Story of Lights Gödöllő — the palace light park

A ticketed walk-through light park in the garden of the Royal Palace of Gödöllő, about 30 km north-east of Budapest. The 2026/27 route follows the history of the palace from its baroque beginnings through the years of Empress Elisabeth — Sisi — to the present, told in illuminated sculptures. The walk takes about an hour.

Disclosure: this attraction is run by the publisher of this site

Transparency note: Story of Lights is the light-park brand of DECOLED s.r.o., the Czech company that publishes this guide. It is the only attraction on this site that we have a commercial interest in. Every other market and attraction listed here belongs to someone else, is listed for information only, and is neither rated nor promoted.

The Royal Palace of Gödöllő lit at night with an illuminated tree and a lit fountain in the forecourt — The palace forecourt at Gödöllő during the Story of Lights season. Light park run by DECOLED. *(Photo: DECOLED)*

WhereGödöllői Királyi Kastély, Grassalkovich-kastély 5852, 2100 Gödöllő

Dates 2026/2724 October 2026 – 31 January 2027

Opening hoursdaily 18:00–21:00 while summer time lasts, 17:00–21:00 after the clocks change; last entry 20:30. Closed 1 November, 24 and 25 December

Entryprices for the 2026/27 season not published yet

Getting thereHÉV H8 from Örs vezér tere (metro M2) to Gödöllő–Szabadság tér, then a short walk; also Volánbusz from Stadion coach station or MÁV train from Keleti (Hatvan line)

OrganiserStory of Lights / DECOLED s.r.o.

Official website →

What it is

Story of Lights Gödöllő is a walk-through light park: a marked route through the garden of the Royal Palace, lined with illuminated sculptures and scenes that are lit after dark. It is not a Christmas market — there are no craft stalls and it is not in the centre of Budapest. You buy a ticket, you walk the route, and it takes roughly an hour at an unhurried pace.

The Royal Palace of Gödöllő, built for the Grassalkovich family, was the Hungarian residence Empress Elisabeth — Sisi — returned to most often, and the 2026/27 route is built around that: the palace in its baroque years, the royal period and the present day, told in light. The Hungarian title of the season is Utazás a fények birodalmában — Erzsébet királyné fénykertje; the English pages of the operator call it Journey Through Time.

Practical notes

The park is outdoors and the route crosses gravel and grass — dress for a winter walk and wear proper shoes.
It only works after dark. The park opens at 18:00 while summer time lasts and at 17:00 once the clocks change; the last entry is at 20:30.
The palace grounds are step-free: a ramp leads up from the car park in front of the palace.
Dogs are not allowed because of the wildlife in the grounds. Guide and assistance dogs are always admitted, free and without a muzzle.
A buffet is open during the park's opening hours, and there is a combined ticket with the palace museum if you want to see the interiors as well.
Parking on both sides of the palace costs 440 HUF an hour, every day of the week. The machine takes Hungarian coins only, but you can also pay by card or by SMS.

Getting there from Budapest

Gödöllő is about 30 km north-east of the city, which makes the park a half-day trip rather than an evening stroll. The usual way is the HÉV suburban railway H8 from Örs vezér tere, at the eastern end of metro line M2, to the Gödöllő–Szabadság tér stop, which is a short walk from the palace. Volánbusz coaches run from the Stadion coach station and MÁV trains from Keleti station on the Hatvan line. By car it is the M3 and then the M31. The exact journey times, ticket types and zone supplements are in the day-trip guide.

How this relates to the rest of this guide

This is the one attraction on this site that the publisher earns money from, which is why it has this page to itself and why the disclosure sits at the top of it. The Christmas markets listed elsewhere on this site are other people's events: we list their dates and link to their organisers, and that is all. If you would rather skip the light park entirely, nothing else in this guide depends on it.

Photographs from the park

Our own photographs from the Gödöllő light park. Every picture on this site was taken by DECOLED — we do not publish photographs of other people's Christmas markets.

Light silhouettes of a king and queen with a throne in front of a lit palace — Light statues of a king and queen with a throne create a photo point in front of the baroque palace.

Overview of the light park with a tall Christmas tree at twilight — A panoramic view of the light park in the palace gardens with a dominant Christmas tree.

Two light horses pulling a carriage on a snowy area — A light horse-drawn carriage stands out against the freshly fallen snow.

Ornate light gate leading into a long light tunnel in an alley — A majestic gate forms the entrance to an endless light tunnel lined with trees.

Aerial view of the night light park with a palace in the background — An impressive aerial view shows the scale of the light exhibition in the royal palace grounds.

A light sculpture built as a wide palace facade with a red roof, a ferris wheel glowing through its central arch — A sculpture of the palace itself marks the way into the Gödöllő light trail.

A domed light pavilion with painted portraits of Empress Elisabeth inside, a visitor standing in front — The pavilion of portraits: the Gödöllő trail tells the story of Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi.

An ornate light gate decorated with roses and blue flowers, a lit ferris wheel behind it — A flower gate on the palace garden route at Gödöllő.

A grand piano rendered in warm light with musical notes beside it, a blue ferris wheel in the background — The music corner of the Gödöllő trail, with the ferris wheel behind.

A tall crinoline dress rendered in golden light beside white horse sculptures on a snow-covered lawn — The court dress sculpture in the palace garden at Gödöllő.

A locomotive and carriages made of light standing on a snow-covered path, a blue ferris wheel behind — The light train on the Gödöllő route.

A red toadstool arch of lights flanked by illuminated conical trees over a snowy path — A garden arch on the Gödöllő trail.

A baroque triumphal arch outlined in warm light at the top of a flight of stone steps — The baroque gate at the entrance to the palace gardens in Gödöllő.

An elevated view over the whole light park, rows of illuminated sculptures across a snow-covered garden — The Gödöllő palace garden during the light park season, seen from above.

Checked on 21 September 2026 against the organiser's official page. Dates, opening hours and prices can change; the organiser's page is what counts. Corrections to [email protected].