Just 15km away from one of the most beautiful cities in Poland – Cracow- there is the entrance to a place that it is hard to believe that it exists. This place I am talking about is one of the oldest salt mines in operations that existed in the world: Wieliczka Salt Mine – a whole world under our feet.
About Wieliczka Salt Mine
It is believed that it is the best-preserved salt mine in the whole world! It was declared as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1978.
Video about the Salt Mine:
The salt mine has many attractions to offer such as chambers, chapels, concerts or museums.
Most of the walls, of course, are made from salt and at some point, the tour guide will ask you to lick them in case you don’t believe him.
If you are lucky enough maybe you will have the chance to meet with some workers of the mine and you will see them in their working clothes and with their ‘car’ in which they transport materials :) When I went there I asked them if I could make a photo with them.
Location of Wieliczka Salt Mine
This salt mine is located in a region called Wieliczka, and it operated till 2007. The salt mine itself is more than 200km long and more than 300 meters deep!
Saint Kinga Chapel
In my opinion, the main attraction of this site is the Saint Kinga Chapel that is located deep inside the mine.
When you enter this Chapel I can assure you that you will be impressed and you will be asking yourself: How is it possible that people could build this? And I am not kidding with this, the chapel is perfectly well conserved and it has sculptures that are made just from salt!
Nowadays some weddings are taking place there. Could you imagine to have your wedding there? I guess it would be awesome!
The salt mine received a lot of famous people from all over the world along with history such as Nicholas Copernicus, Fryderyk Chopin, Karol Wojtyła, Bill Clinton among others.
How to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mine?
As mentioned earlier, the salt mines are only 15 km from Krakow. If you do not have your own vehicle, you can take a bus or go by train.
To go by bus you need to take bus 304 in the center of Krakow, but it may take some time due to the number of stops you make during the trip. It may take up to 45 minutes.
If you prefer to go by train you will need to go to Krakow’s central station and buy the ticket at the ticket counter. You must take a train to the Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia station. Going by train is much faster since it only takes about 20 minutes.
Tours inside the Salt Mine
When you are visiting the mine you will not be able to visit the whole mine, but you will be able to visit more or less 20 km of it and go around 150 meters deep, not bad right? Also, there are several tours during the day in different languages.
This place is a mandatory attraction together with Auschwitz concentration camp if you are visiting Cracow region.
Prices & Schedule of Wieliczka Salt Mines
The prices per person to visit the mine in foreign languages are:
- 89 PLN normal rate
- 69 PLN reduced rate (children, students, etc.)
- 247 PLN family package for 4 people
The salt mines are open every day. During the summer they are open until 7 pm, and during winter until 5 pm. You can see more information on the official site of Wieliczka salt mines.
Final Recommendations for Visiting the Salt Mines
Visiting Wieliczka is a must for all tourists who come to Poland. It is undoubtedly a place full of magic and incredible things.
When you visit these mines you have to take into account that you will need to invest a full day on this visit. It will take approximately 5-6 hours to visit the mine but it is very worth it. In addition, you can also visit the Auschwitz concentration camp that is not far from this area.
Have you been to this place before? What was the best for you when visiting the salt mine?
2 Comments
Very touching moment, I am sure, for all of our family members
amazing hard to believe,what these men did to put this together,God bless ,wishing i will get there one day,time is slipping away .LOVE AND PEACE,WE MUST KEEP THE FAITH”