If you find yourself in or near Cluj, you have to check out this salt mine turned amusement park. It is called Salina Turda and it takes about a 45 min drive to get there.

It doesn’t look like much from the outside but trust a fellow traveler, there is an amazing experience awaiting for you below.

As you descend down the salt mine, you begin in the tunnel that started it all way back in 1857.

The journey down is a decent walk, but there are a lot of relics on display from when the mine was active. One cannot help but imagine what kind of labor it most of taken to build such a massive cavity underground.

From the top of the entrance you can get a glimpse of the park below before taking an elevator down for the final decent.

The elevator ride down will give you a decent view of everything there is to offer: Children’s playground, a Farris wheel, merry-go-round, pool tables and plenty of other stuff to keep you entertained.

When you reach the bottom, don’t miss the water park section off to the left, it’s easy to miss as your atention is drawn to the back of the pakr. When you find this bridge then you know you are headed the correct way and will be 112 meters (368 ft) underground.

Here is a photo of the cavity they turned into a water park. You can lounge in a few seats available or rent a boat to paddle around in.

The water area also has a large salt deposit left that gives you the illusion of a frozen water fall.

The main town next to the mine looks like it was building up a heavy tourist area so I’m glad I got to see it before that happened. However, there was a lot of construction equipment/material everywhere so I still was unable to get the old town vibe. Rest assured, there will be plenty of delicious places to eat and shops not far away.

I did not have a lot of time to explore the area as I only planned a half day trip to the mine. However, it is worth venturing over to The Reformed Church of Turda Veche for a view. It is the only Augustinian Church in the Transylvania region.

Believed to be originally constructed in 1274 to house a collection of Knights in the order of Saint John. After this, monks took over its caretaking from the 1400 to the 1550s until they were expelled… reasons unknown to me.

Turns out that Turda, Romania was the first town in the country to grant freedom of religion in 1568. Well, off to the next location and thanks for reading!