Southern Polish town near Kraków, known for one of Europe's oldest salt mines.
Bochnia is a small town in southern Poland, about 40 km east of Kraków, best known for its salt mine — the oldest in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe, predating even the more famous one at Wieliczka. The mine has been in operation since at least the 13th century and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Underground, you will find carved chambers, a chapel, a health spa, and even a fitness centre — all hewn out of rock salt hundreds of metres below the surface.
The town itself is pleasant and compact, centred on the traditional market square — the Rynek — lined with restaurants and cafes and dominated by the Gothic Basilica of St Nicholas. The Stanisław Fischer Museum, in a former Dominican monastery just off the square, fills out a wet afternoon. To the south, the Renaissance castle at Nowy Wiśnicz and the UNESCO-listed wooden church at Lipnica Murowana make a good day out together.
Bochnia makes an easy day trip from Kraków or a quiet overnight stop on the way further east.
Guide
Eating Out
Eating in Bochnia is straightforward Polish — pierogi, kotlet schabowy (breaded pork chop), hearty soups and the rest of the small-town menu. Several restaurants ring the Rynek and serve very capable lunches for around 30-50 zlotys.
Restauracja Murana on the Rynek is the reliable upmarket choice, with good pierogi and grilled meats. For a more casual lunch, Pizzeria Mamma Mia does honest Italian, and the bary mleczne (milk bars) on the side streets serve filling Polish staples for almost nothing. Stop for a coffee and szarlotka (apple cake) at one of the cafés on Sutoris before heading back to Kraków.
Guide
Getting There
Bochnia is on the main railway line between Kraków and Tarnów. The journey from Kraków Główny to Bochnia takes about 40 minutes on a regional train (every hour or so) or 30 minutes on the faster EIC/IC services. From Tarnów it is about 30 minutes; from Warsaw, the express runs through in just over 2.5 hours.
By road, Bochnia is on the A4 motorway between Kraków and Rzeszów — about a 45-minute drive from central Kraków. Most visitors come for the day as part of a Kraków trip; both Wieliczka (the other salt mine) and Bochnia can comfortably be done from the same base.
