Wieliczka Salt Mine — Attraction in gmina Wieliczka

The salt mine is absolutely magnificent place with a fascinating history! There were so many incredible salt statues and chambers!

Our tour guide was really lovely and friendly, although his English could have been better. We would have loved to have had a guide who was right behind us, speaking native American English. He was always so patient, waiting until the last member of the group arrived before starting to speak. We were so taken with everything that we ended up being the last ones in the group (just 1-2 minutes, not 10!) and we also wanted to take pictures! And then, sadly, we started to feel the rush. We often found ourselves in the way of the next group, already hearing the next tour guide. There were so many of us in the group that often many people went forward in front of the statue, group of statues, lake, well, etc. Often half of the group did not fit there because of lack of space.. We listened to the tour guide and waited until the folks in front of us had moved on so we could take a look around. But before we knew could, the guide was already waiting for us! And at the same time, another group started to come in front of the statues, group of statues, pictures, lake…

The vast chambers and history of salt mining are absolutely fascinating! It's a shame the tour feels rushed A LOT, but it's still a great experience. It would be incredible to have a bit more time to appreciate the surroundings! Many visitors say that they felt like they were being herded through the mine like cattle, and we felt the same. We would have loved more time to interact with the history and take in the surroundings, as well as take some pictures!

There were so many corridors, with different colours and materials.

In the middle, you'll have a 15-minute break where you can rest, buy souvenirs, enjoy a drink or visit the restroom. The gift shop is a little bit different to the ones in the parks of the USA. Everything is behind glass, which is a bit unusual, and you have to point with your finger to show what you want. I have to say, it discouraged me greatly. Our guide told us that there is a gift shop at the end of the tour and there was also a restaurant at the end.

It was a bit funny and I think it might not have been the best decision to place a statue of Goethe next to the WC (also with a label).

I also do not understand why management cannot plan and allow handicapped people to use the lifts also on the way down. It's a lovely idea to create a different tour!

The mine is absolutely gorgeous and has such an amazing history, but I feel like the tour could be a bit more in-depth and less commercialised. The price is quite high, and it does feel like you're being rushed along, which is a shame as it leaves many feeling disappointed. The mine itself is really impressive, but I feel the tour could be improved. It seems like the focus is more on profits than on making sure visitors have a great experience.

The lovely green spaces outside are so well looked after. The park has lots of lovely benches and beautiful lighting. The titles are in both Polish and English, which is great!

It's so nice to be able to stay in a nearby hotel that's just a short walk from the entrance and right in front of the...

A truly wonderful place milked thin.

Wieliczka Salt Mine is a fantastic place. But the organization of tours are subpar. The website does not inform you well enough of your options to take an elevator going down, which you can do at an extra cost. The only reason I know this information is because our guide started the tour with this information as we were walking down the stairs. This is fine, but this feels extremely out of place to mention as you are going down.

We bought tickets online (which I highly recommend everybody does, multiple days in advance). The process is simple. They are expensive, but it also costs money to maintain the mine and pay staff and make a profit, so it is justified. Driving there is also easy, and there is plenty of parkingat around ~35 PLN for the entire day. They help you and they speak good English as well.

The line at the entrance is organized horribly. You just stand there (in rain or heat), and hope to reach the end of the line at your assigned timeslot. You may NOT go in earlier. We got there a few minutes too early and had to wait again. They have backpack storage at no extra cost, which was a pleasant surprise. Toilets are free, and look decent.

Our group had 40 people in it. People were already walking really close to each other, and the radio signal of the headphones was already cutting out. People in the back heard absolutely nothing of what the guide had to say. We were in the middle, it was already a challenge. The groups are oversized, and the tour guides clearly have difficulty keeping up with them. Seemingly they are understaffed. This is a pity, because they pour their souls into it. Missing half of their speech however, the remaining half does not make any sense, and you try to piece together the tour from half informatons.

The tour itself was not extraordinary. As mentioned, the audio kept cutting off, even though the group members were already really close to each other. We also kept running into other groups, where we had difficulty talling apart the groups. I understand that the options are limited in a mine, however stationing multiple groups in a tight room while we wait and do absolutely nothing, can't be the best solution. We saw some nice sculptures, huge shafts and magnificent chambers, and some poor tries at making things interactive through projections and audio. They arr probably first tries using the technology, or at least they seem like they are. This is something that can improve with time. I am sure it will be better in the future, but as of 2025 summer, they are not very impressive. At the end of tour we took a 1 minute elevator ride to go up the 135 meters we went down. This comes at no extra cost.

All in all this was not a horrible experience, but it was quite disorganized, lowering the fun factor. If you visit Wieliczka, read up on the parts of the mine and its history in advance, do not expect the guided tour to give you any value. The mine itself is wonderful, and I think everyone should see a salt mine at least once in...

CHECK THE REVIEWS BEFORE VISITING

I made the mistake of not checking the reviews beforehand, but apparently, I got lucky, as I didn’t have to wait hours to get in despite having a ticket.

It’s also not very clear where the tour starts. I can see how it might be confusing for some people. It would be great to have someone from the staff greeting visitors, helping out, or at least acknowledging people.

The tickets are so pricey - 103 pln (~25 eur)!

It’s not a tour, it’s speedwalking. If you want to actually experience something, take your time to look around, touch the textures, and think about how scary it is to have so many layers of soil above your head, you won’t get that here.

If you go for the individual tour, you’re still placed in a huge group. You get a headset to hear the guide, who speeds ahead of everyone. But if you’re more than about five people behind, the signal cuts out and you hear nothing. For the first 15 minutes, before I realized what was happening, I was just angry, thinking my device was broken. Then I heard others saying 'do you hear anything? it’s cutting out for you too?' I ended up chasing the guide just to hear him in real life.

Everything feels so... outdated. There’s one spot near a lake where there should be some kind of visualization, there’s dramatic music, and then… NOTHING HAPPENS. Just some lights flashing, that’s all.

You’re given more time only where you can spend money, which is ironic, because at the beginning of the tour the guide said something about there being things more important than money...

And then you wait to finally leave. Nobody seems to care about you, at least say, dunno, 'hi, we’re waiting for a certain number of people before taking you to the elevators.'

And speaking of that part, being led to the elevators was not speedwalking, it was running. There are interesting sights along the way, but the guide doesn’t care, he just rushes you to the elevator, where some other staff members herd you in like cattle.

I had a small bag with my analog camera in it, and I got worried it might get damaged. We’re tourists, not miners.

You really leave with the feeling that they just want to push as many people through the mine as possible. That’s all. Not worth it.

As a Polish person who was so excited to finally see it - I’m so disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone from abroad.

(also, a personal ick: the guide mentioned that miners back then had lots of children because they had plenty of money and their wives didn’t have to work. Oh sure, because raising a bunch of small kids in those times, taking care of the whole household, and looking after other family members while the husband was away definitely doesn’t count as work… right?)

EDIT One more thing that just occurred to me: there were no safety measures explained. I have no idea where any evacuation exits were or what to do in case of...