Salt Mine And Salt Museum Tour

Well, it might have cost a lot - over $50 for two with the camera charge - but it was worth it. Since the tour groups can be up to 35 people, we were really surprised to have only four others in our group. And they were not native-English speakers. Maybe they couldn't get into a German one? Our guide was fantastic, humourous, and completely fluent in English. She answered all our questions and had a really in-depth knowledge of the place. She certainly deserved the 10 zł tip we gave her. I would say that it is the best indoor tour we have taken anywhere in the world.

View of the main shaft into the salt mine with waxing moon

Horses were used in the mine for many years

Safer than trying to lower a horse in a miner's cage

Chandelier made from rock salt crystals

Corrosion of metal pipes: the reason that anything structural was wooden

Pine logs holding up the roof of an excavated cavern

Part of 100s of kilometres of hand-hewn tunnels

 After the main tour, we queued for the Museum tour and were doubly surprised. We got the same guide and we were the only people taking it. Apparently, only 1% of the visitors bother. And really missed some cool stuff. There were displays of rock salt crystals, huge machinery that was turned by a dozen horses, ceremonial rock axes, original maps and documents from the 15th century, etc. etc. It was a well-spent hour.

Schematic of the some of the nine layers of the mine - in continuous use for 700 years

Huge rock salt crystals in the museum

Salt stalactites in the museum

We came out into sunshine, went into a deli for buns and smoked chicken thighs, and came out into rain and thunder. We got back to the hotel just as the rain let loose and had lunch in the common room.

Yesterday, we had seen a restaurant that looked promising, the Va Banque. It serves pizza cooked in a wood-fired oven and traditional Polish food. We opted for the latter. Three half-litres of draft Okocim beer (6 zł each), a bowl of mushroom soup (5 zł) and one of żurek (6 zł), a platter of 16-18 various perogies (15 zł), and a large plate of potato pancakes and pork gulasz (17 zł) came to 66 zł ($22). The portions were larger and the food was far better than last night's. With three times as much beer, it was slightly less money. The service was excellent and we left a large tip. If don't eat dinner in Kraków tomorrow, I'd like to go back.

Historical Plaque in Wieliczka