The natural centre of the visit is the Basilica of the Cistercian Abbey of Zirc (Zirci Bazilika), built by the German Cistercian monks of Heinrichau between 1732 and 1752 and incorporating stones recovered from the ruins of the medieval church on the same site. The interior reveals one of the great surprises of any visit to the Bakony. Behind a relatively restrained exterior with twin onion-domed towers stands the largest Baroque altar in Hungary, a soaring composition of gilded woodwork, carved figures, and dramatic vertical lines that rises through almost the full height of the nave. The walls hold two paintings by Franz Anton Maulbertsch, one of the leading Austrian Baroque painters of the eighteenth century, whose works decorated some of the most important churches across the Habsburg lands. The basilica also preserves two pipe organs that work together: a smaller shrine organ used by the monks for their daily prayers, and a larger German Romantic instrument in the gallery used for the parish liturgy. A thorough restoration completed in 2005 returned the interior to its original Baroque glow, and in 1982, on the 800th anniversary of the founding of the abbey, the church was raised to the dignity of a Basilica Minor by the Vatican. It remains today both an active monastic church for the resident Cistercian community and the parish church of Zirc.

A short walk from the basilica lies one of the more evocative archaeological sites in the Bakony. The Medieval Ruin Garden (Középkori Romkert) preserves what little remains of the original twelfth- and thirteenth-century Cistercian church and monastery that gave Zirc its first religious identity. When King Béla III of Hungary invited Cistercian monks from the French motherhouse of Clairvaux to settle in the Bakony in 1182, they built an early Gothic church without a tower and a working monastery that became famous across medieval Europe. The community survived the Tartar invasion of the thirteenth century, but was forced to flee during the Ottoman period, and the church and monastery were left abandoned for a century and a half. Although the building was still standing and could in principle have been restored, the German Cistercian monks who arrived from Heinrichau in the eighteenth century chose instead to demolish most of the medieval walls and build the present Baroque complex on the same ground. One surviving pillar of the medieval church can still be seen on Köztársaság Street, crowned by a 1749 statue of Saint Emeric surrounded by angels. The site was first excavated by the Cistercian monk Tibor Hümpfner in 1913, with insufficient funds to preserve the discoveries, and was excavated again and properly presented to visitors in 1958. The remaining foundations, displayed in the open garden behind the abbey, give a sense of the scale and beauty of the original Gothic abbey.

Behind the abbey, on the slope toward the surrounding hills, lies a quiet green world that visitors often discover with delight. The Zirc Arboretum (Zirci Arborétum) is the highest-altitude arboretum in Hungary, set on 18 hectares of land at around 400 metres above sea level and laid out in the English landscape garden style, probably in the second half of the eighteenth century. The arboretum opens out from the abbey courtyard into a series of long shaded paths that wind through tall linden trees, oaks, beeches, and a wide collection of native and exotic species, with a small fish pond and the murmur of the Cuha Brook giving the garden a quiet acoustic background. Each season has its own character: ornamental flowers and perennials around the pond in spring, a thousand shades of green and the rich scent of linden in summer, vivid yellows and browns in autumn, and quiet snow-covered branches in winter. The arboretum is also a small refuge for forest wildlife, with deer, squirrels, and insects characteristic of the wider Bakony habitats occasionally seen along the paths. The garden can be entered either from its main gate on Damjanich Street or directly through the abbey courtyard.

Beyond these three main highlights, the abbey complex includes several further attractions for travellers with more time. The OSZK Cistercian Memorial Library on the second floor of the monastery preserves around 65,000 historic volumes brought together since the eighteenth century, and a Church History and Order History Exhibition in the former orange house of the abbey traces the development of the Cistercian movement and the role of Zirc within it. The Zirc Abbey Manufactory continues a brewing tradition that the abbey itself dates back to 1735, while smaller displays and the monastery gift shop complete the visitor route. Year-round programmes of organ concerts, choral music, and seasonal events round out the cultural calendar.

Zirc railway station sits on the southern edge of the town, around fifteen minutes on foot or under ten minutes by bike from the abbey and Rákóczi Square. The walk into the centre is mostly flat and leads through quiet residential streets, with the twin towers of the basilica visible from a long way off. The entire abbey complex, including the basilica, the medieval ruin garden, the arboretum, the library, and the manufactory, can be explored on foot once you arrive. Bike racks are available at the station and at the abbey for shorter stops. The surrounding Bakony Mountains are well known for their network of marked cycle and hiking trails, with longer routes leading from Zirc into the forested high plateau and toward the smaller surrounding villages. For onward travel, the same line connects back toward Győr and the wider Danube region, as well as south toward Veszprém, so Zirc works equally well as a half-day excursion, a full-day visit, or a quiet overnight stop in the heart of the Bakony.