More about: 5 Best Day Trips to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow
For seven centuries salt was extracted in these mines located 12 km from Kraków. Today you will find a gallery of underground tunnels with a therapeutic climate and an exhibition of impressive salt figures. This is one of the most popular excursions from Krakow and there are several ways to do it.
1. Auschwitz and Salt Mine Tour from Krakow
With this combined tour to Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mines you will discover not only a fundamental chapter of recent history, but also a unique underground world. After visiting the Auschwitz memorial, the tour will take you to the famous Salt Mines where chapels, galleries and sculptures carved in salt rock for centuries are hidden.
The tour of the mines will take you into an underground world full of geological and historical secrets. A day that combines memory and natural wonders in an unforgettable experience.
Details of interest
- Price: - from £91.
- Duration: 11 hours approximately.
- Means of transport: air-conditioned bus departing from a central location in Krakow.
2. Excursion to Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow
The guided tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mines is the perfect choice for those who want to discover this spectacular World Heritage Site in depth. The descent to a depth of over 130 metres will reveal the majesty of the underground chambers and lakes carved out of salt by generations of miners.
You will walk through tunnels and rooms where the history of mining blends with art and spirituality, in a setting that looks like something out of a fairytale.
Details of interest
- Price: - from £63.
- Duration: approximately 5 hours.
- Means of transport: air-conditioned minibus from the centre of Krakow.
3. Excursion to Wieliczka salt mines with hotel pick-up in Krakow
If you are short on time, the half-day tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mines will give you the opportunity to see the most emblematic aspects of this impressive site. Walking through the salt-carved galleries and down hundreds of steps, you will have an intense experience in just a few hours.
The tour includes highlights such as the Chapel of St. Kinga, sculptures, underground lakes and exhibits of historical tools used to extract salt.
Details of interest
- Price: - from £64
- Duration: approximately 4.5 hours.
- Means of transport: bus transfer from Krakow, with pick-up from hotel or meeting point.
4. Excursion to Auschwitz and salt mines with hotel pick-up in Krakow
The Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz-Birkenau Salt Mine Tour offers a tour that unites nature and memory. After visiting Auschwitz, the day continues by exploring the spectacular salt chambers of Wieliczka, one of the oldest salt mines in the world still in operation.
Along the way you will learn how these impressive galleries were forged, amidst sculptures, underground lakes and chapels that reflect centuries of craftsmanship underground.
Interesting details
- Price: - from £100
- Duration: 11 hours including transfers and visits.
- Means of transport: modern bus departing from a central location in Krakow.
5. Private excursion to Wieliczka Salt Mines
If you would like to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines exclusively, you can also book a private tour with direct transfer from your hotel in Krakow. This option allows you to enjoy a vehicle just for your group and a professional driver who will take care of the entire journey, with the flexibility to adapt the schedule to your needs.
The price of this tour includes entrance to the mines and a guided tour inside the complex, where you will discover the impressive underground chambers, a chapel carved entirely out of salt and numerous sculptures and historical tools. The tour lasts about two and a half hours, plus about an hour's transfer from the city and back.
Details of interest
- Price: - higher than group tours due to the exclusive services included.
- Duration: approximately 3.5 to 4 hours, including transfers and guided tour.
- Means of transport: private vehicle with pick-up from hotel or agreed point in Krakow.
What you will see on a tour to Wieliczka Salt Mines
A trip to the Wieliczka salt mines, located half an hour's drive from Kraków, is one of the most popular with travellers visiting the Polish city. The mines have been a World Heritage Site since the 1970s and are famous for the beauty of their salt rooms and the network of tunnels that spans some 300km.
The salt working process
During this visit you will learn about the salt extraction process that has been used in the mines, now a museum, since the Middle Ages and also how the weather conditions at a depth of 325 metres have created a unique underground microclimate that is ideal for people suffering, for example, from asthma.
The tour
During the tour you will descend into the mines via a staircase and go up in a lift similar to the one used by the miners. Inside you will find an illuminated lake, chambers decorated exclusively with salt, figures of famous people made of salt and even a chapel that will leave you speechless. You will also discover, thanks to the explanations of the guide who will accompany you during your visit, the way of life and working conditions of the labourers who worked in these mines for centuries.
Ana's Traveller Tip
The tour of the mines includes a total of 800 steps, so it is not recommended for visitors with mobility problems.
Is it advisable to do the combined tour to Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mines?
Of course it is. If you only have a short time in Krakow, the combined tour to Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mines is a highly recommended option. In just one day you can visit two of the most significant places in Poland, optimising your trip and avoiding unnecessary journeys.
These are some of the reasons why it is worth booking this combined tour:
- You make better use of your time: you visit two must-see places in one day without having to organise separate transport or entrance fees.
- Convenience and logistics taken care of: transport is coordinated, as are timetables and access to both sites.
- Cultural and emotional contrast: you will experience the historical impact of Auschwitz in the morning and the artistic and natural wonder of the salt mines in the afternoon.
- Specialist guide: professional accompaniment at all times, making it easy to understand the history of each site.
- More peace of mind: you won't have to worry about transfers between cities or waiting times, everything is planned for you.
Taking this combined tour will allow you to discover in depth two unique sites that reflect both the tragic history and cultural heritage of Poland.
Practical tips for your Wieliczka tour
How to get to Wieliczka
The most common way to get to the Wieliczka salt mines from Kraków is by organised tours. However, you can also get to Wieliczka on your own using either a rental car with GPS (it will take you about half an hour). You can also go by taxi (you should pay no more than 15 euros each way), by train from Kraków Central Station (there are at least two trains every hour to Wieliczka) or by bus 304, getting off at the Wieliczka Kosciól stop.
Timetables
Opening times may vary depending on the time of year, but normally the opening hours are from 7.30am to 7.30pm in summer and from 8am to 5pm in winter. The most important thing is to pay attention to the opening times of the guided tours in your own language, as there are several tours in different languages throughout the day. It is therefore strongly recommended that you book your tickets for the Wieliczka Mines well in advance.
Languages
In addition to Polish, the guided tour of the mines is available in English, German, French, Italian, Russian, Spanish and French. All tours have headphones to listen to the guide and are organised in groups of about 35 people.
What to bring
Regardless of the temperature outside, it is quite cold in the mines due to the humidity. Don't forget to bring something warm to wear during the tour. Comfortable, non-slippery shoes are also recommended.
Is it possible to take photos?
To take photos of the interior of the mines, you will have to pay a supplement of about two and a half euros at the entrance. Otherwise you may be noticed during the tour.
The tour
Is it hard? The entire descent to the mines consists of about 800 steps. Most of the way up is in a lift like the one used by the miners, which may not be suitable for the claustrophobic. In general terms, the tour is not very difficult, but it is not recommended for people with reduced mobility.
Is it possible to eat and drink inside the mines?
Although one of the rooms in the mines can be rented for events and weddings, eating and drinking inside the mines is not permitted and there is no place to do so.
If you are interested in a trip to the salt mines in Wieliczka, you will also be interested in
A trip to the Wieliczka salt mines is one of the two most popular tours around Kraków. The other, even more popular, is of a very different nature: the tour of the Auschwitz concentration camps.
Although at first you may find this tour morbid or unpleasant, I can assure you that it is a real history lesson given with the utmost respect for the memory of the victims. You can find many different options for this tour from Krakow; I recommend that you do some research before you decide to make the most of this experience. Here is a link to my article on 4 Best Day Trips to Auschwitz from Krakow so that you can organise your visit.
If you would prefer to know what other options Krakow has to offer, I have also written an article on 10 Best Tours and Day Trips from Krakow so that you can choose the one that best suits your trip.