Pictures fail to do justice to the full grandeur of this 700 year (and counting) old salt mine. Still in operation (albeit scaled down), the mine also functions as a tourist attraction (one of the top 12 in the world), as a sanatorium (for the healthy, salty air), and an events center (concerts, receptions, etc. are held in the Warszawa chamber).

The mine is enormous: begun in the 11th century, it now covers 7.5 million square meters spanning 9 levels and plunging 300 meters down. The tour -- come prepared for a good 2 hours underground covering up to 2 miles of the mine -- will take you through 3 chapels (the salt-carved Kinga Chapel being the highlight), the 30 m+ high excavation chambers, and the 7 m deep salt lakes. Finally, you get to appreciate all the work that went into removing salt in the museum which exhibits mining equipment, paintings and the lot.