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Wieliczka Salt Mine Tours

See the treasures inside the earth!

Salt mine in Wieliczka is among the oldest in the world. It works since the Middle Ages! What else should you know about one of the greatest attractions of Krakow sourroundings? There are many wonders in the mine that caused listing it by UNESCO! Have You ever seen an undeground salt lake or a huge chapel hollowed in rock salt and full of salt sculptures?

The legend says that salt was brouth to Wieliczka in some mysthical way by St. Kinga, Hungarian wife of Prince Boleslaw the Chaste of Krakow. In fact, local salt deposits are 15 milion years old. People started to exploit tchem about 3 thousand years BC. The first method was to evaporate water from brine flowing out of the ground. The mine with minshafts and underground walks started to develop at the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries. Salt has become one of the main export products of the region and one of the most important sources of income for the royal treasury. There is no surprise that it was an apple in the eye of every Polish monarch! Over the centuries, many people, including Nicolaus Copernicus or Goethe visited the place. And it is absolutely worth it!

Today, the lowermost level of the mine is located at a depth of over 300 meters! There are few underground trails of sightseeing. The most popular is so-called ‘Tourist Route’. We present it below, in our Wieliczka Salt Mine Tours Itinerary. During the tour, you will see all the greatest attractions of the mine inside its most splendid chambers. If you want to feel like a real miner, choose the ‘Miners’ Route’. Wieliczka sightseeing in helmet and with a pickaxe in your hand is an unforgettable adventure and an opportunity to prove yourself! If you are looking for spiritual experience try the ‘Pilgrims’ Route’. Work of the miners was extremely dangerous so they create many underground places of cult, where they can pray for the safe return to the surface. During this tour, you can visit all the amazing Wieliczka chapels.

Our Krakow guides can book Wieliczka Salt Mine tours for you. We also provide a round-trip transportation from Krakow and a licensed English speaking guide (to be preceise, English, German, Russian, French, Spanish, Italian or Polish).

Wieliczka Salt Mine tours include booking the tickets, transport (we can pick you up from your hotel), educationa film during the ride, guiding services.

Wieliczka has its own unique, healthy microclimate with constant temperature between 14-16˚C. Warm clothing and comfortable shoes are recommended.

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Regular Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour

Adults

150zł /person

Kids (5-17 years old)

130zł /person

< 4 years old

FREE

Private Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour

2 person

260zł /person

3 person

220zł /person

4-6 person

195zł /person

7-8 person

175zł /person

> 8 person

Wieliczka Salt Mine Tours Itinerary

START

Copernicus in Wieliczka

A starting point of our magic, underground journey is the Chamber of Nicolaus Copernicus! It was founded in the 18th century and named to commemorate the visit of famous astronomer in the mine. According to the historical records, he may be here in the late 15^th century. The hall is guarded by his statue carved in salt. Another salt figures located in nearby Janowice Chambers are associated with the legend about St. Kinga and the beginnings of salt mining near Krakow.

Chapel of St. Anthony

A little bit of Baroque in the underground world! The first mine chapel we will see is the oldest one. It was founded in the 17th century! There is no other object of that type coming fromt the Baroque era in the world! Despite small area of the chapel, its interior has all elements characteristic for much bigger sacral spaces – there is a chancel, nave and main altar as well as two side altars! There are also very beautiful salt statues of saints.

Zwiedzanie Kopalni Wieliczka - Komora Spalone

Spalone (‘Burnt’) Chamber

All wooden constructions in this chamber were destroyed by fire, which is by the way one of the greatest dangers in every mine. An exhibition placed here show us what threatened the miners in the past centuries and how they can try to avoid the risk of loosing their life in mining disasters.

wieliczka zwiedzanie - Komora Kazimierza

Meet King Casimir the Great!

One of the biggest benefactors and solicitous patron of the mine was the 14th-century Polish King – Casimir called the Great. The mine owe him legal act regulating its functioning – the Statute of the Krakow Saltworks. In the chamber named to honor him, as well as in the Sielec Chamber located right next to it, you can see many reconstructed historical mine facilities and machines.

Zwiedzanie Wieliczki - Komora Pieskowa Skała

Going through the Shaft of Kunegunda and nearby chambers

It is time to use the stairs that Wieliczka miners descended to the lowest level for centuries. Why does the pit we walk is called ‘shaft of Kunegunda’? It is simply an international version of name ‘Kinga’. Beware, several gnomes lurk here in the dark! There is also an exhibition of facilities used for salt evaporation based on truly prehistorical technology!

Kaplica Św. Krzyża - Zwiedzanie Kopalni w Wieliczce

Chapel of the Holy Cross

In the 19th century Wieliczka mine was saved from flooding. The miners wanted to thank God and founded a beutiful underground chapel. Its interior is fulled with equipment more older than the chapel itself. The most precious is 17th-century crucifix. Over the centuries such objects was portable. Miners took them to the places in which they actually worked.

Zwiedzanie Wieliczki - Kaplica Św. Kingi

Chapel of St. Kinga

It is the most famous and the largest (54 m long and up to 12 m height) of all Wieliczka chapels. Visiting it is a culmination of Wieliczka Salt Mine tours. The chapel located 100 meters underground was founded in the19th century. There is no bigger sacral space placed beneath the earth’s surface in the world. Could You imagine the salt copy of Last Supper? It is only the one of many wonders you can see in ths breathtaking interior!

Goethe in Wieliczka

As we mentioned above, one of the visitors in Wieliczka Mine was Johann Wolfgang Goethe. The name of the chamber is associated with the city he lived. The main attraction of this beautiful place is a spectacular salt lake. Another one that tourists can see during Wieliczka Salt Mine tours is in the Chamber of Piłsudski. The magic of the view is unforgettable!

The Chamber of Stanisław Staszic

Stanisław Staszic gained fame as an eminent geologist. The chamber named to honor him is the highest in the mine (50 meters!). Nowadays, the hall is guarded by the statue of the mythical Treasurer. In the dark years of World War II German occupants planned to create there an aircfart factory but they did not manage to make their project a reality.

Chapel of Saint John

We end our walk through the mine at the depth of 135 meters in the chapel of St. John. One of the most precious objects in its interior is a wooden 18th-century statue of the crucified Christ. Visitors are oftem amazed and delighted by polychromatic wall paintings decorating the chapel.