About Cacica Salt Mine
Salt was boiled out of the brine springs around Cacica as far back as the Neolithic, and excavations here found traces of one of the oldest brine salt works in Europe, from the 5th millennium BC. The mine itself is much younger: after Bukovina came under Austrian rule, Vienna looked for its own source of salt, and a shaft dug in 1790 struck the deposit. The mine went into production in 1791, with miners brought mainly from Galicia, from Wieliczka and Bochnia, Polish Roman Catholics whose descendants still live in the village.
Unlike the big salt mines turned into amusement parks, Cacica has stayed an old, small, hand-dug mine, with narrow galleries and halls carved without machinery. The visitor route, open to the public since the mid-19th century, runs through the upper levels of the mine; salt is still produced today, but by dissolving it from boreholes rather than with pickaxes.
What you can see
You enter through the extraction shaft building, which houses a small mine museum, and go down a spiral staircase of 192 fir steps, over two centuries old and mineralised by the brine. At 29 m you reach the chapel of Saint Barbara, patron saint of miners, carved in the early 19th century by the Catholic miners, with an altar and pulpit cut from salt; on 4 December, Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic priests hold a service here together. Further down, the gallery walls bear reliefs and icons sculpted in salt.
Before the ballroom, at 39 m, you pass the salt lake, over 2 m deep, and at 42 m the ballroom opens up, framed by balconies cut into the salt, where parties were once held. The route also takes in the Dwarfs' Grotto, an echo chamber and an underground football pitch.
Good to know
There is no lift for visitors: you walk down and back up the 192 damp, steep steps. Underground it is about 14 °C all year, so bring a jacket and shoes with good grip. In summer, a saltwater open-air pool operates next to the mine.
- The chapel of Saint Barbara, 29 m down, with its altar and pulpit carved in salt by miners two centuries ago.
- The spiral staircase of 192 fir steps, mineralised by the brine, that takes you down into the mine.
- The underground salt lake, over 2 m deep, just before the ballroom.
- The ballroom at 42 m, with balconies cut straight into the salt massif.
- The reliefs and icons sculpted into the salt walls of the galleries.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: Cacica is in Bukovina, 19 km north-east of Gura Humorului on the DN2E (Păltinoasa – Cacica – Solca, ~25 minutes). From Suceava it is ~35 km (~45 minutes), on the DN17 towards Gura Humorului and then on county roads, or ~50 km on the DN17 to Păltinoasa and then the DN2E; from Rădăuți ~30 km (~40 minutes), from Iași ~165 km (~3 hours). The mine is in the village centre, on Strada Republicii, near the Marian Sanctuary basilica; it combines easily with the Voroneț, Humor and Sucevița monasteries.
Public transport: the nearest railway station is in Gura Humorului (Suceava – Vatra Dornei line); from there, take a minibus towards Solca via Cacica or a taxi. There are also minibuses from Suceava to Cacica, but they are infrequent; check the timetable beforehand.
- Where to park
Maps show a car park next to the mine entrance and a few more in the village centre, by the basilica, 300–400 m away. The parking fee is not given on the official website.
- Fees & discounts
Official prices (September 2026), per person per day: adults 38 lei; children and pupils aged 3–18 25 lei; students up to 26 33 lei; seniors over 65 30 lei; adults with disabilities and their carer 31 lei, children with disabilities 17 lei; under 3 free. Groups: adults 33 lei, pupils 20 lei, students 28 lei, seniors 25 lei, with one free entry per 10 pupil tickets or per 20 other tickets. Passes of at least 5 days: 33/20/28/25 lei a day. Saltwater pool: adults 33 lei, children 15 lei a day. Professional photography costs from 2,000 lei a day + VAT. Tickets can also be bought online on Easy2visit and Eventim; they are valid for a single entry per day, and licensed tour guides go in free.
- Rules
Access is only by the 192-step wooden staircase, so the mine is not suitable for pushchairs, wheelchairs or anyone who finds climbing difficult. Children under 3 need a note from their GP or enter at the accompanying adult's responsibility. No pets. Follow the staff's instructions and the signs; professional or commercial photography and filming are charged separately. Bringing or using mud at the saltwater pool is forbidden. Dress warmly: it is about 14 °C underground.
- Facilities
Small mine museum in the shaft building · souvenir shop, open on visiting days · the "Cafea la sare by Salrom" café, with shorter hours outside summer · saltwater pool with showers and toilets · underground football pitch and echo chamber · no lift, stairs only
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