Hungary – Caves & Mines
Hungary has no sea, but its karst hides some of Central Europe's most unusual overhead diving. Right in Budapest, the thermal Molnár János Cave runs for kilometres under the Buda hills, and the flooded quarry tunnels and brewery cellars of Kőbánya can be dived on guided trips. In the Balaton Uplands the spring caves of Tapolca and Hévíz, and in the north the cold karst springs of the Bükk and Aggtelek, are open only to small, permitted groups. Every cave in Hungary is protected by law: cave diving needs the consent of the national park directorate and a qualified cave dive leader, and some caves can be entered only by research teams. Former mines and quarries are usually private land, so the owner's permission comes first.