is included.
Old Towns usually contain different kinds of shopping: arts and crafts, as well as mass-produced souvenirs.
As Old Towns are frequented by tourists, meals can be overpriced, and hygiene might be deficient.
The accommodation inside the Old Towns is usually limited in size and comfort, compared to the Grand Old Hotels of the late-19th century. As rooms are rarely standardized, you should have a look at the room, or at least have a description, before you make the deal.
As Old Towns are often packed with travellers, be aware of common scams. Street lighting might be deficient in Old Towns.
Famous Old Towns
This list includes inhabited urban districts of decent size and population, that have remained largely intact since around 1850, or have been faithfully restored to that state.
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.
The Middle East contains many of the world's oldest cities, some of them inhabited several millennia BC.
In the Americas, there are just a few colonial Old Towns from the time between the European arrival in 1492, and the independence movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.