Wieliczka Salt Mine, Krakow
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If you have seen Kraków center and wants to see something else then you can on a day trip outside the city. There are several options and one of them is the Wieliczka Salt Mine, it is one of Unesco’s Heritage site and it is still a functioning mine. It was a rainy day in Kraków when I was there and it was a holiday too so most businesses are closed, it was a good idea to be underground.
How to go to Wieliczka Salt Mine:
There are several options:
- Train. Buy a ticket from Dworzec Główny, the main Railway Station to the Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia train station. Train Timetables are here.
- Bus 304. There are buses in Kurniki street in the area of Galeria Krakowska and stop at Wieliczka Kopalnia Soli.
- MiniVan. The MiniVans depart from Dworzec Główny and get off at Wieliczka Kopalnia Soli.I chose the train as it was the easiest, I bought a one way ticket which costs 3.5 Polish Zloty (45.61 Php), so return ticket is 7 Polish Zloty. I got off the stop Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia, it was less than 30 minutes train ride. There are several tourists going, so you won’t get lost.I have been only to a mine twice (this is the second), I was expecting to see a mountainous area but I arrived in a village.
There are different routes that you can choose from, they have Tourist Route, Miner’s Route and also a Pilgrim’s route and others I chose the Tourist route, as it was the most popular one. You cannot enter the mine on your own, the tour includes a guide and may take 2-3 hours. There are also tours in other languages.
Tours are done in batches, so you may need to wait for your turn. To reach the actual mine you will go down using a spiral of stairs which might make some people dizzy. You will see several sculptures, chandeliers, chapels. and walk a lot of tunnels. The chapel of St Kinga and the last supper sculpture are my favorites.
TIPS:
- Wear comfortable walking shoes, there is a lot of walking
- This is underground, no ray of sunshine, it may not be for everyone
- The temperature is around 15 degrees celsius, warmer than the temperature outside during winter
- You need to decide if you really want to go underground or not, as you need to finish the tour because the elevator going up is at the end
PRICE LIST:
Regular: 84 PLN (1,114 Php)
Family (4 persons):232 PLN (3,078 Php)
OPENING HOURS:
April 1 – October 31: 7:30 to 19:30
November 2 – March 31: 8:00 to 17:00
For updated information regarding Wieliczka Salt Mine, refer to http://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/.
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