Pál-Völgyi Cave Budapest

Since Buda hills consist mostly of limestone, it is no wonder that after thousands of years, underground water managed to form a myriad of tunnels and caves underneath.

If you feel adventurous, welcome to the biggest cave in Budapest: Pál-Völgyi Cave situated in Óbuda, a northern part of Budapest. The cave was discovered in 1904 and soon opened for visitors. It was not recognized as the longest cave up until 2011 when a corridor between Pál-völgyi–Mátyáshegyi and Harcsaszájú–Hideg-lyuk (Cat Fish-Cold-Hole) cave systems was discovered increasing the size of the cave to 32 km.

Only 500 meters are accessible to the public, and you can visit it by joining a tour that starts hourly. The cave is famous for its funny-shaped dripstones, significant differences in levels, and narrow corridors. You can let your fantasy run free at the Fairy Tale hall to guess what creatures those dripstones remind you of. If you look closely, you can also find traces of ancient shells on the walls. There is also a hall with nice acoustics and a 'witch's kitchen' where you can wish for any dish and according to the local legend, it will appear on your dinner table that night.

Another reason to visit the cave is to cool down in summer or warm up in winter, as the cave's temperature is +11C all year around.

Fun fact: You can get a combined ticket and visit a neighboring Szemlő-hegyi cave. The ticket is valid for 1 year.