Is Wieliczka Salt Mine worth visiting?
You are visiting Poland, maybe even Krakow and you are wondering about visiting the famous salt mine Wieliczka Salt Mine. Your question is ‘Is Wieliczka Salt Mine worth visiting?’
Yes, Wieliczka Salt Mine is worth visiting!
Let us tell you why and share with you all your need to know about the Wieliczka Salt Mine and whether it is worth visiting?
Where is the Wieliczka Salt Mine?
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is 10km (about 6 miles) outside Krakow.
How to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mine?
You get use public transport to get to the mine, By bus line 304 or suburban train (and get off at the Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia station). We had our own hire car and just used Google Maps and drove to the salt mine. There are lots of little pop up car parks, where locals make a little money by allowing you to park in their patch of earth or ashphalt. You could save a little bit of money by parking on one of these car parks rather than the quite expensive Salt Mine carparks. Or take a taxi or Uber if you can share the costs with some friends. Either way there will be a short walk to get from the bus stop, train or car park to the Salt Mine (less than 1km). It can be a bit confusing, make sure to go to the mine and not stand in a queue for the Graduation Tower like we did! Doh!
Cost to get into the Wieliczka Salt Mine?
The cost of entry for the Wieliczka Salt Mine was a surprise to us. We hadn’t done any research or bought the tickets online. Yes you can buy your tickets online in advance. In 2023 when we visited it was approximately £23(PLN 116) for the English tour, it is cheaper to join the Polish tours at £17 PLN l82). They offer tours in numerous languages but I guess the Polish are most frequent hence the extra price? We would recommend joining the tour in the language you speak as you learn so much more about the Salt Mine.
English tours are from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm every hour.
How far do you have to walk in Wieliczka Salt Mine?
We think we walked about 4 km in the Salt mine. I was wearing my fitbit and Cory was wearing in Garmin.
How many stairs are there in the Wieliczka Salt Mine?
380 stairs down are what you initially decend to officially start your tour. The actual route of the tour incorporates approximately 800 stairs in total.
Do you have to join a tour to see the Wieliczka Salt Mine?
Yes! We thought we could just show up and walk around the salt mine by ourselves only to realise that you must join a guided tour. This is because they have to ensure they know how many folks entered and ensure that they have all departed and it is a warren and you could potentially get lost if you didn’t have your tour guide to show you the wonders of Wieliczka Salt Mine.
How long does a tour last in the Wieliczka Salt Mine?
Our tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine lasted a surprising 3 hours. Sometimes there were places to rest whilst you listened to the guide.
The highlights of the Wieliczka Salt Mine? We are sure you will enjoy the following
- St Kinga’s Chapel – (patron saint of Salt Mines). This amazing chapel or some would call it a cathedral is the highlight of the tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. The floor, the chandeliers, the reliefs are all made from salt. Wherever you look, despite the appearance that it might be glass, or polished stone, it is made from salt. St Kinga’s Chapel is still used to celebrate mass to this day! Pope John Paul II visited St Kinga’s Chapel, twice. (To learn more about the Legend of St Kinga click here)
- Entirely made from Salt – What are you standing on? What is the ceiling made from? Walls, floor and roofs are made from Salt (and some wood as this won’t corrode). The salt in the Wieliczka Salt Mine is made up of many different colours due to the other mineral content of the salt.
- Carpenters and Miners – Just as important to the salt mine as the miners were the carpenters in the mine, how ensured the integrity of the structure. Also let’s not forget the firemen. There are still firemen in the Wieliczka Salt Mine just to ensure our continued safety.
- Carved statues of salt – Whether religious icons or other statues the mine is littered with amazing Pillars of Salt carved into the most amazing statues. You will find it hard to believe the are not made of stone!
Does the Wieliczka Salt Mine have toilets?
Yes, the Wieliczka Salt Mine has toilets. There are toilets before the tour starts, before walking down to the tour start. Also about an hour into the guided tour there is a toilet break and access to toilets and also at the end of the tour there are more toilets.
Do you have to walk back up stairs to get out of the Wieliczka Salt Mine?
No, the only way out of the Wieliczka Salt Mine for tourists is a metal cage of a lift or elevator. The lift (elevator) in the Wieliczka Salt Mine is a tight squash. It can accommodate a maximum of 8 people and expect to become very close new friends with your fellow travellers. If you suffer from claustrophobia you might not like the lift in the Wieliczka Salt Mine! Cory all 6ft 3″ had to bend as the lift wasn’t tall enough to accommodate his height comfortably. With this in mind you have no option but to get the wee lift back out the mine and it is over quickly!
What to wear in the Wieliczka Salt Mine
Obviously we recommend you wear comfortable shoes in the Wieliczka Salt Mine and as the temperature is around 18 degrees centigrade, it would be a good idea to wear a jumper or jacket in case you start to get a little cold. Also you might want to take a water bottle. The tour of the salt mine lasts 3 hours and you are walking approximately 4kilometers you might get thirsty. Only take a small handbag into the mine there is no space for luggage or backpacks.
In summary, is Wieliczka Salt Mine worth visiting? Yes
Despite the shock of the price and for being charged more for entry simply because we needed an English tour. It was thoroughly enjoyable. It was worth the money, as the tour was comprehensive, no more than 30 participants per group. Lots of information you couldn’t possibly learn had you walked around by yourself and so much to see. We were quite happily worn out after our visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
We thoroughly recommend a visit! Sooner or later
