Discover the oldest salt mine in the world

If you love going to Austria, whether for skiing, mountain trails, or Christmas markets, consider a day trip to Hallstatt. 

Here you will find a fairytale town, regardless of the season, included in the UNESCO heritage due to its cultural and historical importance, and the home of the oldest salt mine in the world, "Salzwelten Hallstatt", with a history of over 7000 years. 

I assure you that both adults and children (access to the salt mine is allowed for those over 4 years old) will enjoy a memorable educational and entertaining experience. 

Adventure and learning for the whole family. 

Hallstat is loved by tourists from all over the world due to its unique combination of spectacular landscapes, rich history and idyllic atmosphere, being easily accessible from Vienna or Salzburg.  

It would be best to arrive here early in the day, as the paid public parking lots, although they seem spacious, fill up very quickly with visitors eager to photograph the reflection of the colorful houses built on the steep slopes and on the lake's waters (this being one of the most photographed images in the world). 

The salt mine is located above the town, and access is either on foot, on a well-maintained but sloping path, which offers superb views throughout and which, depending on the level of physical fitness, I understand would involve around 40 minutes of walking, or with the help of a funicular.  

The funicular ride, i.e. the 868 vertical meters, takes approximately 5 minutes. Tickets can be purchased online for the round trip, or just one of them (https://tickets.salzwelten.at/en/2/tours) .  

Prices for one person are 28 euros round trip with the funicular, and 12 euros for the mine tour. 

Typically, departure intervals from the station are every 10 minutes, but the first-come, first-served rule applies. 

From the funicular station to the entrance to the salt mine, there are still approximately 600 m to walk on a path that is also sloping, meaning about a 10-15 minute walk.  

It is a very beautifully landscaped area, with an impressive viewpoint, a restaurant, and an open-air museum with remarkable archaeological discoveries, as a preamble to the stories from prehistoric times that have defined the history of the area and those who lived here over time.  

All information is accessible for free through an audio guide, available in 13 languages, once you download the app. Salt worlds Audio Guide App from the Apple Store or Google Play. 

It is worth noting that the last tour in the mine starts at 2:30 PM, and the last descent with the funicular is at 4:30 PM. The duration of a tour is a maximum of 90 minutes.  

For the tour, tickets can also be purchased at the mine reception (subject to availability), on the website (at least 24 hours before your estimated arrival time, but I would say 48 hours in advance), or on various platforms (our favorite for such occasions is GetYourGuide).  

Whichever option you choose, I recommend purchasing tickets in advance to benefit from the full experience, as the mine can only be visited with a guide. 

In fact, this was one of the first surprises. Accustomed to visiting salt mines with high galleries and generous spaces, we were welcomed by a young man who communicated to us in German and English, briefly and to the point, that he would be our guide. After we put on a uniform provided by the salt mine to protect our clothes, we would have to follow him walking between the tracks of a mining train, one behind the other for most of the time, with great care for our heads given the extremely low ceiling. 

Quite amused by the way we were dressed, we enthusiastically set off to explore the galleries of the salt mine, appreciating the mysterious atmosphere and listening attentively to the information provided by our guide.  

The temperature in the salt mine is constant, 8 degrees, and the diffused light stimulates the imagination in accordance with what the guide says: "Even about 7000 years ago, the high valley of Hallstatt was a place where the "white gold" offered miners and their families a basis for their life and work. Today's visitors follow in the footsteps of those first prehistoric settlers, where people have been extracting salt since the Stone Age. We can only guess what life must have been like in those distant times." 

The main attractions of the salt mine are 2 mining slides, one of which is 64 m long, considered the longest in Europe, seven very large salt crystals in the Salt Crystal Chamber and an underground salt lake.   

Since 2015, a wooden ladder found during archaeological mining investigations in Salzberg has also been on display. It was used by prehistoric miners in Salzberg 3,500 years ago, and is the oldest surviving wooden ladder on the European continent. 

The solid wood slides are part of the underground tourist trail and are used both for entertainment and to recreate the way miners used to move around in the past. They are a unique attraction, suitable for both young and old. 

Before descending, we were encouraged by the guide to measure our speed, which added an extremely fun element of competition, and a memorable photo at the end, on which the speed achieved was recorded. 

We appreciated the organizers' efforts to provide a complete experience from a visual, audio, and sensory point of view, with the mine even having 2 mini-amphitheaters, ideal for taking a short break and watching short videos on the screens, or understanding, through interactive projections, modern salt mining technology. 

In addition, we had the opportunity to taste the salt extracted from the mine and touch the salt crystals. 

The tour ended with a 5-minute walk to the exit of the last gallery, on a mining train – a combination of adrenaline and excitement that we all enjoyed, as well as a small gift from the guide in the form of a mini-salt shaker, very practical when traveling. 

I enthusiastically recommend a visit here for the opportunity to create memories with your loved ones, but also for the special setting, full of history, adventure and picturesqueness of the town of Hallstatt, which you will fall in love with irremediably! 

Have you already visited Hallstatt or the salt mine? How was it and what did you like the most? 

Experience urban salinotherapy in Bucharest 

If you can't make it to Hallstatt to visit the salt pan, we'll be waiting for you at Salina by ABC, where we offer you an authentic experience, tailored to your urban needs. 

In our Salt Mine, you will be welcomed by a unique atmosphere, created especially for relaxation, fun, and to support immunity in a natural way. 

Here you can experience the therapeutic benefits of saline aerosols in a modern space, where the walls are covered with Himalayan salt and salt brought from the Praid mine, and the temperature and humidity provide the necessary comfort for you to enjoy your salt therapy sessions. 

Salina by ABC hosts weekly Events captivating for children aged 2 to 8, thus offering the ideal package – salt therapy and lots of fun. 

The fun is not limited to Sundays, when Salina hosts the magic of stories.  

Every day, the little ones enjoy the recorded performances of the Children's Comic Opera and the creative activities available to them - materials for drawing, writing and building, books to read, toy cars and the much-loved slide. Last but not least, the children socialize and make friends in the warm atmosphere of our Saltworks. 

At Salina by ABC you will find three types of packages for salt therapy sessions, so you can choose the option that suits you best. 

You can find us every day at Strada Delea Nouă 15 – https://li-nk.ro/qmtkk .  

The schedule is Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 20:00 and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 to 14:00. 

For any information you need, you can contact us CALL at the phone number 0733 809 377, and at the e-mail address [email protected].  

We look forward to seeing you discover Salina by ABC and enjoy all the benefits we offer.