How To Visit Wieliczka Salt Mine From Krakow

Wieliczka salt mine is one of the oldest salt mines in Europe. The salt mine started to operate in the 13th century and salt was mined up until 2007. Nowadays the Wieliczka salt mine is one of the two most popular locations (the second one is Auschwitz concentration camp) for a day trip from Krakow. There are a few ways to visit the Wieliczka salt mine, all of which you will find in this article.

Interesting Facts About Wieliczka Salt Mine

The Wieliczka salt mine is 327 meters deep and 287 kilometers long.

The Wieliczka salt mine has 4 chapels and tons of statues carved out of salt by miners.

There is an underground lake inside the salt mine.

You can learn historical salt-mining technology that is displayed in the Wieliczka salt mine.

The Wieliczka salt mine has a whole labyrinth of tunnels.

The Wieliczka salt mine is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

During WWII the salt mine was used by the Nazis for war-related manufacturing. For work the Nazis transported quite a lot of Jews 

It is possible to have a wedding at the chapel in the Wieliczka salt mine.

How To Get To The Wieliczka Salt Mine

With A Tour Agency

All over Krakow you will find many tour agencies that offer different city tours and day trips that include the guided tour to the Wieliczka salt mine. 

To join a tour group and let the tour agency organize transportation (sometimes directly from your hotel), entrance tickets, and the professional tour guide is the most popular and convenient way to visit the Wieliczka salt mine (it is not the cheapest though).

On average the tour to the Wieliczka salt mine would cost you around 260 Złoty per person, or about $60.

By Train

There is a train that you can take to the Wieliczka salt mine from Krakow Glowny (main train station). The train goes to Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia station. You need to get on one of the Koleje Malopolskie, which operate on the route you need. The trains go every 30 minutes, and it takes about 20 minutes to get to the Wieliczka station. From there it’s a short walk to the salt mine.

Ticket price: around $1,5.

By Bus

Besides the train you can always use a bus to get from Krakow to the Wieliczka salt mine. This is probably the most convenient way to get to the Wieliczka salt mine.

You can take bus #304 at the Galeria Krakowska in Old Town Krakow. On weekdays the bus runs every 10 minutes or so. On weekends there are around three buses per hour. 

If you decide to travel by bus, it will take you around 30 -35 minutes to get to the Wieliczka salt mine bus stop (Wieliczka Kopalnia Soli – is the name of your bus stop in Polish). 

You can buy your bus ticket directly on the bus. There is a machine where you need to choose a ticket for 1+2 zones. The ticket will cost you almost the same as the train ticket – around $1,7.

From the bus stop to the salt mine it will take less than 5 minutes of walking. 

For those who want to return back to Krakow on the bus, you can catch the bus on the opposite side of the road where you got off. 

Driving Yourself

Of course there are a lot of people that like to rent a car and drive around, or simply travel in Europe on their own car. For those people parking is the main concern. 

Click here to go to the official Wieliczka salt mine website and check all the updated information on parking.

Buy Your Ticket

Everyone who is visiting the Wieliczka salt mine on their own (either by public transportation or driving themselves) needs to buy their tickets a bit ahead of time, since the site is quite popular and in high season it gets very crowded. Sometimes there are no spots available for the following day. 

You can buy your ticket on the official website of the Wieliczka salt mine. 

The standard ticket price is 120 Złoty per person (around $25 USD). 

Rules To Visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine

There are no particular rules for visiting the Wieliczka salt mine like in Auschwitz concentration camp, however there are a few recommendations:

Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, since you are going to walk quite a lot. For the same reason you cannot bring large bags with you. If needed you can leave your big luggage in the storage room near the entrance.

If you are coming in summer, remember that the temperature inside the salt mine would be cooler than outside (17 – 18°C), so you probably want to bring a light cardigan with you.

If you wear dark clothes, you will notice some of the salt particles after visiting the Wieliczka salt mine. Don’t be worried, it won’t ruin your clothes, you will just have to brush it out. 

Reserve between 2 – 3 hours of your time for a tour of the Wieliczka salt mine.

How To Visit Wieliczka Salt Mine From Krakow