Wieliczka Salt Mines
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The idea of a fun trip to a salt mine may sound a little dubious. And as you head out through the suburbs you may wonder just why you are leaving the glories of the city behind.
However, it is not just the antiquity of these mines that makes them worth the trip (things got fully underway here as early as the thirteenth century), they are also home to one of the wonders of Poland. This is the chapel of the Blessed Kinga, which to all intents and purposes is a full blown church, the only difference being that it is 200 metres undergound, and carved entirely from salt, (including the chandeliers that hang from the ceiling). It is a quite astounding sight, and all the more so as it was carved not by an outsider, but by a group of gifted miners themselves.
Entering the mines involves a long descent by stairwell, and it feels very much like a Jules Verne Journey to the Centre of the Earth type adventure. The chapel of the Blessed Kinga is the undoubted show-stopper, yet it is only one of several attractions. There are a handful more smaller chapels, including the seventeenth century chapel of St. Anthony, and a huge underground salt lake. If Tolkien had seen this place he would probably have got down on his knees and kissed the salty ground. Venerable guests such as Goethe and Emperor Franz Josef were themselves suitably impressed. All tours are guided, which means that sometimes you cannot linger in the more captivating rooms for as long as you might like. However, if you have more than two nights in the Krakow, or bad weather strikes, the mines make a very worthwhile trip.
Getting to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow shouldn't prove too difficult or expensive. Regular buses run from the top of Starowislna Street opposite the Main Post Office, taking around forty minutes to get there. Be warned that buses are a little cramped and we advise you check departure details at one of Krakow's tourist information offices as these routes chop and change quite a bit. You're best asking a friendly Pole where to get off too, as this is a public bus not a tourist service. If you don't fancy taking your chances on the public transport of fair Poland, then booking your transport with our friends at Krakow-tours.com takes all the headache away from your salt mines adventure for just a few extra zloty.
Comments
I’m claustrophobic bordering on sheer panic are the mines suitable
ReplyThere are lots of big open spaces as well but after all, it is a mine... so you will be underground and there will be narrow passages. If you would describe your claustrophobia as severe then I can't really determine what you would or would not be comfortable with. However, pushing your boundaries just a little could go a long way towards healing your trauma and Wieliczka has recently had a multimillion dollar renovation and expansion. There is a choice of routes depending on what kind of experience you are looking for. I would recommend calling them up or emailing and inquiring directly with them,
ReplyMany many thanks for that
ReplyHow long do you need at the Salt Mines
ReplyYou can spend around 1.5 hrs to 4 or 5 depending on how much you want to see and learn and experience vs. your time limitations
ReplyI have a disability. Can I get the lift down to the mines? Do I have to book it or can I just use it on the day? I couldn't walk up and down all the steps
ReplyThanks for your question, Catherine! Actually they have recently updated the mines to make all the most fascinating areas wheelchair accessible with elevators, ramps, and toilets :) Assistance dogs are also welcomed! You can purchase your tickets on arrival but to avoid the queue, we would recommend booking in advance. If you would like any more information about disability access around the city, don't hesitate to ask :)
ReplySalt mines are spectacular, there 24 September 2017 great tour well worth it.
ReplyWieliczka w Krakowie jest fajny dla dzieci i mogą mieć doświadczenie
ReplyTravel by local bus is easy (number 304), costs about 4 zloty. You need coins! I found the mine not that experience i expected. Very commercial, so i was disappointed.
ReplyIf usual sightseeing didn’t brought you experience you expected, maybe you should try something more extraordinary like mining expedition? :) You will get a safety uniform, a mining lamp and all the other equipment from seekrakow - the tour lasts for around 5 hours, from which only a half is for Salt Mine. It was something totally new for me :)
ReplyIf you take the bus just be sure to get the zone 2 ticket from Krakow. I bought the wrong ticket from the bus stop vending machine
ReplyFANTASTIC .COULD NOT ASK FOR MORE ON MY 70TH BIRTHDAY, FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE MUSIC PLAYED IN THE ST KINGA CHAPEL,AWESOME,CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IT WAS, I HAVE AN IDEA ,BUT WOULD LIKE A DEFINITE,
ReplyHi I wanted to ask are the mines open on 15 aug . I know this is a feast day. Are any of the attractions open on that day, as I will be visiting the city that week.
ReplyI thought this was absolutely fantastic! We had Sebastian, the greatest guide i've had on any trip (and i've been on quite a few)... he was knowledgeable, friendly, funny and genuinely enthusiastic. I absolutely loved this trip. The carvings a beautiful, especially Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' which is practically perfect. It's just amazing to think that ordinary miners (not experienced artists) carved those. I would recommend this to anybody, of any age. Our group ranged from 15 to 55 and we were all equal in our awe.
ReplyReading these comments sometimes makes me fear for humanity. To hear people complaining that the ceilings were too low....it's a mine! Or that there were too many steps down....it's a mine! Or that the sculptures were boring!!!! They were carved by the hands of the miners hundreds fo feet below ground with almost no light to work by. A new perspective on life is needed by some. This experience is stunning, the people of Krakow should be justly proud.
ReplyThis place was great! We caught the last English-speaking tour of the day, and had a lot of fun waiting for the tiny lift to take us down. Once we got down there, the sights were fascinating. Learning about things like how the horses that worked in the mine just lived down there because there was no good way to transport them up and down was eye-opening. The legend of Kinga's wedding ring was also enchanting. The Church of St. Kinga was amazing, but I particularly enjoyed the Weimar Chamber, with the salt lake and mini-light show and Chopin soundtrack. Tasting the walls was quite an experience as well. :) All in all, we enjoyed ourselves immensely, and would recommend it to anyone coming to visit Kraków.
ReplyMy son has just been to see the mine and said that it was wonderful. He lives in Sweden but has been working in Poland. My only other comment is that it had to be an American who has given this wonderful place a bad review.
ReplyI enjoyed it overall but there were a few problems. One was height, generally tall people shouldnt go into mines. Second it was way too commercialized. They started talking about bloody dwarves half the time.
ReplyI thought this experience was amazing, I had lived in Poland until the age of 5 and in 2007 just recently moved bakc for a visit,normally wouldnt enjoy family holidays but was definitly an highlighting experience!
ReplyI visited the salt mine in 1980. I was awestruck by the beauty and complexity of the mine. I will be visiting Poland next year and will be visiting the mine again! The Church of St. Kinga just blew me away!
ReplyGreat place to visit ,Saw it over a year ago.Got a lift down and back up ,nice tour,Also has a Cafe and amenities underground
ReplyAmazing,well worth the trip and the price of a tour is very reasonable.A very good exercise too since after the initial 380 step descent,lots ot walking and more stairs.The guide is very knowledgeable.The St.Kinga chapel is beatiful.
ReplyWent to mines in June 2011.Great to see,but one down side.The queue for the lift back can be quite long.You might have to wait an hour or more.However the worst part was the lift.Its the size of 2 phone boxes stuck together,and it takes 9 people.
ReplyI visited the salt mines on 09/03/11. I thought it was great, good value for money, interesting, some of the sculptures are brilliant. Well worth the walk down the steps, lots of them.. Our guide was a polish woman, very knowledgeable and a great sense of humour. Both of us would go again.
ReplyBarney from the US, your such a loser. Don't you understand History? This is one of the great treasures of our time. Wonderful as usual. My second time at the Mine.
ReplyAbsolute marvellous and a nexpereience for life! We had a wonderful guide, Anna, who made the tour funny and very educational as well. Worth a visit, in fact don't miss it! Mark S Bradshaw; I think (not sure) that it is Etude op.10 n.3 Tristesse for orchestra.
ReplyI was at the mine in February of this year. I was in Krakow for the wedding of my niece - none of us are Polish by the way - and two days after the wedding we went to Auschwitz. The following day we went to the Salt Mine. I was a bit dubious at first,thinking it would be boring,but how wrong I was. Having a delightful young lady as our guide,she made the tour very informative and amusing. I am really glad I went. However,can someone tell me the name of the Chopin music that was played in the vast chamber that was full of water and the "Treasurer (?)" made a brief appearance.
ReplyThe music was Étude Op. 10, No. 3, in E major by Frederic Chopin, sometimes identified by the name "Tristesse" (Sadness).
Replyi was in the mine 3 christmases ago and it was amazing my chick is polish although we live in england we will definatley be going back to the mine when our littleone is old enough too apreciate it so ill be back
ReplyNico, a follow up. The mine tour dispatchers are able to arrange for an elevator to the bottom after you arrive and check in, though you may have to wait a bit until they sort it out. Once at the bottom, though, he will have to walk the remaining distance, including up and down some stairs that wind through the caverns. You'll have to judge for yourself if he's capable of making a 90-minute to 2-hour walk with your assistance. In some places there are benches and places to rest, and I doubt anyone will force him to walk faster than he's capable. Hope this helps.
ReplyThe 304 bus to the salt mine leaves from Kurniki street which runs off Plac J Matejjki towards Galleria krakowska. It took us ages to find it and even the Bus Station could't tell us where it was!
ReplyHi, Nico. It depends on how well your father can walk. I am checking for you about tours for people who require assistance and also whether they can descend to the first lower level by elevator, however the tour after the first lower level does require the use of stairs as it rises and descends through the caverns. Will post again when I hear back from them.
ReplyI intend to visit the mine with my husband and his father who is 70 years old. How difficult is the descending? Can we stop and rest or we must step down all the 700 steps at once? I'll appreciate your information. Thank you.
ReplyPeople that are to lazy to walk down stairs should stay home and watch the bloody thing on the discovery chennel. get of your ass and walk.
ReplyI was privileged to sing solo and unaccompanied in the Church of Blessed Kinga and my own voice made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck - the acoustics are stunning. I found the caves to be well worth the visit - if you are going to complain about walking down the stairs underground, then you shouldn't go there.
ReplyHi, I read somewhere that you can lick the walls in this salt mine, and it all's salt! Is that true...? Cheers
ReplyI was in this Salt Mine on 11/24/09. Yes, you walk about 700+ steps down a windy staircase to get to the 200+ feet underground mystery of the "salt adventure". I was a little disappointed because even though I can appreciate the hard work everyone did to make this a great success ... and sacrifice ... I expected more of everything. I wished it was over once we hit the 3rd level of 100+ stairs. Good air ventilation - so no worries. sculptures, thou interesting, were boring to me. Sure, the chapel is impressive. My knees and back hurt so bad the next day because of that adventurous walk. They really should find a better way to accommodate people with bad knees and backs. The elevator ride up was 40 seconds in a sardine crowded environment (9 per car-squashed). Very fast and just shut your eyes. If you are on tour with Crakow tours, you will have limited time to pick up souvenirs - work quickly at the end. Overall, interesting to some degree but not enough to bring me back.
ReplyThere on 28 Nov. 2009,absolutely amaxing. The ride up to the top in lift is not for the claustrophobic,did not like this at all,I now know what a sarddine must feel like. However amazing and the guide Sebastian was quite hilarious,Polish people are not usually known for a sense of homour. Jim.
ReplyI was there back in 2000 and was totally amazed. I did not have to use the stairs, but a rickety elevator that took you down in complete darkness. It rivaled some amusement park rides. It was a very good experience and I highly recommend it.
ReplyWe ordered the tour with krakow-tours.com and it was adequate. It was nice that our driver Paul took care of everything for us.
ReplyAn absolutely awesome experience!! I'm glad I didn't know what to expect because with every step down, I was more and more awe-struck...and then the Chapel!! Wow! The tour was a highlight of my European trip.
ReplyAn absolutely awesome experience!! I'm glad I didn't know what to expect because with every step down, I was more and more awe-struck...and then the Chapel!! Wow! The tour was a highlight of my European trip.
ReplyWhy not use the train? There is an hourly service from Glowny (main) station, costing only Zloty 5.00 each round-trip, takes just 30-minutes and the mine is a 5-minute walk from the terminus. There's plenty of room on-board and it's an environmentally-friendly way to get there.
ReplyThis is definitly an amazing place thar you have to see. You won't see anything like this anywhere.
ReplyI think that the greatness of the Wieliczka Salt Mine is rather exaggerated in the turist guides. I was not so impressed. But maybe that is because we have a lot of mines in Sweden, and I was more impressed by the Sala Silver mine. I recommend you to rather visit that mine if you like that kind of experiences! And I also think that they have spoiled the exciting roughness of The Salt Mine by making it so adapted to tourists. But the salt carvings were nice...
ReplyThis visit is worth the 780 steps (all down)and 2km of footwork underground. The carvings are impressive, I would have liked more time to view the chapel. I'd hate to go on a busy day. The cage coming up is a tight squeeze - especially when people don't think about taking their rucksacks off their backs before getting in. Mine cages are friendly places as any miner knows.
ReplyDios me dió la oportunidad de conocer esta maravilla en 1993 y no la he podido olvidar, cada paso lo recuerdo y lo añoro. Hoy visité la Mina de Sal de Nemocón (www.minadesalnemocon.com) cerca a Bogotá y es lo más parecido que he encontrado a Wieliczka!! Gracias!
Replyit was a long time ago when I visited the salt mines but it was amazing and I can vividly remember tasting the walls made of pure salt, tasted horrible but woth visiting
Replyit was incredible 2 be 135metres underground and it wasnt at all claustrophobic, the carvings were awesome, and the big church just amazing, well worth the visit.
ReplyThis place is amazing it took my breath away, its one of the most amazing things ive ever seen in my life. But wear comfy shoes! I would reccomend going its fantastic, pure beauty
Replyi went there in 2008 ..was absolutly amazed.. going back again in january ..for the english version of the tour..
ReplyAmazing experience. We had a rather amusing guide who didn't report us for taking photos without paying first!!!!!!!!! We travelled by local train. Dirt cheap if a bit uncomfortable. 5 minute walk from station to trhe Mine.
Replyme my wife and a friend went to tell you the truth it blue me away fantastic what an experiance i would recomend it to anyone
ReplyWas there in May of 2008 and it was well worth the tour! After the descent down to the bottom which felt like forever, there were so many amazing sights. If in Krakow, you must do this tour!
Replyhi i went to the salt mine this year in 2008 i went around the world i am from QAustralia trust me guys who reads this poland is beautiful but so is Australia but it has completly mazing
ReplySimply amazing! I was there in November 2007 (and it was snowing quite heavily) with a friend. The moment you start to descend the (what seems like a million!) steps, the weather outside could be absolutely anything, such is the feeling of segregation from the outside World. Krakow is amazing itself, but if you are here you MUST go and see this wonder of the World. I can't put into words any write up that can convey how awe inspiring this place is. A must see, once (or twice!) event in your life!
ReplyI went a few years ago, near the end of 2003. My coworkers and I were on another trip to Poland to help upgrade their Search and Rescue systems. The Polish Air Force group we were with took us to see the salt mines and it was incredible. I want to go back some day and take my children to see this beautiful and historically rich treasure.
ReplyAbsolutely stunning. Only thing that spoiled it for us was the guides were very abrupt and not very visitor friendly.
Replyi went on a trip to slovakia and we went to see the salt mines in poland but we were staying in slovakia so it took four hours to get there and four hours to get back so we got back at about 12:30am but it was worth it though!
ReplyToday 9-19-08 was the first anniversary of my first trip to Poland. the salt mines are so amazing, very beautiful, something I will never forget.
ReplyI went to the salt mines of Wieliczka in 2002 with my wife who was born in Poland and it is one of the most amazing feats of artistry, especially considering the time period that these amazing artistic creations were executed, I have traveled fairly extensively and I will never forget the awe inspiring beauty of the salt mines of Wieliczka.
Replyi have never seen anything like this in my life, i have travelled all over and i have found this place absolutely amazing. brilliant
ReplyTo see the Salt Mine was one of the host humbling experiences. To think that human hands could creat such a marvellous feat of workmanship. What was profoundly evident was the scrupulous work ethic that these young men of the time had displayed, a work ethic which one might fear will never exist again. A must see for everyone.
ReplyIf you are fit and well, walk to Krakow Glowny main train station and catch a train to the mine, its the last stop and then a 300 yard walk, easy.
ReplyMy wife and I visited the Salt mines in Krakow in June of 2007 and we were blown away. I highly recommend this site. it is a miracle carved in salt. Lovely.
Replyi went in the 2007/2008 holidays and found a magnificent site as soon as my eyes lay upon the chapel of St kinga. a marvellous place i wouold recommend visiting.
Replywe visited salt mine from ireland, we never saw anything as beautiful, in our life, including our guide, who explained everything in great detail, we will recommend it to everyone.
Replyjust got back go there dont miss awesom 900 years of history in one hit this place is a credit to polands history
ReplyIf you are fortunate enough to vacation in Poland then take a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mines, you will not regret it. I visited in January 2006 and was spellbound by the complexity and beauty of the mines.
ReplyTo descend into the earth of Poland evokes an incredible sense of history. Wonderful and beautiful.
ReplyA very good trip a must see the carvings on the walls etc are marvellous if you come to krakow its a must see absolutely great .
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