Praid Salt Mine is located in the city with the same name in Harghita County, on 44 Gării Street.
Monday to Sunday from 8:00 to 20:00 in the summer season (June-September)
Monday to Sunday from 8:00 to 16:00 in the rest of the year
* opening hours may vary, they are just for guidance
Adults: 25 Lei
Students: 15 Lei
Adult’s 5-day pass: 12 Lei/day
Student’s 5-day pass: 8 Lei/day
Children under 3 get free pass.
* visiting taxes may vary, they are just for guidance
The largest underground salt mine in Romania and one of the largest in Europe, the Praid Salt Mine is visited by over 200.000 tourists every year. The mine has an elliptical shape and hosts enormous salt deposits more than 1.2km in diameter and has a total depth of 2.700 meters, which makes it colossal.
It is estimated that its history goes back beyond the Roman Empire period, but it was somewhere in the mid-18 th century, when the first underground salt exploitations were attested here, under the direct supervision of Austrian engineer Johann Frendl. The salt they extracted was packed in buffalo skins and pulled to the surface of the ground by a special “extraction machinery” operated by horse power.
Visitors can enter the heart of the mine by bus only that runs every half hour, through a 1.500 meter-long tunnel and then go down 300 steep steps to reach this veritable underground city.
The temperature in the Praid Salt Mine is a constant 16° Celsius all year round, so make sure you take some extra clothes with you.
The air in the Praid Salt Mine is strongly ionized, this is why this particular salt mine is a very popular destination for people suffering from respiratory tract conditions. If you want to visit the salt mine due for health reasons, it is recommended that you spend at least 4 hours a day for 10 days in row here for a complete treatment. Don’t worry there’s plenty to see and do here.
The first level of the mine is a complete tourist destination, with cafes, treatment facilities, restaurants, pool tables, entertainment areas for kids, an adventure park, a library, a museum and even a secluded place for prayers or meditation.
There are many other tourist attraction in the area as well, the most notable is Sovata resort, where you can take a bath in only heliothermal lake in Europe, and the only one of its kind in the world, famous for treating rheumatic conditions and infertility. Amongst other tourist destination in the whereabouts, you can visit the natural reservation at the Corund River canion, the geological monument at Melcilor Hill or the „Rapsonné” Citadel, located only 4 km away from Praid.
The salt massive holds many secrets, but one of its best-kept spell is that of eternity. The legend says that whoever will break the spell will be gifted with eternity, perhaps shifting into a salt rock as evidence.