On Foot in Wieliczka

The walk described here covers roughly 3 km and links the town’s sights leg by leg. Budget 2 to 3 hours, longer if you go inside the churches. It is a route for pavements and parks, because the mine can be entered only with a guide.

Before you start

  • Choose a start by how you arrive. Bus 304 stops at Wieliczka Rynek, near the Regis Shaft, and at Wieliczka Kopalnia Soli, near the Daniłowicz Shaft. The SKA train reaches Wieliczka Rynek-Kopalnia in about 20 to 25 minutes from Kraków Główny.
  • Wear shoes made for cobblestones. The ground climbs from the railway line into the foothills.

Leg 1: lower town

Begin at the Regis Shaft on plac Kościuszki 9, where the brick tower marks the old shaft head. A statue of Feliks Piestrak, a mining engineer and reformer, stands close by. Look next toward the Saltworks Castle on ulica Zamkowa. It is closed while its last modernisation stage is carried out, so enjoy it as a landmark from the street where possible and skip any idea of a courtyard stroll. Reopening is planned for 2028.

Leg 2: the church and the square

Next comes the Church of St Clement, the neoclassical parish church for salt miners, with the Montelupi bell tower beside it. Use a quiet voice, because services take place. From there reach the Upper Market Square. Find the marked viewing spot for Solny Świat, a street painting by Ryszard Paprocki that turns the paving into an apparent mine shaft. It is open at all hours and free.

Leg 3: the hill

Head south-east along ulica Jana Matejki, uphill to the Church of St Sebastian on ulica św. Sebastiana. This wooden larch church from 1578 has painted walls by Włodzimierz Tetmajer, showing miners and Polish saints. When no Mass is under way, you can enter without paying.

Leg 4: the parks

Come downhill through Park Mickiewicza and the Salinarny park to reach the Daniłowicz Shaft. Alongside it in St Kinga Park stands the Graduation Tower, with 3,200 square metres of blackthorn and a 22.5 m lookout. A ticket costs 10 PLN. It runs from spring to autumn, with dates posted on the tower’s page . On the day you tour a mine route, a combined tower ticket is on offer.

Food and rest

Bistro Posolone is beside the Daniłowicz Shaft, the Hotel Grand Sal restaurant is nearby, and toilets are next to the shaft.

Adding the mine

For a mine slot, choose the Tourist Route through bilety.kopalnia.pl , where a normal ticket is 119 PLN and a reduced one 93 PLN, subject to language and season. Those who prefer a guide for the town can search Viator .

Read more: Wieliczka shafts, squares and churches gives dates and background, and the 2 day Kraków itinerary pairs the walk with a city visit.