Lillafüred

Lillafüred is known in particular for its caves, all of which are to be found near the hotel. The entrance to the István Cave is on the Eger road, about 500m (550yd) above the Hotel Palota. Some fantastic stalactite formations can be seen inside the cave, where the temperature remains constant at 10°C (50°F) throughout the year. The Petofi Cave (also known as Anne's Cave) with impressions of extinct plant species in the limestone walls lies only some 150m (495ft) below the hotel. It is about one hour's walk from the hotel along a gently ascending path to the Szeleta Cave, where evidence can be seen of the Ice Age "Szeleta culture". The items to be seen include some very skillfully made arrows and spears shaped like laurel leaves, which Ice Age man fashioned by splitting the quartz-like chalcedon stone.

In the deep cleft in the valley where the Szinva and Garadna rivulets meet the Hotel Palota towers up like a fairy tale castle - a high-class hotel in the 1930s, it was converted into a workers' convalescent home during the Communist era, but has recently become a hotel once again. Behind the hotel the terraced garden with a small waterfall (which is often dry!) leads into a large woodland park which forms an enchanting backdrop, especially in autumn. Above the hotel lies the station for the old-fashioned narrow-gauge railroad which plies between Miskolc and Garadna through a wild and romantic part of the Bükk Mountains. Not far from the hotel the Garadna flows into an artificial pond, the Hámori tó, where small boats can be hired.