Guido Coal Mine in Zabrze

Guido Coal Mine in Zabrze (say "ZAH-bzheh") is a historic coal mine in Poland's Silesia region where you ride a real miners' cage 320 meters (about 1,050 feet) underground. The museum calls it the lowest-lying tourist route in Europe. Down below you walk through mine galleries, watch heavy mining machines being switched on, ride the only suspended electric mine railway in Poland and can even stop for a drink at an underground pub. It is one of the top things to do in Upper Silesia and an easy day trip from Kraków or Katowice.

A short history of the Guido mine

The mine was founded in 1855 by Count Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck, a Silesian industrial magnate who named it after himself. Output peaked at 313,000 tons of coal in 1885; two years later the count sold it to the Prussian state, which merged it into the larger Queen Louise (Królowa Luiza) mine. The steel headframe over the Kolejowy shaft, the mine's landmark, dates from 1901.

A mining open-air museum was set up here in 1982. The 170 m level opened to visitors in 2007 and the 320 m level in 2008; since 2013 Guido has been part of the Coal Mining Museum in Zabrze (Muzeum Górnictwa Węglowego). In July 2020 it became part of the Monument of History "Zabrze – complex of historic coal mines", together with the Queen Louise Adit and the Main Key Hereditary Adit. Monument of History is the highest national heritage designation in Poland, granted by presidential decree.

What you see underground

• The cage ride down 320 m — the museum likens it to dropping about 100 floors.
• Level 170 with an underground chapel.
• Level 320 — supported galleries, conveyors and modern mining machines demonstrated by the guides, the suspended electric railway ride and a pub the museum bills as the world's lowest.
• Sublevel 355, visited on the "Mroki Kopalni" (Darkness of the Mine) tour, with raw workings that until recently only miners entered.

Tours, tickets and opening hours

All visits are guided and run at set times. Prices as of October 2026 in Polish złoty (online or prepaid / at the ticket desk on the day):

• Underground Mining Walk (Podziemny Spacer Górniczy) — about 2 hours, age 6+, daily 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.: adults 65 / 70 PLN, reduced and family (per person) 55 / 60 PLN. Tours in a foreign language cost 95 PLN (reduced 80 PLN) — check the languages and times when booking.
• Mroki Kopalni — about 2.5 hours, age 10+, Tuesday–Sunday: 65 / 70 PLN.
• Podziemna Szychta (Underground Shift) — about 3 hours, adults only, with hands-on mining tasks, Tuesday–Sunday: 120 / 125 PLN.
• Superticket — the Mining Walk plus the underground boat ride at the Queen Louise Adit (about 5 hours in total, plus travel between sites), up to 20 PLN cheaper.
• Pub only: 10 PLN for the ride down (pub open Tuesday–Sunday 11:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m.).

Tickets are sold online at podziemnaprzygoda.pl (the site is in Polish); buying ahead is 5–10 PLN cheaper and guarantees a place.

Tips: what to wear, accessibility and winter visits

The temperature underground stays at 12–16°C (54–61°F) all year, so bring a warm layer and closed shoes. Arrive 15 minutes early to check in; helmets and lamps are provided. There are lockers, restrooms and an EV charger on site.

Because the weather doesn't matter underground, Guido is a great winter activity in Silesia. Tours run year-round on the regular schedule; check holiday hours (Christmas, New Year's Day) on the museum website. Special events include a Halloween-style Horror Party on October 24, 2026 and "Music on Level" concerts on November 21 and December 17, 2026. In early December the region celebrates Barbórka, the miners' feast of St. Barbara.

Not every part of the authentic workings can be made step-free. Visitors with disabilities are asked to contact the museum before the visit (tel. +48 32 271 40 77) so the tour can be adapted.

How to get to the Guido mine

The address is ul. 3 Maja 93, Zabrze. The mine is about 6 km from the A1 and A4 motorways; central Katowice is 19 km away (around 20 minutes by car), Kraków about 100 km and Katowice Airport about 50 km. There is a paid parking lot. By public transport, get off at the "Guido Kopalnia Zabytkowa" stop, served among others by lines 7 and 23 from Katowice. Double-check the address: the Queen Louise Adit is elsewhere in town (ul. Wolności 408).

Is it worth visiting?

If you want to understand what built Upper Silesia — and see it for real rather than through glass — yes. Combine Guido with the Queen Louise Adit for a full day, or stay at the Guido Hostel next door.

Nearby

• Queen Louise Adit (Sztolnia Królowa Luiza) — underground boat ride and the Carnall Zone with a working steam engine more than 100 years old.
• Water Tower with the CARBONEUM exhibition — an interactive coal science center with views over Silesia.