Mina de Sal-Gema de Loulé

The Mina de Sal-Gema de Loulé (rock-salt mine) is under the eastern edge of the town, in an area called Campina de Cima. The company that runs it, Tech Salt, still mines salt here, so this is a working industrial site that opens its tunnels to visitors, not a museum built to look like a mine.

Everyone is given a hard hat, a torch and a reflective vest before going down. Then you squeeze into a cage lift that holds seven people and drops 230 metres in about three minutes. For most children, that ride is the moment they talk about afterwards. At the bottom, a guide leads the group on a walk of about 1.3 kilometres through the galleries. The tour covers the geology of the salt, how the mine has been worked over the years, and what the salt is used for today. Tours run in Portuguese and English, and the mine’s two mascots, Fininho and Salty, are used to pitch the story at younger visitors.

The mine is the deepest place you can visit as a tourist in Portugal. The salt itself formed around 230 million years ago, and the tunnels now run for more than 35 kilometres, so what you walk is a small slice of a very big underground space. Visit Loulé describes a maze of galleries in different colours, with mining machinery along the way.

The salt was found by accident. In the 1950s, farmers around Campina de Cima drilled deep boreholes looking for water for their cattle, and the water that came up tasted salty. Geologists spent years testing the ground before a mining company was set up in 1963. In January 1964, experienced miners who had worked at the old copper mine of São Domingos in the Alentejo started digging the two shafts. Two years later, a tunnel 230 metres down joined the shafts together so fresh air could flow through, and mining began.

The miners leave big pillars of salt standing to hold up the roof and cut out the “rooms” in between. The mine’s own history says it was the first in Portugal to use diesel machines underground instead of little electric trains on rails. Since 1989 it hasn’t used explosives at all; big cutting machines grind the salt out of the rock face instead. Most of the salt used to go to chemical factories. Today it’s sold for gritting icy roads in winter, for animal feed and for other industrial uses.

That gives you plenty to talk about on the walk, such as why the roof doesn’t fall in and how fresh air reaches a tunnel 230 metres down.

Saint Barbara is the patron saint of miners, and the mine keeps a large collection of sculptures, paintings and religious objects about her from many countries. When we checked, you could buy a combined mine tour and art collection ticket (€30), or see the collection on its own (€15), at set times on weekdays. The online shop also listed a mine tour that includes a contemporary painting exhibition by the artist Klaus Zylla. Younger children will probably care more about the lift and the tunnels than the art, so the plain mine tour is the easier choice with them.

The mine does not let in children under 6, and children aged 6 to 12 must be with an adult. Six- and seven-year-olds who like machines and big holes usually cope well, because the lift ride and the hard hat keep them busy. Older children and teenagers get more from the geology and engineering. Teens pay the adult price.

The mine says people who are afraid of the dark or of enclosed spaces should not go down, including anyone who feels uneasy in underground car parks, the metro or caves. Think honestly about that before booking with an anxious child, because once the group is down, coming back up early is only possible for a good reason. The walk is 1.3 kilometres on foot and the site has no facilities for people with reduced mobility, so it doesn’t work with a buggy or wheelchair. Pets are not allowed, guide dogs included.

Tours run on weekdays only, with four Portuguese and four English departures a day, plus a few French and German tours on set days. When we checked, the official price table listed adults (13 to 64) at €25, seniors at €22, children aged 6 to 12 at €17 and a family ticket for two adults and two children at €65, with each extra child €10. Loulé residents pay €17. There is also a small-group “mining experience” option for 2 to 9 people at €60; ask the mine what it includes.

The mine says you don’t have to book as an individual, though groups should. With fixed tour times and a small lift, booking online is the safer way to avoid a wait. Arrive 10 minutes before your tour to check in.

It’s a steady 23 to 24°C underground all year, so a T-shirt is fine even in January, and it’s a cool escape in August. Wear comfortable clothes and closed shoes. There are drinking-water points inside the mine, and you’re allowed a snack as long as it doesn’t hold up the group and you don’t leave rubbish. You can take photos and film, but the mine asks you to respect the privacy of the miners and other visitors.

Loulé’s town centre, with its covered market, is a short drive away. Faro’s Centro Ciência Viva do Algarve makes a good second science stop on the same day. For children who want more mines, the Parque Mineiro de Aljustrel and the old copper mine at Mina de São Domingos, where Loulé’s first miners learned their trade, are both in the Alentejo. Loulé also holds a carnival every February (see What’s on).

How old do children have to be to visit the Loulé salt mine?

At least 6. Children aged 6 to 12 must be with an adult, and the mine recommends one adult for every ten children.

Is the Loulé salt mine open at weekends?

The published timetable only lists weekday tours. For a weekend or a private time, contact the mine directly on +351 925 969 369.

How long does the salt mine tour take?

Allow up to two hours, including kitting out, the lift ride and the 1.3 km walk.

Is it cold down the mine?

No. It stays at 23 to 24°C all year, warmer than most caves.

Can you take a buggy or wheelchair?

No. The mine has no facilities for visitors with reduced mobility, and the tour is a long walk on foot.