Bochnia Salt Mine
The Salt Mine in Bochnia near Krakow invites tourists on an extraordinary journey through time through the history of salt from the Middle Ages to the present day. This beautiful property has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2013.
Bochnia Mine - the oldest salt mine in Poland
The Bochnia Salt Mine is the oldest salt mine in Poland, slightly less known than its younger sister from Wieliczka, it has many attractions to offer. The place itself, i.e. the unique labyrinth of salt corridors near Bochnia (the oldest city in Małopolska), awakens the imagination. And if you add a real mining elevator ride and an underground train ride to it, we already have a recipe for an unconventional trip.
Visiting the mine in Bochnia
The Bochnia Mine offers several tourist routes diversified in terms of difficulties. For a stay in the mine, you need to book from 3 to 4 hours depending on the variant of sightseeing you decide on.
Basic Route
Staying in the mine as part of visiting the basic tourist route will take about 3 hours. Relax, these three hours will not only be spent on sightseeing, the program is filled with numerous attractions. The stay includes an exit and departure to and from the mine with a real mining elevator, an underground railway ride, a guided tour of the mine and a 30-minute stay in the recreational chamber of Ważyn. The tour itself will take about 1.5 hours.
A guide will guide you through salt excavations hidden more than 200 meters underground. An extremely exciting story about the beautiful history of salt mining from medieval times to modern times, you will also get to know thanks to the multimedia exhibition located on the sightseeing route. The exhibition has been designed in such a way as to arouse the interest of not only adults, but also children, who will be able to learn through good fun.
While visiting the Salt Mine in Bochnia, you will see beautiful salt-carved chapels, sculptures and salt chambers with the characteristic shape of underground cathedrals. The program also includes an underground train ride. Surprised? In the Bochnia Salt Mine there is a whole network of underground railways, which consists of transport routes divided into routes.
There are as many as three passenger stations on the tourist route, where tourists board and disembark. One of them is located right next to the Chapel of St. Kinga, to stop at this station, the queue must pass through the very center of this beautiful chapel.
About half an hour is the time spent in the weighing chamber. The largest of the chambers in the Bochnia mine is a gastronomic point, a mini playground and even a sports field.
Additional experiences
Those willing can expand their visit to the mine with additional attractions such as the Underground Boat Crossing or passing through the excavation with the mysteriously sounding name "Horse Road". In this case, the stay in the mine will be extended by an additional hour and additional physical effort needed to cover a part of the route leading along authentic raw and steep mine corridors. Here she will have the opportunity to feel like a medieval gwark for a while.
The Underground Boat Crossing is a unique attraction available only here. Nowhere else will you have the opportunity to cross the salt corridor flooded not with water but with brine. The liquid filling the chamber 81 is a saturated brine, i.e. one in which there is about 320 g of sodium chloride per liter of water. Salinity here is the same as in the Dead Sea and more than 10 times higher than in other seas in the world. The specific gravity caused by the high salt content is so high that the sea man can easily stay on the surface.
Mine in Bochnia - sightseeing for families with children
A visit to the Bochnia mine will please even the most demanding, i.e. the youngest tourists. A family tour of the Treasurer's Kingdom is a special variant of the tourist route, prepared for families with younger children. The program includes an underground ride, a multimedia exhibition, a search for hidden treasure and most importantly - a meeting with the Treasurer. It certainly won't be boring!
Bochnia Salt Mine - the most important thing is what is invisible to the eyes
Visiting the mine in Bochnia is not only great entertainment. Thanks to underground salt deposits, there is a unique microclimate that has a positive effect on the body, especially on the respiratory system. Being in underground excavations helps people suffering from allergies, asthma and lung diseases. Is anyone on your trip still struggling with recurrent infections? Being in the mine will improve his immunity, and at the same time will provide unforgettable memories.
Bochnia Mine - practical information
Tickets to the Mine can be purchased at the ticket office immediately before the exit or in advance via the Internet. We encourage you to buy tickets ONLINE. With such a ticket, you skip the queue to the cash register and are guaranteed to enter the mine at the scheduled time. Remember that you can buy online tickets no later than the day before the planned visit to the mine. On the same day, tickets can only be purchased at the ticket office of the mine. The number of people coming down for a given tour is limited, so the ticket office will offer tickets for the next free sightseeing tours.
The temperature in the mine in Bochnia is constant and is about 15-17 °C, air humidity 70%. Think about the outerwear and wear comfortable shoes.
Practical information
Individual tourists:
Route with sub-exposure mult.: Sat-Sun 12.30, 14.15
Route with underground boat crossing: Mon-Fri 12.30, Sat-Sun 12.15, 12.45, 13.30
Family tour of the Treasurer's Kingdom: Sat-Sun 12.00
Other route variants possible
Tickets: ticket prices range from about PLN 50 to over PLN 200 (family tickets), depending on the route variant, season and number of people in the case of family tickets.
Check the exact, current visiting hours and price list at: www.kopalnia-bochnia.pl
Bochnia Salt Mine
ul. Campi 15, Bochnia
tel. 14/ 692-67-52
