Wieliczka Salt Mines Opening Times
A visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine is a must on a trip to Kraków. Take note of their opening hours to organise your visit.
Relief detail of the slaughter of the innocents | ©Dennis Jarvis
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the oldest salt mines in the world and one of the most famous tourist attractions in Krakow. If you want to visit them on a trip to Poland, the first thing to do is to check the opening hours to organise your visit.
Next, buy your tickets to the Wieliczka Salt Mines online in advance to secure your place to visit this World Heritage Site more than 100 metres underground. Although if I may give you a tip, it's best to join a tour to the Wieliczka Salt Mines from Krakow so you won't have any headaches organising transport to and from the Salt Mines - this place is very popular and tickets are flying!
1. Opening hours of the Wieliczka Salt Mines
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is open every day of the week, from Monday to Sunday. The opening hours of this monument are as follows:
- Monday to Sunday: 9 AM to 5 PM.
2. Salt Mine Tour Schedule in Wieliczka
All tours of the Wieliczka Salt Mines are conducted with a guide in groups of approximately 30 people.
Although many travellers would like to visit this unique place on their own, a guided tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mines is the most convenient way to visit the salt mines, given the characteristics of the monument.
Bear in mind that this is a 135-metre deep route through 3.5 kilometres of labyrinthine galleries and chambers with underground lakes, so moving through the depths of the earth in semi-darkness with a guide who knows how to find the way back and has knowledge of first aid and safety is always safer. Especially for those who may be claustrophobic.
In addition, the experience with a guide is more fun because they know many curiosities and stories that will make your visit unforgettable.
As for the guided tours of the Wieliczka Salt Mines, in addition to Polish, there are specific schedules for other languages such as English, Spanish, German, Italian, Russian and French.
You can purchase tickets for the tours in Polish and English at the ticket office, but if you prefer to take the tour in a different language, then you will need to purchase your tickets for a guided tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mines online. After booking online you will need to contact the provider to confirm the start time of the tour in your chosen language.
3. How long does it take to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines?
The walk through the interior of the Wieliczka Salt Mine takes about 2 hours and can be extended to 3 hours if you add a visit to the underground exhibition at the Salt Mine Museum in Kraków.
In reality, it is not an activity that takes too long because the tour is very exciting and you have a great time during the tour. It is not every day that you have the opportunity to visit a real active mine as unique and artistic as this one, which is also one of the oldest and largest in the world.
If you are organising a trip to Krakow, the article How long are the Salt Mine tours, tells you in detail how much time you will need to see the monument so you can better plan the rest of the day's activities.
That said, there are not enough words to describe this incredible place - it's just mind-blowing! Fortunately, the guides at the mines help us to discover all the nooks and crannies and treasures hidden in the underground galleries as well as to unravel their history and the significance of their ornamentation and architecture.
No wonder they are known as "Poland's underground salt cathedral". It has some truly fascinating spaces! The Chapel of St. Kinga is, in my opinion, the jewel of the Wieliczka Mines and one of my favourites, but there are many more. In the post What to see in the Salt Mines I review the highlights of this fantastic visit.
4. When is the best time to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines?
In my opinion, the best time to visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine is early in the morning. This will give you the rest of the day to make other interesting plans in Krakow.
In the post What to see and do in Krakow you'll find more ideas for a fabulous city break - you'll love them!
5. When are the Wieliczka Salt Mines closed?
The Wieliczka Salt Mines are open every day of the year except 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 November, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In addition, the mines close on Holy Saturday at 5 PM and on December 31st at 4 PM.
However, if there is a change of plans or the monument has to close in the unlikely event of an unforeseen event or incident, you can check before you travel by doing a quick Google search.
Finally, if you are planning a visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mines soon, to get the most out of this great experience I recommend reading the article Tips for visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mines for more useful tips.