People were mining salt at Bochnia by the middle of the thirteenth century, which makes it the oldest salt mine in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe still open to visitors. For centuries the salt from here and from Wieliczka, about twenty-five kilometres to the west, filled the coffers of the Polish kings; at times it accounted for a remarkable share of the royal income. Together the two mines and the royal castle at Wieliczka form a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Going down is the experience. A lift drops you deep underground into a world of tunnels, chambers and chapels carved out of grey salt, with wooden supports, old winches and machinery that tell the story of hard, dangerous work over seven centuries. Part of the tour is by underground railway, and there is a long wooden slide that visitors of all ages seem to enjoy far more than expected. The largest chamber, the Ważyn, has been used as a sports hall and a sanatorium, because the cool, salty air is believed to help breathing problems, and you can even spend the night down there.
Bochnia itself is a pleasant market town of around thirty thousand people, east of Kraków, with a square, a large Gothic basilica and the mine's headframe rising over the rooftops. The riding nearby is mostly flat to rolling, with busy main roads and the A4 motorway, which has tolls on some sections. Head south and things get much more interesting: the Beskid foothills begin within half an hour, with winding roads through wooded hills, wooden churches and small resort towns on the way towards the Tatra mountains.
Fuel, food and accommodation are easy to find in town. Bring a warm layer for the mine, where the temperature stays cool all year, and good shoes for the stairs and uneven floors. Polish home cooking is the perfect fuel for an underground adventure: pierogi with potato and cheese, żurek sour rye soup served in a bread bowl, or a hearty bowl of bigos, hunter's stew of cabbage and meat, washed down with compote or a cold local beer once the riding is done.