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Dürrnberg Salt Mines Salzburg

Twenty minutes south of Salzburg lies the scenic town of Hallein. Home to the Dürrnberg Salt Mines that gave Salzburg it’s name and wealth, it made the surrounding area a powerful trading community in medieval times. The Dürrnberg Salt Mines are some of the oldest in the world, originally built and worked by Celtic tribes over 7,000 years ago.

Visitors to the mine can attend a guided tour covering over a half a mile inside the caves. At the start of the tour over-alls are given to protect clothing from the dirt inside the mines. Although mostly for show, the over-alls add to the fun and spirit of exploring Dürrnberg.

The tour includes short educational videos about the salt mines (German with English subtitles), a boat ride on an underground lake, and viewing a prehistoric corpse that was preserved by the salt within the caves, and found in 1616.

A small museum finishes off the tour with displays of historic scenes related to the history of the mine.

If staying in Salzburg, a special ticket Salt ticket can be bought at the main train station for $30. Included in the salt ticket is a train ticket to Hallein, a bus ticket to the mines, and the ticket for the tour. Touring the salt mines is a great way to spend a day in Austria and is well worth the short trip outside of Salzburg.