How to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow

If you want to know how to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mine quickly to visit this iconic monument located just 14 kilometres from Krakow, I recommend you read this little guide I have prepared.

Oh, and when planning your visit don't forget to check the opening hours and book your tickets to the Wieliczka Salt Mine online in advance to avoid endless queues at the ticket office.

It is a very popular tourist attraction and capacity is limited each day, so if you try to get tickets at the last minute you may run the risk of missing out.

The most complete option

Wieliczka Salt Mine Day Trip from Krakow

Discover an underground world with this visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.

On this tour you'll delve into the history of the salt mine and explore some 20 underground chambers more than 3 kilometres long, 135 metres below ground.

From £42 at Hellotickets

With this tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow you will discover this World Heritage Site since 1978.

A guided tour of approximately 4 hours duration where you will immerse yourself in a thrilling journey into the depths through chambers, corridors, salt chapels and lakes along a 3 kilometre route 135 metres underground.

Why I like this option... A World Heritage Site since 1978, it is a must on your trip.

Recommended if... it is a key place to learn about the history of Krakow.

There are many transport options to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mines but, in my opinion, the most convenient way to do it is to book your place on a tour from Krakow. It's the best solution to avoid the hassle of finding a rental car or public transport tickets, calculating the routes or transfers needed to get there, and you'll also overcome the language barrier if you don't know the language.

These types of tours usually include travel to the mines in a private vehicle, pick-up from your hotel or a meeting point in the city, entrance fees to the monument and the services of a professional guide, as well as headphones that you can use to listen clearly to all the explanations. Sounds good, doesn't it? In the organised tours everything is designed so that you don't have to worry about anything, just enjoy yourself.

In Hellotickets you can compare different types of tours, prices and availability of tickets, and you will surely find the one that best suits you! You will save time by buying your tickets online in advance and you will avoid having to queue endlessly at the ticket office and risk being left without them as they are highly coveted.

If you are looking for a more complete experience, you can choose to book an 11-hour guided tour to Auschwitz, which includes entrance to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and the Wieliczka Salt Mine from Krakow.

With a professional guide you will discover the history of both sites. First you will visit one of the largest concentration camps for Jews during the Nazi period and continue to the underground complex of Wieliczka, which is located about 64 kilometres from Auschwitz, where you will have the opportunity to see the salt carved chambers, statues and chapels excavated by the former miners.

Transport will be by air-conditioned minibus in a tour that allows about 30 passengers. In addition, pick-up and drop-off from your hotel in Krakow will be included.

The train is a good option for a trip to the salt mines on your own, as it is fast, accessible, safe, comfortable and fairly punctual.

Trains from Kraków to Wieliczka depart from Kraków Główny main station with a frequency of 1 or 2 trains every hour, stopping at other secondary stations in Kraków and terminating at Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia station.

Train tickets can be purchased at the station or online.

To get to the Wieliczka Salt Mines by bus, take bus number 304 from the stop next to the Krakowska Gallery on Kurniki Street.

It is very cheap (the ticket costs about 1 euro) and it takes about 30 minutes from Kraków to get to the Wieliczka Kosciól stop.

As you can see, the journey is quick, but to avoid traffic congestion, I advise you to arrive at the salt mines in good time.

Once you get off at the Wieliczka Kosciól stop you only have to walk about 5 minutes to the entrance of the monument.

Another way to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mines is by minibus, which leave near the Dworzec Główny train station.

Once there you will board a minibus bound for Wieliczka Rynek (lines 204 and 244), although you will have to get off before you reach the town. Ask the driver to drop you off at the Wieliczka Kopalnie Soli stop at the intersection of Dembowskiego and Danilowicza streets, which is the closest to the mines.

This is an interesting alternative way to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow if you are on a road trip through Poland or if you want to combine a visit to the mines with Auschwitz on the same day. If you need to hire a car, you can find good value options on the RentalCars website.

The roads are in good condition and it only takes about 30 minutes to drive to the mines from the centre of Krakow. If you don't know the way, it is best to put "Wieliczka Salt Mines" into your GPS or Google Maps.

When you get there, there are several car parks where you can leave your car, which cost around 1.40 euros per hour. You won't have any parking problems at the Wieliczka Salt Mines.

Taking a taxi or Uber can be another good option to go to the Wieliczka Salt Mines if there are several of you in the group and you don't have a rental car to take you there.

Being so close to Krakow, the trip can cost you between 10 and 15 euros. They are fast, comfortable and have the advantage of a door-to-door service with no extra stops along the way, so you will arrive in time to start your visit to the "Polish Salt Cathedral".

Being such a tourist attraction, the Wieliczka Salt Mines are very well connected to Krakow and there are several transport options to get there, whether you go on an organised tour or visit the monument on your own.

In case you are planning to visit this World Heritage Site since 1978, besides how to get there, opening hours or booking tickets to the Wieliczka Salt Mines, there are other things to know in order to enjoy the experience to the fullest.

You'll find some useful tips in the post Tips for visiting the salt mines from Krakow- don't miss it, it's sure to help!

In order to make your choice easier, here is a comparison table so that you can choose the option that suits you best.