Salina Turda

The Salina Turda is an extraordinary salt mine in the hills north of Turda that has been converted into an underground amusement park, wellness centre, and tourist attraction unlike anything else in Romania. The main chamber — the Crivac Mine — is 90 metres deep and 67 metres in diameter, with vast white salt walls and a vaulted ceiling that recedes into darkness above. Inside this chamber, visitors find a Ferris wheel, a rowing boat lake, mini golf, a bowling alley, and an amphitheatre, all lit in eerie coloured light against the ancient salt formations. A glass elevator runs through the centre of the space.

The effect is genuinely disorienting and impressive. The air inside is cool and extremely humid, with a high salt concentration that is claimed to have therapeutic benefits for respiratory conditions — the mine has been operating as a health resort as well as a tourist site since the 1940s. The temperature remains constant at around 12°C year-round. Plan to spend two to three hours. The mine is hugely popular and advance booking is strongly recommended, particularly in summer and on weekends. The site is in the Durgău-Valea Sărată area, about 3 km from Turda town centre, and easily reached by bus or taxi.

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A story
Salt mining at Turda is documented since Roman times — the Romans knew the site as Potaissa and exploited the salt deposits extensively. Medieval mining continued through the 11th to 17th centuries, but the large underground chambers you walk through today were created during intensive extraction in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Mining stopped entirely in 1932 as cheaper industrial methods made the site economically unviable. The conversion to an amusement park and health resort began in the 1990s — and the result is genuinely one of the stranger places in Europe.