Day Trip from Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post, I paid for this trip myself. All recommendations and opinions are my own.

We visited the Wieliczka Salt Mine during our visit to Krakow. This UNESCO World Heritage site is so popular that it gets over a million visitors per year. The mine is absolutely massive at 327m deep, with over 287 kms (178 miles) of tunnels spread over 9 levels. Only a small portion of the mine is open to tourists, but the staff advised us that in order to keep up with the increasing tourism demand, they are working on opening up more areas of the mine to accommodate more visitors.

Because of its popularity, we purchased our tickets in advance online. For safety reasons you can only visit the mines by joining one of their tours which run at regular intervals in a variety of languages. When booking your ticket, you will need to choose your preferred language and time. I recommend booking in advance as they book out quickly. Apparently, they have problems with private tour groups booking out all the tickets, so they place restrictions that make it more difficult for them to do so. We were only able to purchase one ticket at a time and needed a different email address for each one. Foreigners pay more for tickets than locals, which I thought seemed fair since they don’t earn as much in Poland.

You can get to the mines by either bus or train. Whilst we were visiting, the train was not running due to work on the lines, so our only option was the bus (details on how to get to the mine by either train or bus are in the ‘Practical Tips’ section at the bottom of this post). The closest stop was only 10 minutes away from our accommodation. Unfortunately, the bus was so over crowded it was difficult to get on, and although I did not think it was possible, it became even more crowded as the journey continued. I’m not sure if this was just due to the train not running and it being the Easter weekend.

It was pretty easy to tell when we had arrived at the right bus stop as this is where most of the passengers got off (I’m sure to the relief of the locals on the bus). As we had some time before our tour was due to start, so we decided to explore the area. We walked through the park and gardens directly across from the salt mine entrance until we got to the old castle which was built in 14^th century under the reign of Casimir III the Great. However, it wasn’t completed until much later in the 16^th century, during the reign of Sigismund I the Old. From the castle’s earliest days and up until 1945, it was the headquarters of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. It’s not your stereotypical fairy tale castle, more of a grand building. These days it is used as a museum and houses an exhibition containing the history of Wieliczka. It doesn’t cost very much to visit but note that the opening hours are much shorter than the mine’s.

In the 14^th century the city was surrounded by walls which had two gates and 19 towers. In the castle grounds is the remaining tower which you can enter during opening hours. It has some photos of it before it was restored. There are also the remains of the original defence wall and the 15^th century Saltworks kitchen. Apparently, the kitchen provided free meals to the administrators of the Saltworks as well as the salt buyers who transported it over land.

We then headed back to the mine to pick up our tickets from the office (if you purchase your tickets online you need to pick up your tickets from the ticket office) and found the meeting point for the English tour. You can also purchase your permit to take photos whilst collecting your tickets. I don’t know why they charge extra and don’t just include it in the entry fee, but you will be given a sticker to wear to show that you have paid your fee. On a positive note, the toilets are free (you usually get charged a fee in Europe). When it was our time, we were ushered into the building and given our headphones so we could hear our tour guide.

Our tour commenced by descending down a very long flight of stairs, 350 to be exact! We were now 135m underground and were led through a series of corridors. In total you get to visit 20 chambers chiselled out of rock salt. Some of the chambers have walls of such high-quality salt that the tour guide encouraged us to lick them! Although mining ceased in 1996, they still extract salt from the water that is pumped out of it in order to stop if from flooding. They still employ over 300 miners to maintain the mines to ensure it is safe for tourists, some of which you might see on your tour.

Some of the highlights of this tour included the statues sculpted from salt and the amazing underground saline lakes which are so salty that you can’t actually dive down into the water without the use of heavy weights. The tour guide also told us the legend of the 13^th century Polish Princess Kinga. When asked what she wanted as a wedding present to take to her new husband and country, she replied that she wanted no gold and jewels, since they only brought unhappiness and tears. She wanted something that could serve the people she was going to live with, so she asked for salt. The king offered Kinga the biggest and most prosperous salt deposits in Hungary – the Marmaros salt mine. On her way to Poland the princess visited the mine. She kneeled to pray next to the entrance and threw her engagement ring inside. She gathered a group of the best Hungarian salt miners and told them to follow her. When they arrived in Poland and was approaching Kraków, Kinga stopped and asked the miners to look for salt. They started digging and suddenly hit something very hard. It was a lump of salt and when they broke it, Kinga’s engagement ring was inside it.

Miners were very religious and created a number of chapels in the mine, which you will get to see on the tour. The most magnificent commemorates Princess Kinga and is the world’s biggest underground chapel. It features beautiful chandeliers that are decorated with salt crystals. The chapel features lot of sculptures inspired by biblical themes. This is the star attractions of the mines and you do get time to explore on your own and take photos.

At the end of our tour there was a café serving hot and cold food, so we stopped to take a break and enjoy the novelty of eating underground. After that we walked through a large room that they use for celebrations and turned right to visit the small interactive museum (there are also toilets nearby here). This is entertaining for kids as there is a short, entertaining 3D educational video.

We were then faced with either lining up to leave the mine via the elevator, or visit the salt mine museum (included in the entry ticket). We wanted to get the most out of our visit, so we joined the museum line. We thought that the museum was nearby and self-guided, but you need to be guided by one of their tour guides because you need to walk to another area of the mine (and they don’t want to risk losing you down there). We were lucky that there was only us and an American woman waiting so we got our own exclusive tour. In the museum you get to see giant salt crystals which were formed over a long period, and also some of the original tools and equipment used in the mine. There was also an interesting miniature of the local area, including the historic town.

At the end of the tour, our guide took us up the super speedy lift back to the top, where we took some time to explore the park behind the mine entrance where there is a park with old trains, equipment and some interesting external buildings including Tężnia Solankowa, which is a large graduation tower where you can inhale natural salt sprays which is apparently good for the lungs (you also get this ‘inhalation therapy’ experience just by visiting the mines).

Overall, we really enjoyed our trip to Wieliczka Salt Mine as it was a unique experience. It was also reasonably priced and not far from Krakow. Although it is easy enough to visit on your own, there are also plenty of group tour options available if you prefer.

Accommodation Options in Krakow

The most popular (and affordable!) form of accommodation in Krakow is apartments. Which personally I prefer over hotels as they much more comfortable and you can also prepare your own food which can really help maintain your budget.

Search available accommodation in Krakow

Budget

• Appena Hostel & Apartments
• Bison Hostel
• Hostel Kubik

Moderate

• Modern Apartments InsideKrakow – we stayed here
• Hotel 32 Kraków Old Town
• Hotel Imperial

Luxury

• Hotel Unicus Palace
• Queen Boutique Hotel
• Metropolitan Boutique Hotel

Practical Tips for Visiting Wieliczka Salt Mine

• How long should I visit for? This was a day trip for us. We spent about 3.5 hours down in the mines and also visited the museum and the cafe aferwards. We also spent time visiting the sites above ground. In addition, it also took about 40 minutes each way on the bus.
• How to get the Wieliczka Salt Mine:
  • How to get to Wieliczka Salt Mine by bus: Catch bus number 304 that departs in the vicinity of the shopping mall Galeria Krakowska (ul. Kurniki). Get off the bus at the stop called Wieliczka Kopalnia Soli. It is only a short walk to the mine entrance. When returning, get on the bus on the other side of the road to get back to Krakow. The trip takes about 40 minutes. Check the bus company website for bus times. You can purchase tickets for the bus at the ticket machines at the metro stops, the booths near some of the metro or bus stops, or from the ticket machine on the bus. However, if the bus is crowded, you may not physically be able to get to the ticket machine. We purchased our tickets from the ticket machine at the metro stop just outside our apartment and then validated them once on board the bus. I’m glad we did this as it was so crowded on the bus that we weren’t physically able get to the machine. Don’t forget to validate your tickets in the yellow device each time you get on the bus.
  • How to get to Wieliczka Salt Mine by train: From the Main Railway Station in Krakow (Dworzec Główny) to the Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia train station takes about 20 minutes. It’s then a 10 minute walk to the mine, but it is well signposted. You can buy a ticket from the ticket machines at the station, just make sure you validate your ticket. Check the train website for times.
  • How to get to Wieliczka Salt Mine by car: Its about 10km from centre city Krakow to Wieliczka Salt Mine. There is parking onsite. Follow Wieliczka Salt Mine ul. Daniłowicza 10 GPS coordinates: N49º58,966’ E020º03,374’.
  • How to get to Wieliczka Salt Mine by guided tour: If you want to avoid the stress of taking public transport, then join a tour. Book one of these day tours to Wieliczka Salt Mine from Krakow. You can also go on a combined tour of the Wielicka Salt Mine with a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum.

• Mine entry: Unless you are going on a tour, I recommend purchasing your tickets in advance from their official website. For safety reasons you can only visit the mines by joining one of their tours which run at regular intervals in a variety of languages. You can choose from two types of tickets, either the Tourist Route (which we took) or the Miners Route which gives you the opportunity to dress in work clothes and become a novice miner, however, it does not connect with the Tourist Route and associated chambers including the Chapel of St. Kinga. When booking your ticket, you will need to choose your preferred tour, language, and time. Apparently, they have problems with private tour groups booking out all the tickets, so they place restrictions that make it more difficult for them to do so. We were only able to purchase one ticket at a time and needed a different email address for each one. Foreigners pay more for tickets than locals, which I thought seemed fair since they don’t earn as much in Poland. If you want to take photos, then don’t forget to purchase your permit when you collect your tickets.
• Luggage store: Baggage can be left at the luggage office located close to the tourist information centre.
• Toilets: There are free toilets on site as well as down in the mine.
• Food: There are food kiosks above ground and also a cafe underground at the end of the tour which offers both hot and cold food options. There are also restaurants in the nearby town.
• What should I wear? There are 800 steps to climb, so you need to wear some sensible, comfortable shoes. If you are visiting during the cold winter months, then you will find the mines mild at between 14° and 16°C. However, this will feel cold during the summer months, so bring a coat.
• Using credit cards: Poland is very tech savvy in this regard. We had no problem paying for everything from food and drinks, entry tickets, and metro tickets with our credit cards using Visa Paywave. Of course, some small stores may not have this, so carry a small amount of cash in the local currency just in case. There are plenty of ATM’s to withdraw cash at. Make sure you check with your bank before leaving home that your card will work in Poland – it needs to be a chip and pin.
• Language: Polish. Although most people we came across in restaurants and tourist sites spoke English, do try your hand at a few Polish words:
  Yes = Tak (tahk)
  No = Nie (nee-eh)
  Please = Prosze (proh-sheh)
  Thank you = Dziekuje (jink-wee-ah)
  Hello = Czesc (cheshked)
• Currency: Polish złoty
• Tipping: Not required, but people usually round up.
• Electricity: The electrical current is 230 volts, 50 Hz. Wall outlets generally take the European two round prong plugs. However, you are better off purchasing a worldwide adaptor that can be used in Poland as well other countries. At least then you can potentially get some further use out of it on future vacations. If you’re taking a number of electronics with you, then I would recommend purchasing a couple of these adaptors.
• Navigating: We used Google’s free Offline Maps. Google Offline Maps allows you to access free maps for navigating that can be used offline i.e. you don’t need WIFI, data, or roaming to be able to use them. Make sure you download a map to use when you find yourself without internet.
  • Using your phone as a GPS will drain your battery quickly, so use a portable battery charger which you can use to charge your phone and any other USB chargeable devices.