Wieliczka's Salt Mine

i was quite young and didn’t understand the great significance of the place. Now that i’m older i want to go again to expand my knowledge of what this place got to offer

Before you go, read the UNESCO description and a little about how the cathedral was made. You’ll appreciate it so much more when you learn little the facts, like how a couple of guys spent most of their lives hand-carving the chandeliers out of salt.

hockeydja is right about the tour—the best part is the cathedral, and you don’t spend nearly enough time there. I think the mine is worth visiting because there’s nothing else like it in the world and the cathedral really is stunning (even if you do only get to spend 5 minutes there). However, if you’re only going to be in Krakow for a few days and don’t have any prior interest in mining or sculpture, I’d recommend you stay in the city. There are plenty of amazing things to see in Krakow.

PS – When I visited, my tourguide instructed us not to lick the walls. When I told my relatives (native Poles) about this, they laughed at me and were shocked that I hadn’t licked the walls anyway. Apparently, it’s a tradition to disobey the guide and taste the salt wall. At the time, I thought it was a pretty gross tradition… but now I kind of wish I would have done it.

I heard that the mine was an awesome place to visit, so I was looking forward to exploring around inside. However, you are required to take a slow moving guided tour through the mine, and it is really not very exciting. The salt cathedral is kind of interesting, but you spend far less time in it than you should, and far more time looking at what looks like dirty rocks. It’s kind of fun to lick the walls though… If you DO happen to go in, when you reach the end of the tour there is a glass elevator. If you don’t read the sign next to it, you will assume it is the way out. Its not however, its an elevator you have to pay for that goes up about 50 feet for another small 5 minute tour of a different part of the mine. You do get a free salt crystal on that tour, but its really not worth the money you have to pay for it.

honestly, I have never been to Wieliczka. I suppose I need to go there as soon as possible… don’t I?;)