Kopalnia Soli Bochnia
Kopalnia Soli Bochnia
Kopalnia Soli Bochnia
4.5
10:15 AM - 4:15 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday
10:15 AM - 4:15 PM
Sunday
10:15 AM - 4:15 PM
About
The Salt Mine Bochnia is the oldest salt mine in Poland. The beginnings of the Bochnia mine as an excavating plant date back to 1248. Being a royal facility, the mine generated a huge income. In 1368, King Casimir the Great issued a document referred to as the Saltworks Statute. It defined the organizational and legal principles for selling salt. The oldest Bochnia mining shafts are the Sutoris and Gazaris shafts. The Bochnia mine and the Sutoris Shaft that are mentioned in the legend on St. Kinga’s ring. The mine developed rapidly in 15th and 16th centuries. More shafts are constructed at that time, i.e. Regis , Bochneris, and Campi. In 17th century, due to wars and an economic decline, the plant’s development slowed down. Visitors to the Bochnia Salt Mine discover the oldest and the most beautiful excavations including the August and Sienkiewicz Levels, the Dobosz Inter-Level.Visitors explore the route on foot and can cover a part of the distance by a tourist train or by boat.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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4.5
291 reviews
Excellent
173
Very good
77
Average
23
Poor
5
Terrible
13
Jason K
1 contribution
Oct 2024 • Couples
Would have given zero stars! Absolutely horrible experince, we have been humiliated upon arrival and told that we cannot go on the tour that includes boat ride etc... only because we cannot hear despise nothing's physically wrong with us! Explained to them that it amounts to discrimination and their inflexible rules failed to take into account that there are many different kind of disabilities. Currently they don't allow any "disabled" visitors to take normal routes. By their definition is ALL of disabilities no matter if you is more than capable of getting on and sit on a bloody boat and train! Given a full refund and they'd offered us the disabled route which bypasses the steps, boat, train and slide and of course we've said no thanks! Also we have wasted £30 for the travel to the mine! Thanks a lot!
Written 8 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
erneztoo
Warsaw, Poland18 contributions
Bochnia Salt Mine in Bochnia is even oldest than the other - bigger - Salt Mine in Wieliczka. This is the oldest salt mine in Poland. This is very fascinating place which cannot fail to make the impression for the visitors with its unique athmosphere, underground chapels carved from rock salt and salt-sculptures:) There are few ways to explore this place - on foot, by boat or small underground train. In the biggest room - Wazyn - you can even spend some days (there are beds to rent there). Amazing.
Written 30 December 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rebekah C
76 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
We visited as a group of 3 (one couple and a friend) and as part of the tour we stayed overnight.
The concept is great, the reality wasn't. The walking tour was more than 3 hours long, the guides only spoke Polish and nothing was translated into English - not even the information boards and signs. There are very few bathrooms to cater for the more than 70 visitors/families/tourists that were also staying over.
The sleeping arrangements consisted of bunk-beds all lined up in a large hall and you select your bed on a first-come first-served basis. The beds are very hard and uncomfortable.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone...Unless you speak Polish, absolutely love the idea of staying underground with many other people and would enjoy a 3+ hour walking tour all about mining salt!
The concept is great, the reality wasn't. The walking tour was more than 3 hours long, the guides only spoke Polish and nothing was translated into English - not even the information boards and signs. There are very few bathrooms to cater for the more than 70 visitors/families/tourists that were also staying over.
The sleeping arrangements consisted of bunk-beds all lined up in a large hall and you select your bed on a first-come first-served basis. The beds are very hard and uncomfortable.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone...Unless you speak Polish, absolutely love the idea of staying underground with many other people and would enjoy a 3+ hour walking tour all about mining salt!
Written 2 February 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BeachyChick
Littleton, CO30 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
This Salt Mine was recenlty granted UNESCO World Heritage site status, and is absolutely wonderful. Not as many tours in English as Wielczka, but very worth seeking out and going to as it is less touristy, less crowded, and in a wonderful small town, Bochnia, that is easy access from Krakow. Nice little town square close by with one of my favorite restaurants in Poland, Bar Szalaput. Tour guides at the mine are very friendly and knowledgable, very nicely setup facility.
Written 2 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stone_Boise
Boise, ID17 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
I usually love underground tours. On this same vacation, we went to the 'Big Pit' in southern Wales, and enjoyed it immensely. Not so Bochnia!
We were really looking forward to seeing another UNESCO world heritage site. I went with my 8-year old son. When I found out the tour was 3 hours, I was excited, thinking it must be a very detailed and intricate journey.
We boarded the elevator, then the mini-train, then started walking. As we travelled throughout a section of the mine (carefully timed to minimise conflict with other tour groups), we were shown a series of videos and animatronic history displays. All slightly interesting and creepy.
The highlight of the tour was the 'salt chapel', but it's really just a room with a chandelier and some statues - interesting, certainly, but not fascinating, even for someone who loves underground tours.
I was willing to accept all this as just a poor decision, but the final hour of the tour turned it from mediocre to poor. We descended a huge flight of steps to reach the underground basketball court (basically a cavern with a wooden floor added), and given an hour of 'free time'. That means we were trapped underground (could not leave without the guide) with the only activity being to buy food or gifts at the conveniently-located cafe and shop. Imagine being on another tour where the guide forced you to spend an hour in the gift shop! Of course, they don't tell you this, and I hoped that we would end the tour on a high note, but no... At the end of the 'gift-shop-hour', we had to walk back up the same steps, and proceeded immediately to the exit.
We plan our vacations around World Heritage Sites. This one just isn't up to the standard.
We were really looking forward to seeing another UNESCO world heritage site. I went with my 8-year old son. When I found out the tour was 3 hours, I was excited, thinking it must be a very detailed and intricate journey.
We boarded the elevator, then the mini-train, then started walking. As we travelled throughout a section of the mine (carefully timed to minimise conflict with other tour groups), we were shown a series of videos and animatronic history displays. All slightly interesting and creepy.
The highlight of the tour was the 'salt chapel', but it's really just a room with a chandelier and some statues - interesting, certainly, but not fascinating, even for someone who loves underground tours.
I was willing to accept all this as just a poor decision, but the final hour of the tour turned it from mediocre to poor. We descended a huge flight of steps to reach the underground basketball court (basically a cavern with a wooden floor added), and given an hour of 'free time'. That means we were trapped underground (could not leave without the guide) with the only activity being to buy food or gifts at the conveniently-located cafe and shop. Imagine being on another tour where the guide forced you to spend an hour in the gift shop! Of course, they don't tell you this, and I hoped that we would end the tour on a high note, but no... At the end of the 'gift-shop-hour', we had to walk back up the same steps, and proceeded immediately to the exit.
We plan our vacations around World Heritage Sites. This one just isn't up to the standard.
Written 26 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karolina L
New York City, NY326 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
It really breaks my heart to give Bochnia less than 5 starts. I give one star for the chappel and the other star for the train ride. If I was on tripAdvisor in 2010 I would recommend Bochnia without hesitation. We had an amazing tour guide at that time (in Polish) and the whole experience was so much fun with lots of history.
I was so excited to take my boyfriend to Bochnia this summer. Unfortunately, from the very beginning it was apparent that this is not the same place from 5 years ago.
1: "The Ferry" No more underground ferry crossing? On the website it's still being advertised but while buying a ticket for the tour (in English) no one has mentioned anything about buying a separate ticket for the ferry. I bought a regular ticket and did not even see the water. They were not allowing an overnight stay at the time so this should still be included.
2: "The underground slide" I remember taking that as part of the tour in 2010 and it was so much fur for the adults and kids but now...sure you can go on the slide but in your own free time! (between the bathroom break and your possible meal). You can walk back up the 320 steps to take the slide (among all the young kids) just to walk up those 320 steps again when exiting the Mine. Ahm, yeah, that's not fun, I think I'll pass. So instead of the slide we had to take the other "fun" option...walk down those 320 steps.
3. "Underground multimedia exposition" or as I call it "I don't feel like talking to you people, so here is a video...enjoy". The most entertaining part of the multimedia was watching boyfriend fall asleep standing up (I'm not kidding).
4. "The new artwork". I understand that they want to build more and make more but use salt! The whole appeal of seeing the artwork in a salt mine is the fact that they're usually made by the Miners and they are carved out of salt. I can see a nice religious carving in the 1000s of churches around Poland so I was very confused to say the least.
Now, there are still some positives like; the fun train ride, the nice chapel and the history (if it's told right) but I wouldn't go out of my way again just to visit.
I was so excited to take my boyfriend to Bochnia this summer. Unfortunately, from the very beginning it was apparent that this is not the same place from 5 years ago.
1: "The Ferry" No more underground ferry crossing? On the website it's still being advertised but while buying a ticket for the tour (in English) no one has mentioned anything about buying a separate ticket for the ferry. I bought a regular ticket and did not even see the water. They were not allowing an overnight stay at the time so this should still be included.
2: "The underground slide" I remember taking that as part of the tour in 2010 and it was so much fur for the adults and kids but now...sure you can go on the slide but in your own free time! (between the bathroom break and your possible meal). You can walk back up the 320 steps to take the slide (among all the young kids) just to walk up those 320 steps again when exiting the Mine. Ahm, yeah, that's not fun, I think I'll pass. So instead of the slide we had to take the other "fun" option...walk down those 320 steps.
3. "Underground multimedia exposition" or as I call it "I don't feel like talking to you people, so here is a video...enjoy". The most entertaining part of the multimedia was watching boyfriend fall asleep standing up (I'm not kidding).
4. "The new artwork". I understand that they want to build more and make more but use salt! The whole appeal of seeing the artwork in a salt mine is the fact that they're usually made by the Miners and they are carved out of salt. I can see a nice religious carving in the 1000s of churches around Poland so I was very confused to say the least.
Now, there are still some positives like; the fun train ride, the nice chapel and the history (if it's told right) but I wouldn't go out of my way again just to visit.
Written 5 August 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ela P
Gothenburg, Sweden56 contributions
Dec 2011 • Couples
unique destination in the middle of the poland... warm people and warm atmosphere
Written 23 December 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter F
Chester, UK47 contributions
Nov 2018 • Couples
Bochnia salt mine is much, much quieter than Wieliczka salt mine and just as good. There is just one English-language tour each day (now at 10.30 am). There were just the two of us on the three-hour tour and we had an excellent guide. A marvellous experience. We travelled from Krakow to Bochnia by train (10 zl.) and returned by bus (6 zl.)
It is very odd that Wieliczka is widely advertised in Krakow, but Bochnia not at all.
It is very odd that Wieliczka is widely advertised in Krakow, but Bochnia not at all.
Written 4 December 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ShakespearianOnRoute
26 contributions
Sept 2017 • Friends
Getting ticket was harder than it should have been - no online booking option, email reservation not accepted and phone reservation attempt unsuccessful. Even Sutoris salt mine hotel and tourist office could not sell us a ticket.
But not giving up paid off. We walked up in morning to secure our tickets and space on the 3pm English tour. You can turn up 20mins before tour but if others beat you to it, you could miss out on an amazing tour.
Jacob was our guide - informative, interactive, adjusting to our needs and characters. Not to be missed site with not to be missed english speaking guide. Well worth the money.
But not giving up paid off. We walked up in morning to secure our tickets and space on the 3pm English tour. You can turn up 20mins before tour but if others beat you to it, you could miss out on an amazing tour.
Jacob was our guide - informative, interactive, adjusting to our needs and characters. Not to be missed site with not to be missed english speaking guide. Well worth the money.
Written 28 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kie_0012
Asker, Norway16 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
English speaking guide (reserved by a Polish friend) made the tour very enjoyable and she managed to answer all our questions. The salt mine used rather modern multi media tools, which made the experience more interesting than most mine tours I have ever done. Parking was easy and we enjoyed lunch in a nearby restaurant in the centre of Bochnia afterwards.I would highly recommend this attraction :-)
Written 23 February 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Chciałbym przyjechać z wycieczką do kopalni z noclegiem. 4 lata temu miałam ablację serca, choruje na nadciśnienie. Biorę leki i jest ok. Czy mogę przyjechać?
Written 11 May 2019
Hi, is it possible to book a ticket in advance to the Bochnia mine, or we only can buy it there?
Written 20 August 2018
Hi, you buy a ticket when you arrive, just be 15 minutes before the exit. I recommend visiting the website to check the hours.
Written 7 September 2018
dzien dobry,
od dwoch miesiecy pisze do Panstwa na mail i nie mam zadnej odpowiedzi. Moj mail byl zatytulowany "rozczarowanie z pobytu w komorze Wazyn". Po raz kolejny poslalam do Panstwa mail w dniu 28.07.2017. Moze teraz bedzie jakas reakcja.
Written 21 August 2017
Prosze przeczytac ostatnia recenzje pt.: Rozczarowanie z pobytu w Komorze Wazyn.
Written 22 August 2017
Is there any public transportation from Krakow?
Written 29 May 2015
Yes, sure. Check e-podroznik.pl for finding the suitable bus according to your time and wishes :) Hope you find it helpful :)
Written 30 May 2015
Hi
can you suggest whether we should visit the bochina salt mines or The “Wieliczka.
Thanks
Written 10 April 2015
Wieliczka is world known phenomena, I do recommend Bochnia though. It's much more intimate experience, less queueing and it's nice to see one day hot-spot before everyone else. They are modern, guides are very competent (I'm not certain about their english though, worth checking) and whole tour is amazing multimedia experience. Besides, it's the only place to offer your boat (!) and tiny train (!!) 100m under the ground.
Written 10 April 2015
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