Krakow, Poland

You don't need a tour agency. Both the Wieliczka salt mine and Auschwitz have English language tours at the site throughout the day. You can take a local train or bus to each. The downtown train and bus station are right next to each other. If you want to see the mountains, you should go to Zakopane. The best way to get there from Krakow is by bus.

If you want you can hire a driver. I did. Andrew Durman is born and raised in Krakow. Speaks excellent English. He can take you to the salt mines, the mountains, Auschwitz. He gives you a local perspective on the sites and is very knowledgable. www.tour-service.pl. Cost is reasonable.

I'm not sure what "mountains" you mean? The salt mines are very close to the city; in the suburbs. Guided bus tours are available, but are a bit overkill considering how close the mines are. The best way to get there is via taxi, or shared minibus; there is a freeway that links the mines to the city center. English language tours are only held at certain times so verify that via the website. If you are interested in visiting Auschwitz, a bus tour can be useful as guided tours are now mandatory during the summer months; your hotel can help arrange this.

I'm guessing by "mountains", you mean the Carpathians (or are they called the Tatras or something like that?). All I can say is that I could see the high snow-capped peaks way off in the distance as I went from Krakow to Prague. They looked beautiful, but that's about all I can say.