July 2022

There is an old salt mine in Transylvania. It was first mentioned in 1075 and the first official document granting privileges to use the mine was issued in 1271. Explorations stopped in 1932. You can imagine how deep they dug during centuries. 

These days there is a salt therapy spa, a museum and an underground amusement park in the rooms of the old mine. This was our stop on the way from Brasov to Cluj-Napoca. 

A funny thing happened to us on the way to Turda. We stopped to have lunch in a fast-food restaurant. The place was serving burgers with chicken, pork and fish. We ordered two chicken burgers and one fish burger. We had to overcome the language barrier, but we were pretty sure we did well. It turned out later that one of the burgers was lost in translation. While we were waiting, a gentleman (probably, the manager) came to our table and told us that they made a pork burger instead of a chicken one, but they were going to replace it. We told him that pork would do, so they could just bring it. Finally they brought all three, but did not charge for the chicken. All three were very tasty.

The mine is a full day commitment (at least, half a day). Besides, we did not have a place to stay in Cluj anyway, so we settled in Turda for two days. 

There are two large paid parking lots near the main entrance to Salina Turda. The closest one was full when we arrived. The parking fee is about 1€/hour (bring cash). 

Again we must warn you that it is cold down there. Bring along warm clothes if you come in summer.

While explorations ended in the beginning of XX century, salt is still there. The walls are literally covered with salt.

There are several rooms in the mine, so try not to get lost while exploring. Some stairs are one way only (well, you can slam against the tide, but you probably should not).

To get to the Rudolf mine, the one with the Ferris wheel and other attractions, you can use stairs or the elevator. There are 13 levels of stairs and a long queue to the elevator. Choose wisely.

From Rudolf mine you can descend even deeper to Theresa mine with a salt lake at the bottom and an island in the middle. The lake formed from the water seeping through the walls and the island formed from residual low-grade salt deposited here after 1880. Again it is either elevator (you will have to wait!) or stairs. Bear in mind that it is stuffy at the bottom of this mine. The salty air is good for respiratory health, there is just not enough oxygen in the deepest chamber. 

All attractions in the mines require a separate fee. There is no food underground, but there is a restaurant near the parking lot. 

Salina Turda is open  from 09:00 am to 05:00 pm. You can check schedule and fees here. You can buy tickets to Salina Turda online here.