Wieliczka Salt Mine Guided Tour from Krakow

It started with being told our trip had changed times of leaving only to have the bus driver call us at the original time to say we needed to be on the bus then. We booked a small private tour only to find when we got to the salt mines we were grouped in with others who turned up. We could have bought tickets ourselves and joined any English speaking tour for the same experience. The tour guide and the salt mines didn’t disappoint but our tour time didn’t give us time to visit the last three caverns or sit and eat at the eateries there. The bus driver was very professional.

We booked through trip advisor, advised of the address that we were staying at for a hotel pickup to receive a WhatsApp message to say that we would need to walk to the general meet up location which was no major issue. The driver gave a time then 10-15 minute before was pressuring us to arrive earlier than agreed. The driver barely acknowledged that we were getting on to to the correct minibus and gave no information. When we arrived at the mine the driver told us to join a queue which we were stood in for 50+ minutes (at least 45 minutes past the time we were booked to join a tour). None of the other members of our minibus received any information from the driver during this time. Another driver eventually sorted us getting on a tour. The tour of 22 people actually ended up being over 50 people with a handful of older, less mobile people who slowed the pace of everyone behind them causing the audio guide to cut out at various points. The guide that gave us the tour was really informative and well informed. The driver had not given us a meet up time or point before leaving us to attend the tour, so when we managed to connect to wifi in the restaurant at the end of the tour to ask how long we had left (so that we could take the 45 minute museum tour) to be told that the driver wanted us to be back within 20 minutes. It took a lot of effort to not reply “yes, we wanted to be on the tour that we were booked on, but you don’t always get what you want”. It was a 10 minute walk from the restaurant to the lift to the surface where we queued for approximately 30 minutes. When we got back to the mini bus (which had been moved without anyone on the tour being informed the driver simply blew the horn to gain our attention. When we got back on to the mini bus there was again no acknowledgement. I joined a tour 16 years ago so know that this is not a normal experience, but in all very disappointing considering the amount of money that everyone on our mini bus paid for the convenience of being transported to join this tour. Today we attended the Auschwitz and Birkenau tour with the same provider and were apprehensive but the driver was the complete opposite and provided much more information ahead of the tour. As with the salt mine tour we were not picked up from our accommodation, details of which we had provided through Tripadvisor so assume that this is an issue on the part of Tripadvisor.

The title of the trip states ‘Guided Small group tour’. No more than 22. What it actually meant was small bus but you joined a huge huge group of random people at the site for the guided tour. The guide led at a very brisk pace which some of the participants found challenging. The need to complete the tour in the allotted time was compelling. The experience was amazing. Such fantastic carvings and salt crystal chandeliers. The extraordinary conditions for the workers and horses. Well worth the trip

The salt mines were amazing although be prepared for alot of walking but worth it I would say with this company there was nil communication until they were paid then replied to my numerous messages the day before we were due to go to say that "unfortunely as we are travelling by a bigger car we only have option for the pick up from pick up point" i queried as i had booked my hotel pick up and was told "as we are travelling by coach our vehicle does not fit into the restrictions imposed by Krakow City Authorities which means our driver cant pick you up at your hotel" but we were around the corner from a bus station and had several coaches at our hotel even the ukranian football team coach so there was no excuse they had no intention of picking us up from our hotel and we found it was cheaper and easier to get an uber straight there than to get to the place they told us to go and spend an hour on the bus picking everyone else up too just book a ticket and tour guide and uber it that would be my suggestion save money and time

Great experience at the salt mines and well looked after by Andrew from GR8WAY tours .