Old town
In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on the periphery of the original settlement may have become the town's principal commercial and/or residential hub, leaving the historic "old town" as a secondary focus. There are many places throughout the world referred to as the old town. This is a list of some famous old towns:
Africa
Algeria
- Casbah of Algiers, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Town of Constantine
- Old Town of Oran
- Old Béjaïa
- Old Tlemcen
Egypt
- Medieval Cairo, in Cairo, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Rashid
- Old Town of Alexandria
Ethiopia
- Old Town of Harar, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Ivory Coast
- Historic Town of Grand-Bassam, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Kenya
- Lamu Old Town, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Mombasa Old Town
Libya
- Old Town of Ghadamès, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Tripoli
- Old Misrata
Mali
- Historic Center of Timbuktu, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Morocco
- Old Meknes, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Essaouira, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Fes, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Marrakesh, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Tétouan, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- El Jadida, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Tangier
- Old Rabat
- Old Asilah
- Chefchaouen
Niger
- Historic Center of Agadez, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Senegal
- Historic Center of Saint-Louis, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tanzania/Zanzibar
- Stone Town in Zanzibar City, UNESCO World Heritage Site
Tunisia
- Old Kairouan, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Medina of Sousse, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Medina of Tunis, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Sfax
Asia and the Pacific
Australia
- Old Town of Ballarat
- Old Beechworth
- Old Town of Fitzroy
- Historic center of Sydney
- Historic center of Melbourne
- Historic center of Hobart
- Historic center of Adelaide
Bangladesh
- Old Town in Dhaka, Old Dhaka
- Sonargaon
Cambodia
- French Quarter of Phnom Penh
- French Quarter of Siem Reap
- French Quarter of Kampot
China
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Historical centers of Xidi and Hongcun
- Forbidden City and Old Town remnants of Beijing
- Mountain Resort temple town in Chengde
- Old Town of Pingyao
- Old Town of Lijiang
- Old Town of Qufu
- Old Town of Kaiping
- Historic Centre of Macau
- Gulangyu
East China
- Old Sanfang Qixiang
- Old Town of Yongding
- Ancient Town of Shaoxing
- Ancient Town of Wuzhen
- Ancient Town of Qibao
- Ancient Town of Fengjing
- Ancient Town of Nanxun
- Ancient Town of Xitang
- Ancient Town of Zhujiajiao
- Ancient Town of Qiandeng
- Ancient Town of Jinxi
- Ancient Town of Luzhi
- Ancient Town of Zhouzhuang
- Ancient Town of Tongli
- Ancient Town of Mudu
- Ancient Town of Suzhou
- Ancient Town of Tunxi
- Walled old town area of Nanjing
Southwestern China
- Old Town and Potala Palace of Lhasa
- Dali Ancient City
- Pingle Ancient Town
- Heshun
- Ancient Town of Zhenyuan
- Ancient Town of Ciqikou
- Ancient Town of Lizhuang
- Ancient Town of Liujiangzhen
- Ancient Town of Shangli
- Ancient Town of Luodai
- Ancient Town of Jiezi
Northwestern China
- Qingmuchuan Ancient Town
- Old Town of Kashgar
South Central China
- Old Town of Dengfeng
- Yangmei Ancient Town
- Huangyao Ancient Town
- Fenghuang Ancient Town
- Ancient Town of Liye
- Ancient Town of Furong
- Ancient Town of Luoyang
- Ancient Town of Xijiang
Northeast China
- Old Town of Harbin
Fiji
- Levuka
India
Indonesia
Japan
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
- Historic center of Kyoto
- Historic centers of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama
Chūbu
- Samurai district of Kanazawa
- Geisha district of Kanazawa
- Magome Post Town
- Matsumoto Nakamachi Merchant District
- Narai Post Town
- Tsumago Post Town
- Takayama Merchant District
Chūgoku
- Hagi Former Castle Town
- Mitarai Historic Townscape
- Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
- Tomonoura Port Town
- Fukiya Merchant District
- Matsue Samurai District
- Yunotsu Onsen Port Town
Kansai
- Imaicho Merchant Town
- Naramachi Merchant District
- Miyama Farming Town
- Ine Port Town
- Omihachiman
- Oharaimachi
Kantō
- Sawara Merchant District
- Kawagoe Warehouse District
Kyushu
- Kitsuki Samurai District
- Usuki Samurai District
- Taketomi Island
- Misumi West Port Town
Shikoku
- Yokaichi Merchant District
- Kasashima Port Town
Tōhoku
- Ouchijuku Post Town
- Kakunodate Samurai District
Malaysia
- Historic center of George Town, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Historic center of Malacca, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Town of Kuala Lumpur
- Old Town of Alor Setar
- Old Town of Ipoh
- Old Town of Petaling Jaya
- Old Town of Miri
- Old Town of Taiping
- Old Town of Kuala Kangsar
- Old Town of Bentong
- Old Town of Gopeng
- Old Town of Kuala Terengganu
- Old Town of Muar
- Old Town of Batu Pahat
- Old Town of Kuala Kubu Bharu
- Old Town of Kuala Selangor
- Old Town of Lumut
- Chinatown of Kuching
Myanmar
- Historic center of Yangon
- Old Bagan
Nepal
- Old Town and Durbar Square of Kathmandu
- Old Town and Durbar Square of Bhaktapur
- Old Town and Durbar Square of Lalitpur
- Kirtipur
New Zealand
- Old Town of Napier
- Historic center of Wellington
- Historic town of Feilding
- Historic town of Russell
- Historic town of Arrowtown
- Old Oamaru
Pakistan
- Walled City of Lahore, Punjab
- Sethi Mohallah of Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Old City of Multan, Punjab
Philippines
- Old Town remnants of Intramuros in Manila
- Old Town of Vigan
- Old Town of Malolos
- Old Town of San Fernando
- Old Town of Pila
- Old Town of Taal
- Old Town of Balayan
- Old Town of Iloilo
- Old Town of Laoag
- Old Town of Loboc
- Old Town of Carcar
- Old Town of Silay
- Old Town of Baclayon
- Old Town of Dapitan
Singapore
- Chinatown, Singapore
- Little India, Singapore
South Korea
- Hahoe Folk Village, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Yangdong Folk Village, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Bukchon Hanok Village
- Oeam Folk Village
- Jeonju Hanok Village
- Nagan Eupseong Folk Village
Taiwan
- Hengchun Prefecture City
- Taipeh Prefecture City
- Twatutia
- Monka
- Historic center of Tamsui
- Lukang
- Jioufen
- Shifen Old Street
- Sisinan Village, Taipei
- , Matsu Islands
Thailand
- Rattanakosin Island of Bangkok
- Talat Noi and Song Wat Road of Bangkok
- Kudi Chin of Bangkok
- Ban Sing Tha of Yasothon
- Old Phuket Town of Phuket
- Chak Ngaeo of Chonburi
- Chanthaboon Riverside Community of Chanthaburi
- Chiang Khan of Loei
- Chum Saeng of Nakhon Sawan
- Tha Chalom of Samut Sakhon
Uzbekistan
- Old Tashkent
- Old Samarkand
- Old Bukhara
- Old Khiva
Vietnam
- Old Town of Hanoi
- Old Town of Hội An
- Old Town of Huế
- Old Town of Ho Chi Minh City
Europe
Austria
Armenia
- Historical Center in Vagharshapat, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Town of Goris
- Old Khndzoresk
- Poqr Tagh and Mets Tagh in Meghri
- Old Town of Dilijan
- Old Town of Ashtarak
- Kumayri in Gyumri
- Old Town of Tashir
- Old Town of Tegh
- Kond, Old Nork and Erebuni Fortress in Yerevan
Albania
- Historical Center of Berat, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Historical Center of Gjirokaster, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Town of Vlorë
- Old Town of Durrës
- Old Town of Lezhë
- Old Town of Shkodër
- Old Town of Korçë
- Old Town of Krujë
- Old Town of Dhërmi
- Castle of Elbasan
Azerbaijan
- Walled City of Baku in Baku, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Historic Center of Shaki, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Town of Ordubad
- Old Town of Ganja
Belgium
- Antwerp
- Arlon
- Binche
- Bruges
- Brussels
- Dendermonde
- Dinant
- Durbuy
- Ghent
- Leuven
- Liège
- Lier
- Mechelen
- Mons
- Namur
- Thuin
- Tournai
- Ypres
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Historic Center of Sarajevo
- Stari Most
- City of Višegrad
- Jajce
- Vratnik
- Old Tuzla
Bulgaria
- Old Town in Plovdiv
- Old Town in Lovech
- Old Town in Nessebur
- Old Town in Sofia
- Old Town in Veliko Tarnovo
Croatia
- Old Town of Dubrovnik, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Town of Split with Diocletian's Palace, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Town of Trogir, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Old Town of Varaždin
- Old Town of Rovinj
- Old Zadar
- Gradec and Kaptol, twin old towns of Zagreb
- Old Rijeka
- Old Osijek
Czech Republic
- Staré Město in Prague, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Vnitřní město in Český Krumlov, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Vnitřní město in Kutná Hora, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Vnitřní město in Telč, UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Vnitřní město in Karlovy Vary
- Vnitřní město in Brno
- Vnitřní město in Plzeň
- Vnitřní město in Liberec
Cyprus
- Walled city of Nicosia
- Walled city of Famagusta
- Old town of Limassol
- Old town of Paphos also traditionally known as Ktima. Not to be confused with Nea Paphos a World Heritage Site
- Old town of Larnaca