Duration: 4-5 hours (approx.)
Private Guided Transport Tour
Offered in: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian
Highlights
- The heart of the mine – St. Kinga’s Chapel, entirely carved in salt, where holy mass is celebrated every Sunday
- A chamber dedicated to Nicolaus Copernicus, who was one of the very first tourists to visit the mine more than 500 years ago
- The Burnt Chamber, which takes its name from a fire that broke out here in the 18th century
- Józef Piłsudski’s Cave, filled with brine on the bottom
- The Michalowice Chamber, 35 meters high, with a beautiful chandelier decorated with thousands of tiny salt crystals
What To Expect
Wieliczka Salt Mine is a priceless monument which was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978. It is a place that guarantees extraordinary experiences and a great adventure. Visiting the mine is an interesting journey into the depths of the earth, a space which was discovered more than 700 years ago.
Just remember to take a deep breath in and take a unique advantage of the air free of the pollution.
You will get to know Wieliczka Salt Mine by taking a tourist route – a route that leads through an extraordinary underground city, hiding many secrets like chambers carved in salt, majestic carpentry structures, underground lakes or unique salt works of sculptural art. It is a fascinating journey through a maze of corridors carved in rock, over 2 km long and descending more than 130 meters underground. During the walk you will learn a fascinating story about a place stolen from nature and about the people who have made its history over the centuries. Wieliczka Salt Mine – touch the secret!
Why Travelers Choose This Tour
Wieliczka Salt Mine is our Polish national treasure on a global scale. It is also placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition, various records have been beaten in the salt mine – it was here in 2000 where the first ever underground balloon flight took place, underground bungee jumping or windsurfing sailing on one of the lakes count also . However, the truth is that the greatest achievement is that 250 kilometres of corridors have been excavated applying just basic manual man work since the 13th century till now. Even more, it was a man who managed to create underground chambers so large that a balloon could be erected in them (their total capacity is 2,000 Olympic swimming pools! ). During you tour, you will discover 3 underground levels out of 9.
Tour Itinerary
Transfer to the Wieliczka Salt Mine by air-conditioned vehicle (~ 40 min.)
You will get into a comfortable vehicle with a friendly English-speaking driver and comfortably travel to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. You will travel alone or with a group of your friends/family (there will be no strangers in the vehicle), but you will visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine in a group with other tourists and with an official museum educator. The mine does not offer individual tours, dedicated to you and a group of your friends.
Visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mine (~ 2h)
An official Wieliczka guide will show you all the secrets of the historic mine in the language of your choice. Admission tickets are prepaid, so you don’t have to worry about anything. You will visit during your tour:
- Kinga’s Chapel which design process took almost 70 years
- Michałowice Chamber with its impressive in size wooden structure protecting the excavation
- A collection of mining machinery and equipment
- unique brine lakes
After sightseeing (~ 10min.)
After the tour, you will take the elevator back to the surface.
Return to Krakow (~ 40min.)
What to bear in mind
Luggage: You are allowed to have luggage with a maximum size of 35 x 20 x 20 cm to the premises of the Wieliczka Salt Mine. If you have larger luggage, please inform our driver.
How to dress: visiting the mine is available to people of all ages, but keep in mind that there are 800 steps to walk down – please wear comfortable shoes. The temperature in the mine varies between 17 and 18 degrees Celsius throughout the year. In summer, please bring a sweater.
Disabled: our tour is not wheelchair accessible. Some of the underground workings are adapted for people who are not independently mobile. To visit this part of the mine, please contact our Reservation Department. You can take an assistance dog or a guide for the blind and visually impaired people to the mine.
Children: You may take an umbrella stroller (foldable) on the trail, but remember that there are a lot of stairs along the way (about 800), and there is no place where the stroller could have been left. It may be a good idea to take a baby carrier or a scarf.
Toilets: available in the basement/ twice during the tour.
YOUR SCHEDULE:
- Meeting place and time: approx. at 10.00 – at the reception of your hotel
We kindly ask you to be at the meeting point 10 minutes before the meeting time.
- End of the tour: You will return to the original pick-up point.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR PRICE:
- English speaking driver
- Local Wieliczka tour guide – you will join a tour of 35 people organised by the Wieliczka Salt Mine
- Transport services – just you or a group of your friends, no strangers
- Entrance ticket with photo permission
- Obligatory headphones and receivers
- Lift transfer back to the surface after the sightseeing
CANCELLATION POLICY:
our non-standard cancellation policy for Wieliczka Salt Mine tour:
- The entrance ticket to the Wieliczka Salt Mine is non-refundable and this is dictated by Wieliczka Salt Mine policy.
- After purchasing tickets, it is not possible to change any of the following: date and/or time of the tour.
- Up to 24 hours before the tour starts: we charge a handling fee equal to the price of the museum entrance ticket: 130 PLN p.p. / 30 EUR p.p.
- Less than 24 hours before the tour: paid amount is non-refundable.