Half an hour down the Rhône valley from Montreux, a mountain with a white heart opens onto a working mine: the Mines de Sel de Bex, where salt has been extracted for centuries and where it still is, every day. You ride in on a miners' train, walk lit galleries cut through the salt rock, and come back up at a steady 18 °C — which makes it the best day trip from Montreux in weather that ruins every other plan.
Bex Salt Mines at a glance
- Where
- Route des Mines de Sel 55, 1880 Bex — Chablais vaudois[3]
- Open
- Monday to Sunday, 09:00–16:30; closed 1 January and 25–26 December[4]
- Adults
- CHF 26.00 (from 16 years)[2]
- Children
- 6–15 years CHF 13.00 · under 6 free[2]
- Tour length
- 2 hours; meet 15 minutes before departure at the reception building[1]
- Underground
- 18 °C all year round — warm clothing recommended[1]
- Getting there
- Train Montreux → Bex in 17 minutes, then bus to "Bex, Mines de Sel"[3][5]
A mine that is still working: "Discover how our team still works today in the oldest active mine in Switzerland and how salt is sustainably extracted every day." — Source: mines.ch (Mines de Sel de Bex, official).[4]
Short answer: the Bex Salt Mines are a working salt mine at Route des Mines de Sel 55 in Bex, 17 minutes by train from Montreux. Admission is CHF 26.00 for adults and CHF 13.00 for 6–15 year-olds (under 6 free), the guided tour lasts 2 hours, and the mine sits at a constant 18 °C — you meet 15 minutes before departure at the reception building and reach the adit by miners' train. Tours are guided in French, with written and audio commentary through the SmartGuide app in all European languages.[1][2]
Photo: Christophe Delaere, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In this guide
Why go: a working mine, not a museum set
Most Swiss "attractions" are viewpoints. This one is an industry. The mine at Bex is described on its own site as "the oldest active mine in Switzerland", and the salt is not a re-enactment — it is "sustainably extracted every day".[4] That is the difference you notice underground: the galleries are working space, the installations are in use, and the guide is talking about a site that still produces.
It is also the closest serious day trip to Montreux. You stay inside the same valley you can see from the lakefront, follow the Rhône south-east past Villeneuve and Aigle, and end up under a mountain that has been mined for its white rock. No motorway marathon, no mountain pass, no 05:00 alarm.
And it is weather-proof. At a constant 18 °C the mine does not care whether the Riviera is under fog, drizzle or the first snow of the season — which is exactly why locals slot it into November. If you want the opposite kind of day — open, exposed and spectacular — our Creux du Van guide covers the natural amphitheatre in the Jura.
What the 2-hour tour is actually like
The visit was redesigned and the mine train is back in service: the official site presents "The Return of the Mine Train", "newly staged experience worlds" and "a new slide and surprises".[1] The shape of the visit, per the operator:
- The miners' train. You travel into the mountain the way the miners did — a "miners train journey" that takes you from the entrance deep into the workings before the walking part of the tour begins.[1]
- Two hours, with a defined start. The tour lasts 2 hours, and you meet 15 minutes before departure at the reception building — turn up at the scheduled time without that buffer and you are running after your group.[1]
- Walking conditions. The visited areas are "well-ventilated and well-lit", and comfortable footwear is recommended. The route is suitable for all age groups, but visitors must be able to move around without assistance devices such as wheelchairs, walking aids or strollers.[1]
- Ages and the slide. Recommended from 4 years. Children under 6 may only use the slide when accompanied by an adult.[1]
- Language. Guided tours, apart from the scheduled German tours, are conducted in French; written and audio commentary is available at any time through the SmartGuide app in all European languages as well as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Turkish and Hebrew.[1]
- Temperature. 18 °C all year round, with warm clothing recommended — a fleece and closed shoes are the pragmatic choice.[1]
Two practical details worth knowing before you book. Seats are limited — the site flags it in so many words — so reserve online rather than driving over and hoping.[1] And animals, except assistance dogs, are not allowed in the mines.[1]
Tickets & opening hours 2026
The mine is open every day of the week, 09:00 to 16:30, and closes only on 1 January and 25–26 December.[4] Tickets are sold through the operator's own booking system:
| Visitor | Price |
|---|---|
| Adults (from 16 years) | CHF 26.00 |
| Young people (6 to 15 years) | CHF 13.00 |
| Children under 6 years | free |
Those are the published rates on the official booking page for the Mines Tour, where the ticket range runs from CHF 0.00 to CHF 26.00 depending on the visitor category.[2] Book via the operator's site (salina-helvetica.ch) or by phone on +41 24 463 03 30.[3]
Getting there from Montreux
By train this is one of the easiest excursions on the whole Riviera line — Bex is a stop on the main Rhône valley railway, and direct trains from Montreux take 17 to 18 minutes (for example RE 33 dep Montreux 09:21, arr Bex 09:38).[5] From Bex station, bus TPC lines 119 and 152 both serve the stop "Bex, Mines de Sel".[3] A real sample connection from SBB's timetable data: Montreux dep 09:51 → Bex arr 10:08 → bus 152 from "Bex, place de la gare" 10:15 → "Bex, Mines de Sel" arr 10:26 — 35 minutes door to mine gate, one change.[5]
On foot from Bex station the mine is 4.6 km away: follow the yellow hiking signs towards Le Bouillet.[3] It is a real walk with a climb, best kept for the way back downhill.
By car leave the A9 at the Bex motorway exit and you are "in just a few minutes" of the mine; there are car and parking spaces in front of the building.[3] Coming from Montreux that is a straight run down the valley — and the reason this works as a half-day rather than a full one.
When to go: the all-weather day trip
Because it is underground, the Bex Salt Mines are counter-seasonal. In summer they are a cool refuge from 30 °C on the lake; from October to March they are the trip that survives a bad forecast, at a constant 18 °C.[1] Late autumn is a good fit: the vineyards above Montreux have gone gold, the lakeside crowds are gone, and an afternoon underground plus a walk back through Bex fills a day without a single weather gamble.
Weekends in high season are the busiest, and seats are limited, so the practical rule is the same all year: book a slot that matches your train rather than arriving on spec.[1]
More to do underground and above it
The mine is not a single ticket. Alongside the standard tour the operator runs a lantern visit — you go through the galleries with a lantern in the dark, and it is guided in French only — a theatre production, Les Minhéros, played inside the mine, and a combo ticket pairing the mine with the Brasserie de la Mine and a meal at the end of the visit.[4] If you are booking a special evening rather than a straightforward day trip, ask which of these is running on your date before you build the day around it.
Above ground, Bex sits at the foot of the Chablais. The same valley continues up to Villars-sur-Ollon and Les Diablerets, so a mine visit pairs naturally with an afternoon higher up — our Blausee guide covers the opposite direction if you would rather head into the Bernese Oberland, and Chaplin's World in Vevey is the obvious half-day to bolt onto this one on the way home. In December, the Christmas train to Santa's House above Montreux is the seasonal counterpart.
Base yourself in Montreux
The salt mines are 17 minutes from our apartments by train — kitchens for early starts, parking nearby, and the lakefront ten minutes' walk away when you get back.
See our apartmentsRelated reading: Blausee day trip · Creux du Van · Chaplin's World
10+ years in hospitality. BBA Hospitality (Glion), MSc Tourism (FHGR), MSc Data Science (HSLU).
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Bex Salt Mines tour cost?
Adults from 16 years pay CHF 26.00, young people from 6 to 15 years CHF 13.00, and children under 6 go free — the official booking page shows the ticket range as CHF 0.00 to CHF 26.00 depending on the category.
How long is the Bex Salt Mines tour and how cold is it underground?
The guided tour lasts 2 hours and you meet 15 minutes before departure at the reception building. Underground the temperature is 18 °C all year round, so warm clothing is recommended; the visited areas are well-ventilated and well-lit and comfortable footwear is advised.
Can I visit the Bex Salt Mines without a car?
Easily. Bex is on the main Rhône valley line and direct trains from Montreux take 17 to 18 minutes; from Bex station, bus TPC lines 119 and 152 stop at "Bex, Mines de Sel". A sample connection runs Montreux dep 09:51 → Bex, Mines de Sel arr 10:26, 35 minutes with one change. On foot from the station it is 4.6 km, following the yellow hiking signs towards Le Bouillet.
Is the Bex Salt Mines tour in English?
Guided tours, apart from the scheduled German tours, are conducted in French. Written and audio commentary is available at any time through the SmartGuide app in all European languages as well as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Turkish and Hebrew — so you can follow the visit in English even on a French-language departure.
Is the Bex Salt Mines suitable for children or for someone with limited mobility?
The visit is recommended from 4 years and is suitable for all age groups, and children under 6 may use the slide only when accompanied by an adult. Visitors must, however, be able to move around the mine without assistance devices such as wheelchairs, walking aids or strollers, and animals other than assistance dogs are not allowed.
Sources
- Salina Helvetica / Mines de Sel de Bex, official "Mine Tour" page (English) — return of the mine train, newly staged experience worlds and new slide, tour length 2 hours, meeting point 15 minutes before start, 18 °C all year round, recommended from 4 years, access conditions, French-language guiding with SmartGuide audio commentary, slide age rule, seats limited, animals not allowed — salina-helvetica.ch/en/visite-des-mines
- Salina Helvetica, official booking page for the Mines Tour (English) — adult from 16 years CHF 26.00, young from 6 to 15 years CHF 13.00, child under 6 years free, ticket range CHF 0.00–26.00 — salina-helvetica.ch/en/event/mines-tour-148/register
- Salina Helvetica, official "Getting to the Mines" page (English) — address Route des Mines de Sel 55, 1880 Bex, telephone +41 24 463 03 30, A9 Bex exit "in just a few minutes", parking in front of the building, 4.6 km on foot from Bex station via the yellow hiking signs towards Le Bouillet, bus TPC lines 119 and 152 to the stop "Bex, Mines de Sel" — salina-helvetica.ch/en/anreise-mines-de-bex
- Mines de Sel de Bex, official site (English) — "the oldest active mine in Switzerland" with salt extracted every day, opening hours Monday–Sunday 09:00–16:30, closed 1 January and 25–26 December, lantern visit guided in French only, theatre Les Minhéros, Mines–Brasserie combo — mines.ch
- SBB / Swiss public transport open data (transport.opendata.ch) — direct Montreux → Bex trains 17–18 minutes (RE 33 dep 09:21, arr 09:38) and sample connection Montreux dep 09:51 → Bex arr 10:08 → bus 152 Bex, place de la gare 10:15 → Bex, Mines de Sel arr 10:26 (35 min, 1 change) — transport.opendata.ch