The Wieliczka Salt Mine is a blast for those who like salt, walking loads of stairs, and if you want to see something really cool! The Salt Mine is one of the world’s oldest salt mines, and it has produced salt from the 14th century until 2007. The Salt Mine is today one of Polands most visited attractions with more than 1,2 million visitors every year.
The mine is more than 300 meters deep, and more than 300 kilometers long, but as a tourist, you only walk 1% of the total length. During the tour you can walk in three different levels; the first at a depth of appx. 65 meters, the second level at 110 meters and during the third level of the trip you will be 135 meters down into the ground.
Along the way you will visit the Kopernicus Chamber, Casimir the Great Chamber, the Holy Cross chamber, and other chambers and the highlight is the Kinga Chapel where you can see “The Last Supper”, “Pope John Paul II” and a beautiful big hall, all in salt!
The trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine is a great experience and a very nice half-day program during your stay in Krakow!
Join in on a group trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mines
Wieliczka Salt Mine pictures
Can I travel to the Salt Mines using public transportation?
It is obviously possible to visit the Salt Mines using public transportation instead of joining a group trip. If you want to use public transportation, then the best thing you can do is to walk to the National Museum in Krakow. From there you can travel with bus 304 that will take you to the Salt Mines. There are a total of ten stops where the bus will stop before you arrive at the Salt Mines, so you have approximately 40 minutes to look out the window and enjoy the view of Krakow and its surroundings.
You should travel with bus 304 from the following stop: Muzeum Narodowe.
The name of the stop where you should leave the bus is: Wieliczka Kopalnia Soli.
During the day, bus 304 leaves every ten minutes, meaning you can just walk to the National Museum, and there will be a bus leaving soon, no matter what time of the day you arrive.
The price for this ride should be approximately 6 PLN.
If you are located in the city center (Sukiennice), it is approximately 1200 meters you need to walk to get to the National Museum. It takes approximately 15 minutes as you also can see in the map below.
Once you arrive at the National Museum, it is very easy to find the bus stop for bus 304, and you will be able to travel to the Salt Mines at a low cost.
What is the entrance fee to the Salt Mines if I buy it on the spot?
If you travel to the Salt Mines by car or using public transportation, you just have to buy your entrance ticket as you arrive. There are family discounts available, but if you have to pay a full price ticket, then the price is currently about 130 PLN (€32).
Now if you add it up and see that it costs 12 PLN in total to use public transportation back and forth and then by the entrance fee, you have a total price of 154 PLN (€37). If you join any group tour to the Salt Mines (like the one referred to earlier in this article which you can book through GetYourGuide or any other service), you might actually find them as cheap as €30, but normally they will cost between €50 and €60. Take a look at all the different options you can find above, and then decide whether you want to reserve a trip with pick-up in Krakow and with entrance fees, or whether you want to travel to the Salt Mines and pay the entrance fee on your own.
Do you have any other questions about the Salt Mines in Wieliczka? Write your question below.
