Wieliczka

Wieliczka is a town near Kraków in Małopolskie Province in southern Poland. It's best known for its ancient salt mines, which are now a museum.

Wieliczka

Get in

It is easily accessible from Kraków by car, bus or train (the trip from Kraków should take around 30 minutes). You can look at routes and buy tickets directly on the official Jakdojade app.

• MPK in Kraków buses 204, 244 (or 904 at night). Bus 304 or 274 (6 zł, blue-and-white buses operated by Kraków city, the first stop of 304 is in front of Galeria Krakowska) makes frequent trips to and from the mines. There are 5 Wieliczka stops in total; get off at Wieliczka Kopalnia Soli (look for a giant "SALT MINES" sign). The ride takes ~40 minutes. There is also a train to Wieliczka that lets off a short (and well-marked) walk from the mine (last stop of the train).
• Regional Bus Station in Kraków
• Koleje Małopolskie - regional trains leave for Wieliczka Rynek Kopalnia from Kraków Główny railway station and take 24 minutes

Get around

The town is small enough to be covered by foot for its tourist attractions.

See

• 1 Wieliczka Salt Mine (Kopalnia soli Wieliczka), ul. Daniłowicza 10, ☏ +48 12 278 73 02, fax: +48 12 278 73 80, informacja@kopalnia.pl. Apr - Oct 07:30—19:30, Nov - Mar 08:00—17:00. A UNESCO World Heritage site. Visitors are not allowed to visit the salt mine alone, and must be with a tour guide. Individuals will only have to wait until a sizable group is put together (often around 35 persons) before they will be taken on a tour. During busy days, trip can be booked upfront online, or there may be several hours waiting time. There are two tours, 'Tourist Route', for an easy walk, to see the underground chapels. The Tourist Route starts in Daniłowicz Shaft; and 'Miner's Route' for a more immersive walk, this tour starts in Regis Shaft'
  The tour takes around 2-3 hours, and they are covering different areas of the mines, for different experience. There are toilets available at points underground, and a restaurant. Only small bags (less than 20x20x35 cm) may be taken on the tour, there are some luggage lockers but availability is limited. up to 140 zł. (price varies depending on time of year) per tour. (updated Dec 2024)
• 2 Graduation Tower, St Kinga's Park. 09:00-19:00. A graduation tower used for the evaporation of brine to produce salt. The resulting salt water droplets in the air are said to benefit health. You can also climb to the top for views of the area. 7 zł, either as a walk up or a supplement on mine tour ticket. 
• 3 Castle Saltworks & Saltworks Museum (Zamek Żupny - Muzeum Żup Krakowskich Wieliczka), ul. Zamkowa 8, ☏ +48 12 278 58 49. Tu-Su 09:00-20:00. Museum in the castle. Exhibitions is split into two areas, one in the main castle and one on the tower. There are also Observation Tower that you can visit. 20 zł, free on Saturdays. (updated Dec 2024)
• St Clement's Church (Kościół św. Klemensa w Wieliczce), Zamkowa 7 (opposite of Castle Saltworks). daily, 7AM-7PM. an unassuming church with humble pink wall on the outside, but quite impressive decor inside. free. (updated Dec 2024)
• 4 St. Sebastian's Church (Kościół św. Sebastiana), ul. św. Sebastiana 21-23. A wooden church on the slope of the hill. It is a part of the Wooden Architecture Route in Małopolska. Free of charge.  

Buy

There are many shops and souvenir stands, many of which sell bags of salt from the mine.

Eat

There are several places to eat and drink around the salt mine and in the town centre.

Sleep

Budget

• 1 Pensjonat ULMA, ul. Reformacka 77, ☏ +48 12 288 12 17. Double room 40-50 zł per person, triple room 30-35 zł pp, four-person room 25-30 zł pp. (updated Jun 2017)
• 2 Hotel Górsko, ul. Górsko 6, ☏ +48 12 278-39-27, fax: +48 12 278-39-27, biuro@hotelgorsko.pl. Check-in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Apr-Sep/Oct-Mar: single 130/100 zł, double 160/130 zł, triple 190/170 zł, four-person room 220/200 zł. Breakfast 20 zł per person. (updated Jun 2017)

Mid-range

• 3 Na Wierzynka, ul. Wierzynka 9, ☏ +48 12 278 36 14, fax: +48-12 278 36 14, motel@nawierzynka.pl. Motel-style accommodations with a sauna. Price per room: 1 person: 100 zł, 2 person room: 120 zł, 3 person room: 160 zł, 4 person room: 180 zł. 

Splurge

• 4 Hotel Salin, ul. Kościuszki 5, ☏ +48 12 288 24 78, fax: +48 12 288 24 78, recepcja@hotelsalin.pl. 140 - 360 zł. 
• Folwark Zalesie, ul. Grajów 150 (About 10 km outside Wieliczka), ☏ +48 12 271 2893, fax: +48 12 271 3714, biuro@folwarkzalesie.pl. 
• 5 Hotel Galicja, ul. Dembowskiego 20, ☏ +48 12 288-24-78, recepcja@hotelgalicja.pl. €54 - 92. 

Go next

Most onward routes take you back to Kraków.

• Bochnia - town with another a bit smaller salt mine, less crowded counterpart of Wieliczka
• Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - monastery complex just outside of Kraków