This was an unbelievable experience, there is nothing really quite like it. YOU MUST BE ABLE TO…read moreEASILY DESCEND STAIRS!! You will climb 130m into the earth via wooden stairs (roughly 880 stairs) on the 'tourist tour'. It is not all at once and there are multiple 'chambers' for you to see where the salt was removed from the earth and where the miners carved statues and an entire church out of the impure salt rock. (Yes you can get married in the church, no idea how much that costs lol). Our guide was militant but very good. There is also a miners tour and I'm not sure what is different about that one. You can bring children but you will have to carry them down, there is an elevator to go up! The fact that EVERYThing with the exception of the pine pilings for support is made of Salt and you can lick it all or taste the 'brine water' is incredible.

This was such a unique experience for us. We had never toured a salt mine, and much less one that…read morehas been transformed into art. It's not far from Kraków. It's totally worth the short drive to get there. I'm not very knowledgeable in mining engineering, so I won't get technical. Just know that you'll be walking down many flights of steps (about 800 steps) to get to all the tourist route Chambers below. There is also a mining route that can be booked as well. The tourist route took about 2.5 to 3 hours to get through all of the chambers. Each one has its own story. You'll learn about the techniques used to mine salt throughout the sites 700 years of history. You'll learn about mining phenomena such as burning the methane to prevent gas explosions. It's all very intriguing. You'll see intricate woodwork used for structural support. The mine is constantly being maintained even today by professional miners. The salinity of the environment is very noticeable. I could taste it in the air. They do ask you to sample it from the wall. No one in our group took him up on the offer, but many people do lick the walls. How fun is that? Our guide was excellent. I wish I could remember his name. My husband volunteered to help him demonstrate a pulley device. He received a piece of the salt mine for his efforts. That was totally unexpected, and a great little souvenir. The artwork (all carved into salt blocks) was impressive. The Chapel of St. Kinga is the highlight. You'll be taken by lift to the top at the end. It's a gated mining lift that fits 6 to 7 people, and not very comfortably. Lol! It was just a minor inconvenience yet very necessary & appreciated. I'm not sure I could climb all those steps back up. Some people mention coupling this tour with Auschwitz-Birkenau on the same day. I don't recommend it. We booked this one separately, and right after visiting the camp the day before. The salt mine brought our spirits back up after spending the previous day reflecting on the events. Give yourself time to rest in between the two tours. It was great not to be rushed. They have wedding events, meeting places, a food hall, and even a health experience where you can spend the night in the Eastern Mountain Stables Chamber. IMO, Wieliczka Salt Mine is a must visit attraction. Don't skip it.