Budapest · about 1 km from Rózsadomb (Budapest II)
Molnár János-barlang
- Max depth100 m
- CertificationIntro to cave
- Water temperature≈ 18–28 °Cestimated, no reports yet
Diving and fills
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Fills nearby
- Fill stationMJ Cave (Molnár János Cave Diving Center)Air (€5), EAN32 (€6), oxygen (€0.01/l, min €6) and helium (€0.1/l, min €6) — trimix blending possible; sofnolime €10/kg (Aug 2026 price list). 300 bar: ask.Route ↗
- Fill stationTitán Búvár (TBK Divers)Rents filled twinsets (€20 each) and S80 stages with EAN32 (€12); whether they fill your own cylinders is not published — ask.Route ↗
What it looks like
Molnar Janos Cave Diving - Paragon Dive Group & BJL Diving Cave Diving - Molnár János Cave - Budapest/Hungary Molnar Janos Cave - Paragon Dive Group Molnar Janos cave diving, 12/2024
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Videos and posts
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Molnar Janos Cave Diving - Paragon Dive Group & BJL Diving Cave Diving - Molnár János Cave - Budapest/Hungary Molnar Janos Cave - Paragon Dive Group Molnar Janos cave diving, 12/2024
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
Warm karst water rises through a fracture and feeds the artificial Malom-tó (mill pond), a few metres above the dry entrance; the entrance is ~200 m from the Danube.
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
Warm karst water rises through a fracture and feeds the artificial Malom-tó (mill pond), a few metres above the dry entrance; the entrance is ~200 m from the Danube. Underwater the water is crystal-clear with very little flow (~20 m visibility per one source). You see rock and crystal formations, blind amphipods (three Niphargus species) and small snails, and fossils such as shark teeth.
Molnár János is an active thermal cave under the Rózsadomb, formed by mixing corrosion. The thermal water feeds the Szent Lukács baths. The cave is named after the pharmacist János Molnár, who explored its dry passages in 1856 and analysed the water. Underwater research has gone on since 1953: an FTSK Delfin team led by István Plózer drew the first sketch map in 1972–73, the club mapped over 400 m in the 1970s–80s, a large new section was found in 2002 and a cave lake in 2008. Since 2002 Sándor Kalinovits has led the underwater research.
Practical: the cave has been strictly protected since 1982 and is on UNESCO's World Heritage tentative list; diving needs the permission of the Duna–Ipoly National Park (since 2021 at most 50 divers a day). There has been a dive base since late 2015; ~2,150 visitors in 2018. Max 4 divers per guide. 2026 prices: standard dive €70 (€60 with 2 dives a day, €55 in multi-day packages), long dive +€70 and deep dive +€100 per group, intro dive €80, night dive €70, private guide +€50.
- Depth and profile
- Standard guided dive max -40 m (50–70 min) · long dive 90 min + deco (max -40 m) · deep dive max -60 m (70–90 min + deco) · deeper than -60 m on request. The cave reaches ~-100 m (sources: 90–100 m). Passages 5.5 km (Wikipedia) to >8 km (research club BBTT). Largest hall 86 × 27 × 15 m. Water 28 °C down to -10 m, ~18–20 °C below.
- Intro level
- Guided intro dive, also for divers without a cave card (AOW and ~100 dives): max -20 m, 50–60 min, per one source ~200 m into the cave. Wetsuits are only allowed in zone 1.
- Configuration
- Manifolded doubles (min 4,000 l of gas), sidemount (with a sidemount card) or CCR (card for that unit plus a cave card, min 50 certified CCR dives, enough OC bailout to exit from your turn point with all deco). Stages min 40 cuft. Drysuit mandatory outside zone 1 (with a drysuit card). Primary light ≥25 W (halogen) lasting 1.5× your dive time, 2 backup lights, 2 spools ≥20 m, 2 cutting tools, wing ≥20 l, 210 cm long hose, analogue SPG and a nitrox computer with downloadable memory. No HP transmitters or quick-connect gauges. Small cylinders don't meet the 4,000 l rule. Gas: ppO₂ min 0.16 and max 1.4 bar (1.6 bar for deco), ppN₂ max 4.0 bar.
- DPV: DPV possible (estimate)
- Allowed with a DPV card and the guide's approval. Rental €30 per dive or €60 per day. On 50–70 min guided dives to -40 m there is little gain; more useful on long or deep dives.
Who can dive where
- At least Intro to cave
- Cavern zone / easier part: at least Intro to cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR
- Goes down to 100 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
Guided dives only, through MJ Cave, the only licensed dive centre for the cave: Frankel Leó u. 48, 1023 Budapest (Buda). Book by email (info@mjcave.hu), well in advance; phone +36 1 247 6036, +36 30 400 3180 or +36 70 389 8939. Dives between 8:00 and 16:00, weekdays or weekends depending on bookings. You enter the water from a large platform down a sturdy ladder. Bring your certification cards (cave, nitrox, CCR, drysuit, DPV), cave-diving insurance (e.g. DAN) and a medical certificate from a physician. Limited courtyard parking while diving; otherwise (paid) car parks nearby.
Around Molnár János-barlang
Fills2 fill stations · nearest 0 km
MJ Cave (Molnár János Cave Diving Center)
Frankel Leó u. 48, 1023 Budapest
Air (€5), EAN32 (€6), oxygen (€0.01/l, min €6) and helium (€0.1/l, min €6) — trimix blending possible; sofnolime €10/kg (Aug 2026 price list). 300 bar: ask.
8:00–16:00, weekdays or weekends depending on bookings
Dive base at the entrance of the Molnár János cave (the reference point). Rental: doubles €12 + fills, S80 stage €6 + fills, full sets €50–60 per day, scooter €30 per dive or €60 per day. Whether you can fill without diving with them is not published — ask.
Titán Búvár (TBK Divers)
Kelenhegyi út 12–14, 1118 Budapest
Rents filled twinsets (€20 each) and S80 stages with EAN32 (€12); whether they fill your own cylinders is not published — ask.
Mon–Fri 10:00–16:00; closed Sat–Sun
Dive school that runs the Kőbánya dives, including technical dives in the three closed wells guided by a cave instructor. Also rents wings, drysuits (15,000 HUF per day), DIR regulators and lights.
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Caves nearby1 within 8 km
News
All (1)
Accidents and incidents
What happened at this cave before, with the sources. No names are given; read it as a lesson for your own planning.
- Deep in the cave visibility can drop sharply: on a dive to ~-91 m it got much worse below ~-61 to -70 m, and a wrong turn on the way out led to zero visibility, so the team followed the line out by touch.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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