Miskolctapolca Cave Bath

Hungary is best known to the world for two things, paprika, and thermal baths. In a country where the thin land sits closer to the earth’s mantle than other countries, 230 thermal baths take advantage of this naturally warming water found in every corner of the country.

In a suburb near the country’s fourth largest city, Miskolc lays a resort once held only for the rich and elite. Originally built around 1711, the resort was changed and rebuilt many times, but it wasn’t until 1959 that the actual cave bath section was opened. The cave is natural and the waters are reputed to reduce joint pain, and since it has a lower salt content than most thermal waters, people can bathe in it for much longer than other thermal baths in Hungary.

The waters are around 80 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celcius) depending on where you are in the cave. This unique bathing experience is the only of its kind in all of Europe.