Veszprém’s Castle District is stepping into 2026 with fresh energy. The renewed quarter invites visitors to explore a thousand years of history through guided walks, free exhibitions, sacred music, and lively citywide festivals. Most programs take place around the Biró–Giczey House and the landmark churches crowning the hilltop, with weekend tours and special Gizella Day events anchoring May’s calendar.
Guided Castle Walks
The most popular weekend program runs three times a day—11:30, 14:00, and 16:00—and opens doors to spaces normally closed to the public. Groups set off from the Biró–Giczey House; check the events calendar for any changes. Highlights include the Archbishop’s Palace, with Baroque interiors, restored rooms, and distinctive artworks; the Gizella Chapel, one of the district’s oldest and quietest sacred spaces, where surviving fresco fragments evoke a rare medieval atmosphere; St. Michael’s Metropolitan Cathedral and its crypt, whose layered history offers a vivid portrait of the city; and St. George’s Chapel, a venerable sanctuary accessible only by guided tour.
Free Exhibitions at the Biró–Giczey House
All exhibitions are free during opening hours. Bogáncs és liliom – Magdolnák virágai, winner of the 2025 Exhibition of the Year award, explores the figure of Mary Magdalene through artifacts, engravings, and contemporary reflections, interwoven with the thoughts of Blessed Mária Magdolna Bódi. The Pantry Exhibition shares fragments from the Cathedral’s past—Baroque objects, liturgical items, and photographs more than 100 years old. The interactive Not Much of a Chapter? playfully explains who the canons were and how the Veszprém chapter worked. An archaeology showcase traces the hill’s shifting settlement history with striking installations.
Key Dates in May
– May 2: Guided Castle Walks at 10:30, 14:00, and 16:00 in Veszprém.
– May 3: Guided Castle Walks at 14:00 and 16:00 in Veszprém.
– May 7 at 19:30: Gizella Day festive concert in St. Michael’s Metropolitan Cathedral. The next Várhegyi Organ Evening pairs organist András Lakner Bognár (Szombathely, Cathedral of the Visitation of Our Lady [Sarlós Boldogasszony-székesegyház]) with vocalist Gabi Gál, blending concert organ sonorities with the nuances of the human voice in a celebratory setting. Tickets are available at the Biró–Giczey House box office and on-site before the concert. Prices: $6.90 (2,500 Ft), Students/Seniors $4.10 (1,500 Ft), Season pass (7 concerts) $35.90 (13,000 Ft).
– May 8 at 19:00: Inaugural Gizella Day Prayer in the Gizella Chapel, initiated by Archbishop György Udvardy. Honoring Queen Blessed Gisella (Gizella), wife of King Saint Stephen and builder of the Cathedral, the hour-long standing prayer service takes place in the chapel that also safeguards a Gizella relic, placed there by Bishop Ignác Koller. Attendance is limited; advance registration required; no seating may be brought inside.
– May 9: Gizella Day Guided Castle Walk at 17:00 in Veszprém.
– May 10: Gizella Day Guided Castle Walks at 10:30 and 14:00 in Veszprém.
– May 16: Guided Castle Walks at 14:00 and 16:00 in Veszprém.
– May 23: Guided Castle Walks at 10:30 and 14:00 in Veszprém.
– May 30: Guided Castle Walk at 10:30 in Veszprém.
More to Explore
– May 4–10: Gizella Days (Gizella Napok).
– May 6: Parallel Worlds exhibition opening; The Battle of Mohács and King Louis II in 16th–19th-Century Art lecture.
– May 14: Is ChatGPT Really My Friend?—Melinda Klausz on AI.
– May 19: Grandparent & Grandchild—Hand in Hand in the Digital World.
– May 24: 4th Veszprém Triathlon Festival.
– May 26–30: DANCE International Contemporary Festival (TÁNC).
– May 30: 8th Veszprém Defense Day.
– June 29–July 3: Red, White & Cool summer camp (American Corner, Eötvös Károly Library).
– July 10–19: Rosé, Riesling & Jazz Festival.
– July 15–18: VeszprémFest; tickets from $5.50 to $74.20 (2,000–26,900 Ft). Individual shows: Juanes (from $52.10 to $74.20), Beth Hart ($68.90), Kraftwerk ($52.10), Pink Martini ($52.10).
– July 23–25: Veszprém Street Music Festival.
– Aug 3–9: Auer Festival.
– Aug 13–19: 30th Cell-Cup Veszprém International Handball Festival.
– Sept 5: 10th Tacsi Tali Veszprém.
