Tours in Craiova

Start in Mihai Viteazul Square and just stand still for a minute. Craiova is a city that rewards slow walking. The streets around the centre are lined with tall townhouses with carved doors, iron balconies and facades that someone clearly cared about. Look up as you go. The good detail is usually above the shopfronts.

The centre is easy on the feet. Pedestrian streets run off the square, cafés spill onto the pavements, and locals do what they always do, which is meet, sit and talk for longer than planned. Casa Băniei is one of the places you will want to find, a handsome old house that gives a sense of how the city's wealthy families once lived. It is worth pausing at even if you only look from the outside.

Craiova is also known for its big green space, the Nicolae Romanescu Park, on the edge of the centre. Go there when you want to stop being a tourist and just walk. Paths curve around lawns and water, and on a dry afternoon it fills with families, students and couples. If you have the energy, the city's museums and the Craiova Art Museum are also worth asking a local guide about.

The season changes the mood. In autumn the light is soft and the leaves turn in the squares. In the Christmas weeks the centre fills with lights and market stalls, and the whole area becomes a place you will want pictures of. That is why a photo shoot works well here. A local photographer knows where the light falls and which corners are quiet, and walks you through it so you end up with shots that look like you, not like a pose. If there is a building or a district you want to see that is not listed below, ask. A local guide can often arrange it.