On the Tihany Peninsula, within the Balaton Uplands National Park, lies a small but fascinating geothermal cave known as Aranyház felső ürege. It is not a place for casual sightseeing crowds - it is a spot for curious travelers who want to peek into the volcanic past of Lake Balaton.

The cave sits at the top of Aranyház, the largest and most famous spring cone on the whole peninsula. The rock here is porous hydroquartzite, shaped by ancient hydrothermal solutions that left behind grooves and cauldron-like hollows still clearly visible today. Inside, the cave forms a single chimney-shaped chamber, and near the top of the wall opposite the entrance there is a small 10x20 cm window opening to the surface. The setting feels raw and elemental, with a quiet, almost otherworldly atmosphere that changes with the light throughout the day.

How to get there

• From the southern shore of Belső-tó in Tihany - yellow cross trail, about 400 m, easy terrain

Practical information

• The cave has been under special legal protection in Hungary since 2006
• The entrance is only 1 m wide, leading into an unvaulted rocky passage

The cave was first described in the literature by geologist Lajos Lóczy, who believed Aranyház to be a hollow geyser cone - a theory later refined by researchers who identified it as the eroded remains of an ancient hot spring vent.