Day 4: Krakow sightseeing

Visiting some of Krakow's attractions

Jun 3, 2026 6 min read

Walk to the Wawel Royal Castle

We walked abour 35 minutes from our apartment to the Wawel castle. There are many combinations of tickets, depending what you want to see and how much time you've got. It takes about 6 hours to see everything. We had about 2 hours so we took the tickets for floors 1 and 2 and the Dragon's Den.

The castle is large and consists of many buildings and a large open area between them.

Then we went underground to the Dragon's Den. There we walked through underground tunnels, accompanied by the roar of dragons and light effects. When we came out, we saw a statue of a dragon that spewed fire every few minutes.

Walk to Kazimierz and to the Main train station

Our next stop was Kazimierz, the Jewish quart and getto during the occupation in World War II.

When we reached the river, we took some photos and returned to the main train station.

Square near the main train station with a beach volleyball court

Train ride to the Wieliczka Salt Mine

We took the train to the salt mine. It takes about 30 minutes to get there by train. There we had some time to order something to eat and then we joined the Wieliczka Salt Mine tour.

The tour takes about 1 hour and a half. We got headsets and a guide in a special miner's uniform was guiding us through the mine.

The mine began operating in the second half of the 13th century. The solid salt rock is deposited in large and thick formations, originating from the sea that was there 13 million years ago. Salt was very valuable at the time and brought prosperity to the entire region. This allowed the kings to finance a large army.

To date, more than 200 km of mine corridors have been excavated, extending 900 meters underground and arranged in several levels. The tour takes us through the first two levels, which extend up to 130 meters underground. 9 Miners have created some interesting sculptures throughout history, some of which are real artistic gems. Interestingly, these works of art were created voluntarily, after the daily workday, which usually lasted 12 hours, was over.

The role and fate of horses in the mine

Horses were used to pull carts and hoists. Transporting horses to and from the mine was a logistical challenge. Once a horse was in the mine, it stayed there until it was fit to work! The mine also had stables for the horses.

Pieces of salt rock that had to be raised to the surface

Artworks in the cave

Miners also created sculptures of dwarfs.

The most notable part of the mine is the church, carved into the salt rock. Its lowest point is 101 meter under the surface. It contains many really artistic sculptures.

The Last Supper carved into salt rock in the church

Other notable parts and facts about the mine:

We saw two underground lakes that collect water dripping in from the surface. They contain 30% salt, so a human body would float in them.

Nowadays, mining salt from rock salt is no longer profitable. Salt is now produced from saltwater, which is pumped out of the mine to prevent it from eventually filling with water.

Still, about 300 people are employed in the mine, but most of the revenue now comes from tourists. On average, about 6,000 tourists visit the mine each day.

There is also a concert hall and a restaurant in the mine for festive occasions.

Walking tour to the Old Town

After we returned from the salt mine by train, we walked to the Old Town. In the main square, there was a concert featuring rock music with religious content.