It is the most visited sight in Cluj County, with about 600,000 visitors a year, and one of the few salt mines in Europe where the old extraction machinery is still in place.
About the place
Salt has been dug at Turda for at least two thousand years, and a document from 1075 already mentions the salt customs post here. The mines you visit today date from the Habsburg era: the bell-shaped Terezia Mine, opened in 1690 and 90 m high, with an underground lake and a salt island; the Iosif Mine, the 'Echo Hall', where a sound repeats up to 20 times; and the Rudolf Mine, worked until 1932. The 917 m Franz Josef gallery links the mines to the old entrance.
Along the route you see the Crivac Hall with an 1881 horse-driven winch, the Rich Men's Staircase and the altar the miners carved into the salt. Since the 2008–2010 refit, the Rudolf Mine has a panoramic lift, a Ferris wheel and sports courts, and you can row a boat on the Terezia lake. In October 2026 funding was signed to open the Iosif Mine fully by 2029; the salt mine stays open during the works.
Good to know
- It opens daily from 9:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:20; hours change at Christmas and New Year (in 2025–2026 it was closed on 25 December and 1 January).
- Buy tickets online at bilete.salinaturda.eu and bring a warm layer: it is cool underground all year.
- Visitors with reduced mobility use the old entrance at Strada Salinelor 54B; in summer the Durgău lido with its salt lakes opens next to the new entrance.
Opening hours
| Monday | 9–17 |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | 9–17 |
| Wednesday | 9–17 |
| Thursday | 9–17 |
| Friday | 9–17 |
| Saturday | 9–17 |
| Sunday | 9–17 |
Hours may change on public holidays. Check before you go.