Salina Turda Mines is an amazing attraction in Salina Turda, Romania! This is an old salt mine and it is found in the Transylvania area of Romania.
It is a great day trip from other towns in Transylvania. Our family visited as part of our backpacking trip through Eastern Europe and it was a highlight!
Amidst the castles, mountains, and fairy tale towns above ground in Transylvania, Salina Turda Mines was a fun and different underground adventure.
Salina Turda Mines Attractions
Salina Turda is no longer an active mine, but has been turned into a local entertainment attraction, along with a showcase of its history as a salt mine of Romania. Both parts of the mine are worth visiting, and your kids will gain valuable knowledge in both areas. For up-to-date prices and hours of operation, check out Salina Turda’s website.
Guide to the Salt Mine
Entrance Front/Back
The salt mine is divided into the two sections – the amusement park and the historical tunnels. The front entrance of the mine will take you immediately into the amusement park section. The back entrance will take you to the tunnels section.
Both entrances sell tickets. The front entrance has a large parking area. The back entrance has limited parking but has a ticket counter and a small coffee shop and souvenir shop.
Historical Tunnels
The tunnels are the informative section of the mine where your family can learn about how salt used to be mined. Follow along the tunnels and watch for arrows to follow that will take you through the excavation process and delivery process.
The machinery is still there from the salt mining days to help your kids envision the process. There are explanations on signs throughout each room in English.
You can also get a sense of the enormous amount of salt in the cave as the salt is completely surrounding you and growing on all the pieces of machinery and artifacts.
*Family Tip: It is quite cool inside the mine, so bring sweaters for everyone!
After you have walked through the array of tunnels, you enter an enormous cave room. And by enormous, I mean ginormous! This is the second area of the mine – the Amusement Park! If you look down, you will see a Ferris wheel and a lake with boats on it faaaaaaar below you!
Amusement Park
To reach the amusement park area, you need to either take the stairs or the elevator. The stairs will take you 13 levels down. The elevator had a very long line for it when we were there. We took the stairs and tried to think of it as good exercise! It still took our 6 year old a long time to climb down. If you have a toddler, I’d recommend waiting for the elevator!
Ferris Wheel Level
Once you arrive down those thirteen flights of stairs, you will see many options of activities for the whole family. Do expect to pay extra cost for many of the activities.
The children’s playground is free and my 6 year old enjoyed it (though most children playing were younger than 6). Parents can sit nearby and watch.
Other activities included putting greens, billiard tables, and table tennis. Though they cost extra, they keep your body moving, which is good to keep you warm way down deep in the salt mine.
The main attraction on this level is the Salina Turda Ferris Wheel. This also costs extra. This ride gives you a view of the mine with the lake in its entirety from the top. The light reflects off the salt walls, making the scene magical.
Lastly on this level is a souvenir shop. You can buy various salt souvenirs and other gems and collectibles. The prices seemed similar to the gift shop by the entrance with very similar items sold.
Boat Level
Now your family can make their way down 13 MORE flights of stairs! Or once again, take the elevator! Here you will find the lake.
Boats are available for rent for 20 minutes at a time. The boats fit up to 3 people and you can row around the whole lake looking up at the enormous salt walls.
The only other activity on this level is sitting and watching the boaters. So, we suggest only going down if you want to take a boat ride or you have the stamina to climb down and back up 13 more flights of stairs.
Is Salina Turda Worth a Visit?
Absolutely, YES! Our family really enjoyed learning about how salt mines mined salt and why Salina Turda was important in mining salt.
We enjoyed the fun activities by the ferris wheel (even though we chose not spend any extra money). We also enjoyed being so cold underground and wearing jackets in summertime!
Especially if you are traveling as a family through Transylvania, this is a wonderful addition to the other attractions found in the area, like castles, fairy tale towns, and steep mountain roads.
