Veszprém’s Castle District doesn’t hibernate. Through winter, the Baroque facades glow softly, bells ripple across Trinity Square (Szentháromság tér), and the winding streets invite slow walks and deep dives into a thousand years of spirit and stone. Guided tours open doors that usually stay shut, while the Biró–Giczey House acts as the Baroque gateway: the starting point for tours, home to a gift shop, and host to free exhibitions—including the 2025 Exhibition of the Year winner, Bogáncs és liliom – Magdolnák virágai (Thistle and Lily – The Flowers of Magdalene).
The tours run every weekend in three time slots: 11:30, 14:00, and 16:00. They’re intimate, capped at 25 visitors, and last about 60 minutes. Tickets are sold at the Biró–Giczey House gift shop; arrive 10–15 minutes early to secure a spot. Adult tickets are USD 9.80, student and senior tickets USD 9.00, family tickets (2 adults + 1–3 kids) USD 19.60, and a pilgrim ticket (with parish recommendation) is USD 7.00. Payment by cash or card.
December brings holiday hours: closed December 22–26; open December 27–30 from 10:00–18:00; December 31 from 10:00–15:00. Outside the holidays, exhibitions at the Biró–Giczey House are open Tuesday–Friday 17:00–19:00, Saturday–Sunday 10:00–18:00, closed Monday. The gift shop is open Saturday–Sunday 10:00–18:00. Find it all at Biró–Giczey Ház (House), Vár utca 31, 8200 Veszprém.
Two Themed Walks, One Legendary Hill
The Light and Devotion Walk is a serene pairing: the Archbishop’s Palace (Érseki Palota) and the Gizella Chapel. It sets off at 11:30 and 16:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. Inside the palace, Baroque interiors and renewed spaces unfold around singular artworks; in the Gizella Chapel, centuries-old fresco fragments paint a rare medieval mood in one of the district’s oldest and quietest sacred spaces.
The Thousand Years’ Path departs at 14:00 and plunges into St. Michael’s Cathedral (Szent Mihály Főszékesegyház), its atmospheric crypt, and the St. George’s Chapel (Szent György-kápolna). The cathedral is a defining landmark, where a reconstructed interior and layered past converge. The crypt brings the centuries close with its hushed vaults and stonework; recent restoration lays bare both medieval detail and Baroque grandeur, including the tomb of Bishop Márton Padányi Bíró.
New Sites, Deeper History
The tours now include two standout additions. First: the cathedral crypt, where traces of the 14th-century Gothic sanctuary remain palpable, and the silence under the arches seems to trap time itself. Second: St. George’s Chapel, on the cathedral’s north side, a foundational place in Hungarian Christianity. Archaeologists uncovered the base walls of the original 10th-century rotunda, anchoring a tradition that Prince Saint Emeric (Szent Imre) once took his vow here before the Virgin’s altar. In the Middle Ages, the chapel drew pilgrims who came to venerate the head relic of Saint George, a gift from the Byzantine emperor to King Saint Stephen (Szent István).
Across both routes, the Castle District presents itself not as a museum case but as a continuous thread—the queenly city’s identity woven from palaces, chapels, courtyards, and stories that have survived conquests and restorations alike.
Free Exhibitions Inside the Baroque Gateway
All exhibitions in the Biró–Giczey House are free during opening hours. The headline show, Bogáncs és liliom – Magdolnák virágai (Thistle and Lily – The Flowers of Magdalene), awarded Exhibition of the Year 2025, explores Mary Magdalene through artifacts, prints, and contemporary reflections, guided by the thoughts of Blessed Magdolna Mária Bódi. The playful mini-exhibit Nem káptalan a fejem (My Head’s No Chapterhouse) turns the page on who the canons were and how the Veszprém chapter functioned, with interactive, accessible displays. A pantry-style nook peeks into the cathedral’s past, lining up Baroque objects, liturgical pieces, and century-old photographs. An archaeological show tracks the castle hill’s shifting settlement history through striking installations and excavated finds.
When to Go: Late December Highlights
December 29 and 30 bring full schedules at 11:30, 14:00, and 16:00. On December 31, there are two tours: 11:30 and 14:00. All start outside the Biró–Giczey House, the district’s jewel box with its garden, shop, and galleries. The Light and Devotion Walk visits the palace and the Gizella Chapel at 11:30 and 16:00 (11:30 only on the 31st), while the Thousand Years’ Path heads into the cathedral, crypt, and St. George’s Chapel at 14:00. Exhibitions remain free throughout.
Practicalities and Small Print
– Meeting point: outside the Biró–Giczey Ház (House), Vár utca 31.
– Group size: max 25.
– Duration: approx. 60 minutes.
– The schedule can shift due to liturgical or other events—check the event calendar for updates.
In winter, the Veszprém Castle District really breathes: quiet streets, echoing bells, and warm interiors that unlock stories. Walk them, and the city’s thousand-year continuity—its queenly character—comes alive under your feet.
