Veszprém’s castle district throws open its gates, inviting visitors on guided walks that don’t just skim façades but draw you into a thousand years of devotion, power, and quiet resilience in the City of Queens. On Saturday, December 6, 2025, groups set off from the Biró–Giczey House at 31 Vár Street, with tightly curated routes, intimate group sizes, and newly added underground stops that let the centuries speak in stone and light.
Two Themed Walks, One Continuous Story
The Light and Reverence Walk pairs the Archbishop’s Palace with the jewel-box Gizella Chapel, balancing grandeur and intimacy. A Thousand Years’ Path delves into St. Michael’s Metropolitan Cathedral, its evocative crypt, and the newly accessible remains of St. George’s Chapel. Both are designed as 60-minute immersions, with a maximum of 25 people per group. The meeting point and departure are always from the Biró–Giczey House. Pro tip: arrive 10–15 minutes early—capacity fills fast.
When to Join
On Saturdays and Sundays, The Light and Reverence Walk starts at 11:30 and 16:00, while A Thousand Years’ Path departs at 14:00. Specific dates include December 6–7, 2025, plus the weekends of December 13–14, 20–21, and 27–28, always with departures at 11:30, 14:00, and 16:00. Times can shift due to liturgical or other events, so always check the event calendar. Organizers reserve the right to modify schedules and programs.
Tickets and How to Buy
Pick up tickets in the Biró–Giczey House gift shop, paying by cash or bank card. Prices: Adult 3,500 Ft (about 9.64 USD), Student/Senior 3,200 Ft (about 8.82 USD), Family (2 adults + 1–3 children) 7,000 Ft (about 19.28 USD), Pilgrim ticket with parish endorsement 2,500 Ft (about 6.89 USD). The shop sits inside the Baroque Biró–Giczey House, a pocket-sized treasure with a garden, exhibitions, and a warm welcome before your walk begins.
What’s New: Underground Layers Revealed
The guided castle walks expand with two exceptional sites that anchor Veszprém’s spiritual timeline. Visitors now descend into the crypt of St. Michael’s Metropolitan Cathedral and step into the unearthed footprint of St. George’s Chapel, where the 10th century emerges from the soil. These stops turn legend into place—moments you can stand in, whisper in, breathe in.
St. Michael’s Metropolitan Cathedral and Crypt
This route takes you into the deep strata of a thousand-year-old church. You’ll encounter the 14th-century Gothic sanctuary, the Baroque tomb of Bishop Márton Padányi Bíró, and the freshly restored interior. The crypt’s hush—the vaulted calm, the sense of time locked in stone—lands as one of the year’s most unforgettable experiences among the castle walks. Above, the cathedral’s layered architecture tells the city’s long story of rebuilding, refinement, and faith.
St. George’s Chapel: Origins of a Pilgrim City
On the cathedral’s northern side, St. George’s Chapel is one of the earliest sanctuaries of Hungarian Christianity. Archaeology has revealed the original 10th-century rotunda’s foundation walls. Tradition holds that Prince Emeric (Imre) made his vow here at the altar of the Virgin Mary, a moment that deepens the site’s sacred charge. In the Middle Ages it was a marquee pilgrimage destination, once keeping the head relic of St. George—a gift from the Byzantine emperor to King Stephen (István). With remains now visible, the chapel’s story steps out of legend and into the light.
Free Exhibitions and Opening Hours
Inside the Biró–Giczey House, free exhibitions are open Tuesday–Friday 17:00–19:00, Saturday–Sunday 10:00–18:00; closed Monday. Address and meeting point: Biró–Giczey House, 31 Vár Street (Vár u. 31.), Veszprém. From here, the castle district reveals its full constellation of treasures. Walk it end to end and you don’t just learn about buildings—you feel the intellectual and spiritual continuity that has shaped Veszprém’s face for a millennium.
