Wieliczka Salt Mines Tickets: how to buy, prices and discounts

To see the Wieliczka Salt Mines in person you will need a ticket. In this post I tell you how much they cost and how to buy them.

Isabel Catalán

Isabel Catalán

7 min read

Wieliczka Salt Mines Tickets: how to buy, prices and discounts

Tunnel of mines | ©Lars Plougmann

Visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mines and going more than 100 metres underground is a unique experience that you have to have at least once in your life. What better time than during your trip to Krakow? This was one of the first monuments to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and in this post you will find useful information on ticket prices and how to buy them.

In this post you will find useful information about the price of tickets to the Wieliczka Salt Mines and how to buy them. Don't miss it!

The best option

Wieliczka Salt Mine Day Trip from Krakow

Visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines on an excursion including transfers from Krakow.

The best way to tour Poland's impressive salt mines without waiting in line thanks to the tickets included in this professionally guided package.

Duration: 4 hours

Visiting the Salt Mines is one of the essential plans you should make for your trip to Krakow. The best way to avoid the hassle of finding transport, tickets and more is to take an excursion that includes transfers from Krakow, entrance to the complex and a 4-hour guided tour to learn about the history of this unique underground city.

Enjoy this experience 135 metres underground, where you will see underground lakes, galleries, decorated rooms and even a giant chapel. A World Heritage Site since 1978, these mines have been in operation since the Middle Ages and are perfectly preserved. So if you have the chance, a visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mines can change your experience of sightseeing in Poland.

Recommended if... You want to avoid the long queues at the ticket office and get to the Salt Mines in the most comfortable and economical way possible.


The most complete option

Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mine Day Trip from Krakow

Tour Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz in one day

Visit both landmarks of Polish history on the same excursion from Krakow. Get to know the characteristics of each place in depth, accompanied by a professional guide who will accompany you throughout the tour.

Duration: 11 hours

This tour will take you almost a full day, but it is worth it if you want to take advantage of your stay in Krakow to visit two of the most important places that Poland offers to its visitors.

Your first stop will be the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, where you can see what was once the most famous concentration camp in history. There you can visit all the places that marked the history of the Jewish people during the Nazi era, as well as pay tribute to those who lost their lives there. Please note that you will need to bring identification and photographs are generally allowed, with some exceptions.

Then the tour will take you to the Wieliczka Salt Mines, where you can see statues, chapels and carved works, which make this underground complex a true marvel.

The great thing about this combined tour is that it also includes transfers between the sites as well as to and from Krakow. You will always be accompanied by an expert guide and the entrance fees to both sites are included.

Recommended if... you have a free day to get out of the city and visit these impressive, exciting and historic sites. You won't have to worry about the logistics of anything and you'll be able to live the experience more deeply.

How to buy tickets to see the Wieliczka Salt Mines?

Detail of St. Kinga's Chapel| ©puffin11k
Detail of St. Kinga's Chapel| ©puffin11k

The Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Krakow, in fact it is the second most visited in Poland.

There are several ways to get tickets to the Wieliczka Salt Mines. If you want to visit on your own you can purchase tickets at the monument's ticket office for tours in Polish and English but if you want to avoid the huge queues and take a guided tour in your own language, then you can book this Wieliczka Salt Mines tour from Krakow online.

Whichever place you choose to buy tickets to the Wieliczka Salt Mines, make sure you check the opening times and book well in advance of your travel date as it is a very popular attraction and tours in other languages are small but in high demand - tickets sell out!

Book a visit to the Salt Mines

Wieliczka Salt Mine ticket prices

Stairs leading down to the mine| ©Aleksandr Zykov
Stairs leading down to the mine| ©Aleksandr Zykov

You can book tickets to the Wieliczka Salt Mine on your own if you want to save as much as possible on your visit. The price of tickets to the monument at the ticket office for tours in languages other than Polish is as follows:

  • Standard single ticket: 100 PLN (21.59 euros).
  • Discounted single ticket for children and young people: 80 PLN ('17.27)
  • Discounted single ticket for students and seniors: 90 PLN ('19.43)
  • Family ticket (2 adults + 2 children aged 4-16): 280 PLN (60,45 Euro)
  • Children up to 4 years: free

However, if you buy your tickets at the ticket office, you will have the disadvantage of having to wait in long queues at the entrance. So it doesn't always pay to save some money if you want to make the most of your time in Krakow.

The price of the activity is a key factor in planning your budget for an activity during your trip. If you want to know more about it, I recommend you to read the post How much does it cost to visit the Salt Mines.

Book an excursion to the Salt Mines

Is there free or discounted admission to the Wieliczka Salt Mines?

Salt Mine Tunnel| ©James Antrobus
Salt Mine Tunnel| ©James Antrobus

No, it is generally not possible to enter the Wieliczka Salt Mine free of charge, only children up to 4 years of age can enter. All other visitors must purchase a ticket to see the entire monument.

However, to attend the mass held every Sunday at 7:30 am in the magnificent Chapel of St. Kinga you can enter for free, but only on this occasion and only on the occasion of attending the Eucharist.

As for discounts or promotions, they do not exist as such, but there are reduced rates at the ticket office for certain groups such as children, students, young people and pensioners.

Book an excursion to the Salt Mines

How much does the Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour cost?

Salt statues of the miners| ©Davis Staedtler
Salt statues of the miners| ©Davis Staedtler

If you are one of those people who when you go on a trip prefer not to complicate things dealing with a foreign language, looking for transport, tickets or the services of a guide, my advice is to opt for an organized tour to the Salt Mines of Wieliczka from Krakow to discover this beautiful monument declared World Heritage.

If you book it in Hellotickets there are several alternatives for an organised tour to the Salt Mines of Wieliczka depending on whether you are interested in a private excursion (126 €), an all-inclusive tour (44 €) or only the transfer with guided tour (43 €) although in this last option the entrance fees are at your own expense and are not included in the price of the tour.

That is why when booking your tickets I advise you to read carefully what the tour includes and what it does not include so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs and tastes.

What is usually included in organised excursions

  • Round-trip transportation by air-conditioned bus
  • Professional guide
  • Entrance fees to Wieliczka Salt Mines

What the excursions do not usually include

  • Gratuities
  • Food and beverages
  • The tour does not include the lift to the bottom of the mine.

Book a tour to the Salt Mines

Do children pay admission to the Wieliczka Salt Mine?

Children visiting the mines| ©Lars Plougmann
Children visiting the mines| ©Lars Plougmann

At first glance, a salt mine may not seem like the ideal place for a trip with children. But because it is so unusual and different, a visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine is something they will remember forever. It is not every day that you get the chance to go deep underground!

Moreover, the Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour is open to children of all ages and admission is free for children up to the age of 4. All other children must have their own ticket.

They will have a great time exploring the interior of an ancient medieval mine and listening to all the legends that circulate around it. They will see lots of underground chambers and galleries, curious rock formations, beautiful salt lakes, amazing sculptures and learn about the hard work of the miners.

If you want to know more about visiting this special monument with your family, I recommend you to read the post Visiting the Salt Mines with children.

Book an excursion to the Salt Mines

What is the price of transport to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow?

Sukiennice, Krakow| ©Jorge Láscar
Sukiennice, Krakow| ©Jorge Láscar

Being such a touristy place close to Krakow, the Wieliczka Salt Mines are very well connected to the city and there are several means of transport available to get there on your own if you rule out the option of taking an organised tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mines with transport included.

When planning your budget to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines, transport is also something we need to pay particular attention to.

Fortunately, transport in Krakow is not very expensive and you will be able to find affordable ways to get to the monument without spending a fortune. In this sense, the best options are the train and the bus, two fast and cheap means of transport that will take you to the monument in about 30 minutes.

The bus ticket to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow costs about PLN 4 each way (about €1), while the train ticket costs about PLN 4 each way (about €1). You can check online or at the ticket window at the train station.

However, in the post How to get to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow I will tell you more about this topic.

Book an excursion to the Salt Mines