Turda Salt Mine: reviews, price 2026 and practical tips

Beneath Turda, an underground amusement park carved into salt

The elevator drops and the scenery shifts completely. You leave the surface behind to enter a former salt mine converted into a leisure center, where carved rock walls tower over a Ferris wheel, miniature golf, and bowling lanes installed right on the underground floor.

On the underground lake of the Mina Maria Tereza, the site's main attraction, small boats are available for rent to glide between walls lit by lamps.

Why visit Turda Salt Mine

Closed to industrial extraction, the mine was opened to the public in 1992 for tourism and health purposes, before being renovated in 2009. Today, it is listed as a historic monument by the Romanian Ministry of Culture (Ministerul Culturii).

Inside, a few original tools dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries remain, along with woodwork and an altar carved directly into the salt. Only three galleries are open to visitors: the Iosif, Maria Tereza, and Rudolf mines, along with the Franz Josef gallery.

Salt as a remedy

Part of the site is dedicated to halotherapy, where air rich in saline particles is used to relieve certain respiratory conditions. Treatment rooms and an amphitheater round out this underground health center, set in an atmosphere where the temperature stays constant between 10 and 12 degrees with humidity levels between 75 and 80 percent.

From the upper balconies, the sweeping view lets you take in the carved walls and all the facilities set up deep within the mine in a single glance.

Friendly tip: pack a jacket even in summer, as the chill underground is permanent, and wear sturdy shoes since some walkways are damp or slick. Plan for two to three hours on site at a minimum.