Guided walks through Veszprém Castle are back with fresh stops and old-world magic. The historic castle district throws open its gates, revealing treasures from the Archbishop’s Palace to medieval chapels and newly accessible underground spaces. Walk the paths and you don’t just pick up dates and names—you feel the thousand-year heartbeat of the City of Queens (Királynék városa).
What the walks cover
Two themed tours run on weekends. The Light and Devotion Walk pairs the Érseki Palota (Archbishop’s Palace) with the intimate, fresco-rich Gizella Chapel. The Thousand Years’ Route dives into the Szent Mihály Főszékesegyház (St. Michael’s Cathedral), its crypt-like lower church, and the newly highlighted remnants of the Szent György Chapel (St. George’s Chapel). Groups meet and set off from the Biró–Giczey House at Vár utca 31, with a maximum of 25 people per tour. Plan on about 60 minutes per walk.
When to go
Weekends are for castle strolling. The Light and Devotion Walk starts at 11:30 and 16:00 on Saturdays and Sundays. The Thousand Years’ Route sets off at 14:00 on both days. Exact times appear in the event calendar and can shift when liturgies or other events take precedence—this is a living sacred quarter, after all.
Tickets and prices
Pick up tickets at the Biró–Giczey House gift shop, cash or card welcome.
– Adult: $9.60
– Student / Senior: $8.80
– Family (2 adults + 1–3 kids): $19.20
– Pilgrim ticket (with parish recommendation): $6.90
Heads-up: with limited group sizes, showing up 10–15 minutes early is smart.
Free exhibitions and opening hours
The Biró–Giczey House also hosts free exhibitions. Hours:
– Tuesday–Friday: 17:00–19:00
– Saturday–Sunday: 10:00–18:00
– Monday: closed
Address and meeting point: Biró–Giczey House, Vár u. 31., Veszprém.
What’s new: two fresh historic sites
The Veszprém Castle walks expand underground and back in time. Visitors now descend into the lower church beneath St. Michael’s Cathedral and explore the excavated remains of the St. George’s Chapel (Szent György-kápolna)—places where a millennium of stories layered in stone becomes visible.
St. Michael’s Cathedral and its lower church
The new route takes you deep into the cathedral’s thousand-year narrative. Expect a 14th-century Gothic sanctuary, the Baroque tomb of Bishop Márton Padányi Bíró, and a lovingly restored interior. In the lower church, the hush under the vaults and the weight of time sealed in stone deliver one of the season’s most memorable moments.
St. George’s Chapel (Szent György-kápolna)
On the cathedral’s north side, St. George’s Chapel ranks among the oldest Christian sites in Hungary. Archaeology uncovered the foundations of a 10th-century rotunda here. Tradition holds that Prince Emeric (Imre) made his vow before the Virgin Mary’s altar at this very spot, giving the site special spiritual weight. In the Middle Ages it was a major pilgrimage stop, home to a revered head relic of St. George—said to have been gifted by the Byzantine emperor to King Stephen.
Dates you can actually circle
Guided castle walks run year-round, with limited group sizes and roughly 60-minute programs. Here’s the late-2025 rhythm, all in Veszprém:
– 2025.11.29. (Saturday): departures at 11:30, 14:00, 16:00
– 2025.11.30. (Sunday): departures at 14:00, 16:00
– 2025.12.06. (Saturday): 11:30, 14:00, 16:00
– 2025.12.07. (Sunday): 11:30, 14:00, 16:00
– 2025.12.13.–2025.12.14. (Sat–Sun): 11:30, 14:00, 16:00
– 2025.12.20.–2025.12.21. (Sat–Sun): 11:30, 14:00, 16:00
– 2025.12.27.–2025.12.28. (Sat–Sun): 11:30, 14:00, 16:00
Every weekend:
– The Light and Devotion Walk: Érseki Palota + Gizella Chapel at 11:30 and 16:00.
– The Thousand Years’ Route: Főszékesegyház + lower church + St. George’s Chapel at 14:00.
All tours depart from the Biró–Giczey House.
Why the Biró–Giczey House matters
This Baroque gem is more than a meeting point—it’s a pocket museum with a garden and a shop that makes lingering inevitable. Drop in for the free exhibits, grab tickets, and step out into a district that’s unusually intact for a place this old, this storied, and this alive.
The spirit of the City of Queens
Spend an hour here and the pieces lock together: palace, chapel, cathedral, underground silence, and a thousand years of continuity. Veszprém doesn’t just show its face—it lets you walk its memory.
