Salina Turda

Salina Turda, near Cluj-Napoca, is one of the most spectacular visitable salt mines in the world, a place where industrial history turns into a futuristic experience. Salt was extracted here from Roman times and intensively in the Middle Ages, and the vast galleries and chambers dug by hand over the centuries have been fitted out as a tourism and treatment centre. You descend tens of metres underground through impressive galleries to the Rudolf chamber, where an underground lake holds rowing boats beneath ceilings furred with salt stalactites.

An amphitheatre, a Ferris wheel, sports courts and glowing panels give it a surreal air. The saline air is prized for its therapeutic effects. The temperature stays constant and cool all year, so bring a jacket; check the schedule, which may vary by season.