All cities are different, but when it comes to the lighting of their protected historical centers, with its cultural and historical sites, such as monuments, city walls, cathedrals and other valuable objects, their needs and wishes are similar. They all seek for lighting solutions which contribute to visual identity of the city and make their citizens proud, but at the same time preserve protected cultural heritage and environment. When implemented correctly, such lighting solutions provide distinctive night appearance of the city and help its touristic promotion. These solutions are quite different from usual lighting techniques used for streets. Criteria which designers should follow are: creation or improvement of city center's visual identity, emphasis of historical amenities, temperature of light, appearance of light source, reduced maintenance possibilities, energy efficiency and lighting pollution. Authors of this paper presented theoretical aspects of all mentioned criteria. Afterwards, they analyzed them through practical examples of lighting in Croatia and abroad: main pedestrian area - Korzo in Rijeka, historical city of Dubrovnik, both in Croatia, and historical architecture in Liverpool, UK. Beside that, it has been shown a unique and attractive way of lighting of historical buildings during Festival of light in Lyon, France. New technologies available on the market enable designers to produce lighting of historic city centers which meet all mentioned criteria. When that is achieved, it is the best reward for all parties involved.