Pal-volgyi Cave

Budapest sits over a network of caves dissolved not by rainwater from above but by warm mineral water rising from below, which is why the passages here are shaped in ways that surprise cavers used to ordinary limestone: rounded cupolas, spherical hollows and gypsum crusts rather than the usual river-cut channels. The Pal-volgyi cave, linked with the Matyas-hegy system, forms the longest known cave system in Hungary at over thirty kilometres. The public tour covers about five hundred metres on a route of steel stairs and narrow passages with a guide, past dripstone formations and marine fossils in the walls, at a steady eleven degrees. A separate adventure tour crawls through undeveloped passages in overalls.

What you actually see

• Thermal-water dissolved passages - cupolas cut from below, not above.
• Marine fossils in the walls - shells from the sea that laid the limestone.
• Steel stairways through narrow gaps - the built route through the cave.
• The adventure tour option - crawling the undeveloped passages in overalls.

When to go

Year round; the cave is eleven degrees whatever the weather outside. Two hours. Tours run at fixed times with a guide and no independent entry. Bring a jacket.

Honest expectations

The route involves around four hundred steps and several tight squeezes; it is not for anyone with mobility problems or claustrophobia. Tours are in Hungarian with English on request, so check before booking. Photography conditions are poor.

Nearby

The Szemlo-hegy cave is nearby; the Buda hills rise above.