trips to auschwitz from warsaw

Tour to Auschwitz – Birkenau from Warsaw

The concentration camp in Auschwitz was established by German Nazis on the outskirts of the town Oswiecim in 1940. After the war, the camp was turned into museum displaying evidence of the genocide. Block no. 11, known as the Death Block, was where people were murdered also at the “Wall of Death”. Outside the camp, there is a gas chamber, where 70,000 people were killed in 1940-1943. A film made after the liberation of the camp is shown in various language version in the museum. In 1941, 3 kilometres from Oswiecim, in the former village of Brzezinka, the German Nazis established a new camp called Auschwitz II Birkenau. In 1942-1945, approx. 1.5 million people lived and died here. Most of them (90%) were Jews, others were Poles, Gypsies, Russians and prisoners from 28 countries of Europe, people of all nationalities and political and religious persuasions. Since 1944, transports of prisoners from all over the continent entered directly through the “Gate of Death”. In 1979, Auschwitz – Birkenau Concentration Camp was listed a UNESCO World Culture and National Heritage Site.

Our company offers you two options to organize this Full Day Tour to Auschwitz Bikrenau.

OPTION 1: TOUR BY TRAIN THROUGH KRAKOW (lunchbox included)

TOUR SCHEDULE :

• Around 2,5 h of train trip from Warsaw to  Krakow ( STANDARD TRAIN – around 5:30 a.m. ; PREMIUM TRAIN – around 6:30 a.m.)
• Arriving to Krakow train station and meeting with our driver
• Participating in Group Tour from Krakow to Auschwitz Birkenau
• Sightseeing inside the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camps with local guide in choosen language up to 3,5 hours
• Free time in Krakow 
• Retrun to Warsaw by train

*exact itinerary depends of the trains timetable

• 650 PLN per person (1 person)
• 550 PLN per person (2 persons)
• 520 PLN per person (3 persons)
• 500 PLN per person (4 persons or more)

*The Train Station in Warsaw is easily accessible but If you need morning and evening transportation in Warsaw, the price will be 200 PLN higher in total. Alternatively, you can use Uber/Taxi or walk to the train station if your hotel is nearby.

**The option with a premium train in the morning incurs an additional cost of 100 PLN per person.

• 2nd class return tickets for economic standard fast train connection between Warsaw – Krakow – Warsaw
• pick up from the train platform in Krakow by a local English speaking driver
• shared transportation between Krakow and Auschwitz by car/mini-van/bus
• sightseeing of Auschwitz & Birkenau in a group with an English speaking guide of up to 3,5 hours
• entrance tickets to Auschwitz & Birkenau
• free time in Krakow after coming back to Krakow and before departure of your train back to Warsaw

The whole tour lasts up to 14 hours

OPTION 2: PRIVATE TOUR BY CAR

TOUR SCHEDULE:

• Morning pick up from your hotel by our english speaking driver
• 4,5 h journey from Warsaw to Auschwitz by air-conditioned car
• Up to 3,5 hours of a sightseeing inside the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camps with local guide in choosen language
• 1 hour break for rest
• Journey back to Warsaw in the same vehicle
• Drop off in Warsaw
• 1500 PLN per person (1 person)
• 800 PLN per person (2 persons)
• 590 PLN per person (3 persons)
• 540 PLN per person (4 persons)
• 510 PLN per person (5 persons)
• 490 PLN per person (6 persons)
• 7 persons or more – contact us

What is included?

• hotel pick and drop off
• private transportation with an English speaking driver

*the tour is also available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French and Russian

Due to frequent problems with availability of entrance tickets and guides in Auschwitz, please book your tour as early as possible before your planned visit so we can make all necessary arrangements for you.

You might also like...

Wolf’s lair (hitler’s headquarters) tour, treblinka – death camp tour, bialowieza national park tour, tour to wieliczka salt mine, illuminated warsaw evening tour, full day warsaw city tour, warsaw old town walk, warsaw city tour.

Visiting Auschwitz during COVID-19

Please remember about the safe distances between visitors while waiting for entry and during the tour. Visitors should enter the Museum with their mouths and nose covered, please take a mask with you. You are obligated to hand disinfection in a non-contact hand disinfection apparatus. Inside buildings, please follow the one-way direction of the tour to avoid crowds in passages.

Can you visit Auschwitz in one day from Warsaw?

Yes, you can visit Auschwitz Birkenau Concentration Camp in one day tour from Warsaw. Our company offers you the widest choice on the market of many different options on how this tour could be organized. It is always full day tour because of the long distance between Warsaw and Auschwitz

How far is Auschwitz from Warsaw ?

Auschwitz is located about 320 km from the city of Warsaw. One way driving takes approximately 4 hours and 30 minutes to get there .

How long before the tour do I have to book Auschiwtz Tour from Warsaw ?

Because of to frequent problems with availability of guides in Auschwitz Birkenau Museum, please contact us as early as possible before your would like to go to Auschwitz so we can make all necessary arrangements for you.

Before you go to Auschwitz you need to know.

You are not allowed to enter the museum in Auschwitz with any food (drinks, sandwiches etc.) however you can leave everything in the car/mini-van/bus which will be closed during your visit in the museum; You are not allowed to enter the museum with bags bigger than A4 sheet size so you can leave them in the left-luggage office (an extra pay) or leave in the car/mini-van/bus. During security control you must declare all the electronic items, watches, belts, keys just like in the airport. To avoid any delay you will need your collaboration.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Your order has been added to the basket

The basket is empty

Basic information

• Admission to the grounds of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial is free of charge. The entry cards should be reserved on  visit.auschwitz.org . For better understanding the history of Auschwitz we suggest a visit with a guide-educator

• The fees are charged for  engaging a guide-educator . Visitors in groups are required to engage an Auschwitz Memorial guide. There is also possibility for individual visitors to join a guided tour . 

• Due to overwhelming demand, please book in advance and arrive at the Memorial at least 30 minutes before the start of the tour due to security checks. The main car park and entrance to the Museum is located at 55 Więźniów Oświęcimia Street .

• Visitors to the grounds of the Museum should behave with due solemnity and respect. Visitors are obliged to dress in a manner befitting a place of this nature. Before the visit please read " the rules for visiting ".

• The grounds and buildings of the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau camps are open to visitors. The duration of a visit is determined solely by the individual interests and needs of the visitors. As a minimum, however, at least three-and-a-half hours should be reserved.

• The maximum size of backpacks or handbags brought into the Museum can not exceed dimensions: 30x20x10 cm . Please leave your bags in your cars or buses.

Read more...

Multibook - preparing for a visit to the Memorial Site

DEUTSCH   |  ESPAÑOL   |   FRANÇAIS   |   ITALIANO  

Multibook is also available in I nternational Sign language

Guided Tours for Individual Visitors

Individual visitors may tour the Memorial independently or in organised groups with a guide.

Entrance to the Museum, to both Auschwitz I and Birkenau parts, is possible only with a personalized entry pass booked in advance. Reservations can be made at visit.auschwitz.org or on the spot at the cashier. The number of entry passes available is limited.

Due to the huge interest, visitors are kindly requested to book in advance at the website visit.auschwitz.org, as well as to arrive at least 30 minutes before the start of the tour. Larger luggage should be left in vehicles in the car park. Before the visit, please read the rules of visiting and the opening hours of the Museum.

HOURS OF THE VISIT CAN BE RESERVED ONLINE: VISIT.AUSCHWITZ.ORG

Online guided tours for individual visitors

Individual visitors can visit the Auschwitz Memorial online with a guide thanks to the "Auschwitz in Front of Your Eyes" platform.

Groups are organized in three languages, and the visits begins at a predetermined time. English tours are organized every day.

Entry cards are available at visit.auschwitz.org at "online individual visit" section.

Check the hours of online guided tours

Guided tours options. Prices.

We offer visitors several options for guided tours. Each includes tours of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

• General tours (2,5 h) • General tours (3,5 h) • Guided tours for individual visitors (3,5 h) • One-day study tours (6 h) • Two-day study tours (2x3 h) • Online tour (2 h)

Because of a large number of visitors guides should be reserved at least two months before a planned visit.

Plan a visit

In order to take in the grounds and exhibitions in a suitable way, visitors should set aside a minimum of about 90 minutes for the Auschwitz site and the same amount of time for Auschwitz II-Birkenau. It is essential to visit both parts of the camp, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, in order to acquire a proper sense of the place that has become the symbol of the Holocaust of the European Jews as well as Nazi crimes againt Poles, Romas and other groups.

The grounds and most of the buildings at the sites of the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau sites are open to visitors. Some buildings are not accessible to visitors (including the blocks reserved for the Museum administration and its departments). Please familiarize yourself with " the rules for visiting ".

Opening hours

The Museum is open all year long, seven days a week, except January 1, December 25, and Easter Sunday. You can start the visit in the following hours*:

• 7:30 AM - 2:00 PM December
• 7:30 AM - 3:00 PM January, November
• 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM February
• 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM March, October
• 7:30 AM - 6:00 PM April, May, September
• 7:30 AM - 7:00 PM June, July, August

* These are the hours of entrance to the Museum. A visitor may stay on the site of the Museum 90 minutes after the last entrance hour (i.e. 5.30 in February or 8.30 in July) 

"To reach people in the most remote corners of the world". The launch of the online tours of the Auschwitz Memorial.

"Auschwitz in Front of Your Eyes" is an application through which millions of people from around the world will gain access to education conducted directly from the authentic Memorial Site. It allows an online guided tour of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Reservations can already be made through the visit.auschwitz.org system.

The online tour lasts about two hours and is divided into two parts – in Auschwitz I and Birkenau. The guide's narration is conducted live. Additionally, the educator will also use multimedia materials, archival photographs, artistic works, documents, and testimonies of Survivors. Thanks to the application, interaction with the guide and asking questions is also possible.

"Reserve" buildings available for the visitors

Study tour groups may visit Block 2 and 3 of the former Auschwitz I camp and wooden hospital barracks (B-80 and B-210) at the Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. Block 2 and 3 are ones of so-called "reserve blocks" of the Museum, maintained and presented in their original condition. Since the liberation of the camp, the interior of the blocks has been preserved almost intact. It comprises rooms for prisoners, a washroom, toilets and other areas, furnished with original strawbeds, bunks and other elements of block furnishing. 

Getting to the Museum

The Museum is located on the outskirts of the city of Oświęcim on provincial road 933. The visit starts at the former Auschwitz I site. The Museum is about 2 km. from the train station and can be reached from there by local buses. (GPS coordinates: GPS coordinates: 19.20363 E, 50.0266 N )

There are PKS and minibus stops adjacent to the Museum, with service to Cracow and Katowice. There are also two international airports within about 50 kilometers of Oświęcim: Kraków-Balice and Katowice-Pyrzowice.

More information for visitors (i.e. transport, weather)

Temporarily closed for visitors

Closed for the visitors:

• parts of the Auschwitz II-Birkenau (majority of BII sector, area of so-called Kanada and ruins of gas chambers and crematoria IV & V)

• part of the exhibition in Blocks 4, 5 and 6 in Auschwitz I

• the Russian exhibition in Block 14 

• The so-called Central Sauna building in Auschwitz II-Birkenau

• the Slovak exhibition in Block 16

• via @auschwitzmuseum" aria-label="Udostępnij na Twitter">

Images from www.auschwitz.org may be used only in publications relating to the history of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau or the activities of the Auschwitz Memorial. Their use must not tarnish the good reputation of the victims of KL Auschwitz. Any interference in the integrity of the images – including cropping or graphic processing – is prohibited. The use of the images for commercial purposes requires the Museum’s approval and information about the publication. Publishers undertake to indicate the authors and origin of the images: www.auschwitz.org, as well as to inform the Museum of the use of the images ([email protected]).

• South Africa
• El Salvador
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• North Macedonia
• Czech Republic
• Transnistria
• Liechtenstein
• North Cyprus
• New Zealand
• Map with posts
• Alternative Guides
• Architecture Guides
• Cafe Guides
• Itineraries
• Neighborhood Guides
• Travel Guides
• Travel Tips
• Photo Galleries
• Photo Locations
• Solo female travel
• Train Travels
• Work with me
• Privacy Policy

Visiting Auschwitz – How to Plan the Auschwitz Tour

Visiting Auschwitz, albeit a very somber experience, is one of the must things to do in Poland. The largest Nazi Germany concentration and extermination camp during World War II, where over 1,3 million people lost their lives, needs no introduction. Conveniently located near Krakow , Auschwitz can be an easy addition to your Poland itinerary.

It took me almost 37 years to finally visit Auschwitz (although I’ve been to other Nazi Germany camps in Poland), and even if I knew very well what to expect, the place still overwhelmed me with its cruelty and tragedy. And I think everyone should plan a trip to Auschwitz to understand history better and see what people are capable of when the ideology brainwashes them. And, of course, to pay respect to all the unnecessary victims. It’s important to visit places like Auschwitz so we can do our best to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.

If you are visiting Poland (especially Krakow , Warsaw , Katowice , or Wroclaw ), I prepared this guide to help you plan your Auschwitz tour without too much hassle. There are different ways to visit Auschwitz, but no matter which one you choose, be prepared for one of the most difficult yet necessary travel experiences of your life.

Table of Contents

Where is Auschwitz

The former Nazi Germany Concentration Camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, is located in a town of around 37.000 inhabitants called Oświęcim in southern Poland. Krakow is less than 70 km away, and Katowice is 35 km away. Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is around 330 km away from Oświęcim.

A brief history of Auschwitz

Even if Auschwitz is known mainly as the extermination camp, it was established as a concentration camp in mid-1940. It was one of over 40 camps in Poland that were supposed to be a solution to the problem of overflowing prisons full of arrested locals. The first people were brought to Auschwitz on June 14th, 1940, from the prison in Tarnow.

Since 1942 Auschwitz has also been used as the extermination camp where Nazis implemented their plan to murder Jewish people from all over Europe. At the peak of its operation, in 1944, Auschwitz was divided into three parts: Auschwitz I (the oldest one, in the old Polish military barracks), Auschwitz II-Birkenau (the largest one, founded in 1941, the majority of victims were killed here), and Auschwitz III (this was a group of over 40 sub-camps created near industrial plants, made for work prisoners).

Numerous Polish villages were demolished, and locals were evicted to develop such a large institution. The camps were isolated from the outside world. The total area was around 40 square kilometers, including all three Auschwitz camps and the so-called “interest zone” used for the technical or supply background, offices, and barracks for Nazis.

Since Auschwitz had a strategic location on the front line, in August 1944, the camp’s liquidation began – the prisoners were taken to Germany, and the evidence of the crimes was covered up. The liberation of Auschwitz took place on January 27th, 1945, when around 7,5 thousand prisoners were still held there.

Altogether, in the almost four years of operation, over 1,3 million people lost their lives in Auschwitz; the majority were Jewish (around 1,1 million), but also Polish (about 150 hundred thousand), Roma people (23 thousand), and other nations.

In 1979 Auschwitz was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List – it is the only former Nazi concentration camp with that title in the world.

How to visit Auschwitz

You can visit Auschwitz two ways: with a tour from where you are staying in Poland (most likely Krakow, Katowice, Warsaw, or Wroclaw) or independently, reaching the site by car or using public transport. Both options are doable; however, the tour is a slightly better one as everything will be taken care of for you.

There is a wide selection of tours to choose from that depart from Krakow as well as other mentioned cities. Most of them cover more or less the same things: pick-up from your accommodation, transportation to/from Auschwitz and back, the entrance ticket to the concentration camp, and the guided tour on-site.

When I visited Auschwitz, I arrived by train from Warsaw, with the change in Katowice. I was at the museum almost an hour before my guided tour of the site was supposed to start, and despite the poor weather (it was raining on that day), there was no place to hide and wait for the tour. Visitors were not allowed to enter the museum until a few minutes before the tour was about to start. Me and a few other unlucky visitors just stood near the trees, hiding under the umbrella and waiting for our time to enter the site. I can’t say it was a comfortable situation (but at least the weather worked perfectly well for such a sad place to visit). Recently, a new visitors center was opened so hopefully the situation is better.

When using public transport, you need to rely on the schedule of trains/buses and, just in case, plan to be at the site with some extra time ahead; hence a tour is a better option. Still, visiting Auschwitz is doable independently – I did it, and once the tour of the site started, it was really good.

Visiting Auschwitz – practical information

Visiting Auschwitz memorial site is free of charge; however, I recommend joining the tour with the educator provided by the museum. They have a huge knowledge of the place and the tragedy that occurred here and can answer all the questions visitors always have. Tours are available in various languages: Polish, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Czech, and Slovak.

Even if you decide to visit the site independently, you still need to book the entry pass – those with free entrance start in the afternoon. You can buy/reserve your ticket online at the website of Auschwitz Museum here.

Currently, the price for the tour with the educator is 80 PLN for Polish and 90 PLN for other languages. When booking the ticket, you must state your full name and surname – this will be checked later.

Since tickets can sell out quickly, booking one at least a month in advance is recommended. If there are no tickets left for the day you want to visit Auschwitz, you can join the organized tour from Krakow or other cities, as tour operators usually have tickets booked in advance. Due to the sensitive nature of the place, children under 14 years old should not visit Auschwitz Museum.

Once you have your ticket, you need to arrive at the Auschwitz visitors center 30 minutes before your tour starts to go through the security check (it’s rather thorough, similar to the airport), have your ticket inspected (remember to have the ID or passport with you), get the headset for the tour and meet your group. You are allowed to have a bag or backpack with a maximum dimension of 30x20x10 cm; any larger luggage must be left in the paid lockers.

Auschwitz Museum is open every day except January 1st, December 25th, and Easter Sunday. Opening hours vary depending on the month and are as follows:

• 7:30-14:00 in December
• 7:30-15:00 in January and November
• 7:30-16:00 in February
• 7:30-17:00 in March and October
• 7:30-18:00 in April, May, and September
• 7:30-19:00 in June, July, and August

The closing time means the last entrance – after that, you are allowed to stay on-site for an hour and a half. However, if you want to see Auschwitz Museum properly, you need at least 3,5 hours for that – that’s also how long the standard tour with the educator lasts. It is usually divided equally between Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II- Birkenau. A free shuttle bus runs between the two sites every few minutes.

Taking pictures and making videos is allowed in Auschwitz, for individual use, except in two places: the hall with the hair of Victims (block nr 4) and the basements of Block 11. Your educator will remind you not to take pictures there.

Remember what sort of place you are visiting and behave there with respect. It might be obvious for most, but I can’t count how many times I’ve read news about inappropriate behavior in Auschwitz and other similar sites in Poland, so I think it’s worth reminding this is not your typical tourist attraction but a place of one of the greatest tragedy that ever happened in the world.

Getting to Auschwitz independently

If you decide to visit Auschwitz on your own, you must get to the visitors’ center, where your tour will start. The new visitors center, which opened just recently, is located at 55 Więźniów Oświęcimia Street in Oświęcim ( here is the exact location ). If you drive there, there is a large parking lot where you can leave your car before visiting the museum.

If you use public transport, there are both trains and buses you can take to reach Oświęcim. I recommend trains as they are slightly faster and more comfortable; however, some buses stop next to the museum, so that’s convenient. You can check all the connections on this website , where you can also find the location of the bus stop in Oświęcim (there can be three different ones).

The train station in Oświęcim is located at Powstańców Śląskich Street, some 20 minutes walking from the Auschwitz museum. It’s a straightforward way; you can check the map with the directions here . I recommend catching the train that gives you at least an hour between arriving at Oświęcim and when your tour starts.

Auschwitz tour from Krakow

Numerous Auschwitz tours depart from Krakow, so you will easily find the one that suits your itinerary and needs. Here are some recommended ones:

• Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial Guided Tour from Krakow
• Auschwitz & Birkenau – Fully Guided Tour from Krakow
• Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour with Private Transport from Kraków
• Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour by Private Transport from Krakow

You can also combine visiting Auschwitz with Wieliczka Salt Mine , another UNESCO-listed site near Krakow and a must-visit place in Poland. Here are the tours that go to both places in one day:

• Day Trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine from Krakow including Lunch
• Full-Day Tour of Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mine from Krakow
• Auschwitz-Birkenau and Salt Mine Tour with private transport from Krakow
• Combined: Auschwitz Birkenau and Salt Mine private chauffeur from Krakow

If you decide to go to Auschwitz from Krakow on your own, you can take the train from the main train station to Oświęcim. They are rather frequent, more or less every hour, and the journey takes a bit over an hour (depending on the connection, the longest one is 1h20min).

If you want to take the bus, they depart from the MDA bus station, next to the main train station. The price for trains and buses is similar, between 15 and 20 PLN, although trains tend to be cheaper and faster. You can check all the connections and buy a ticket here .

Auschwitz tour from Warsaw

Even if Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is located over 300 km away from Oświęcim, it is possible to go for a one-day Auschwitz tour. However, you can expect a long day, and a large part of it will be spent traveling. But if you are visiting Warsaw only, Auschwitz can be a good addition to your Poland itinerary, so you can better understand the country’s complex history.

Here are some of the recommended Auschwitz tours from Warsaw:

• From Warsaw Auschwitz and Krakow one day tour by train with pick up and drop off
• One day tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau from Warsaw with private transport

Going for the day trip from Warsaw to Auschwitz independently is also possible using trains. You can take the 6 am train to Katowice and then change for the train to Oświęcim, arriving in the town around 10:30. If you decide to do that, you can book your Auschwitz tour for 11:30 or 12:00. On the way back, you can catch the train after 16:00 from Oświęcim to Katowice, and after changing for the train to Warsaw, you will be in the capital after 20:00.

Auschwitz tour from Katowice

Since Katowice is less than 40 km from Auschwitz, it’s easy to go for a day trip. You need to take the local train to Oświęcim, it takes less than 50 minutes, and the connections are more or less every hour.

Or you can go for a tour, here are the Auschwitz tours from Katowice:

• Auschwitz – Birkenau from Katowice
• Auschwitz & Birkenau English guided tour by private transport from Katowice
• Auschwitz tour from Wroclaw

Wroclaw is another popular place to visit in Poland, and since it’s located around 230 km from Oświęcim, you can go for an Auschwitz tour from Wroclaw too. If you decide to do it independently, you can take the train to Katowice and then change for the local train to Oświęcim. A one-way trip should take you less than 4 hours.

Or you can go for a tour; here are the recommended ones from Wroclaw:

• Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour from Wrocław
• Private Full-Day Tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau from Wroclaw

Auschwitz Museum Tour

As for the museum itself, here is what you can expect.

You will start in the oldest part of the concentration camp – Auschwitz I, where the infamous gate with the sign “Arbeit macht frei” (meaning “Work Sets You Free”) is located. Here, you will visit numerous barracks where inmates were kept – now you can see different exhibitions there, showing the reality of Auschwitz and halls with personal belongings taken from arriving prisoners – luggage, shoes, glasses, etc., or hair of Victims. You will learn all about cruel practices here, including medical experiments or torture.

Visiting this part of Auschwitz museum is a very somber experience, and it’s really difficult to comprehend the tragedy that happened in this very place.

Besides the barracks in Auschwitz I, you will also see where the camp commander lived or the first crematorium where Nazis started their experiments with killing using gas. In this part of the Auschwitz tour, you can take pictures everywhere except the two places in Blocks 4 and 11 – they will be clearly marked, and your educator will remind you about this restriction.

The visit to Auschwitz I takes around 1,5 hours. Afterward, together with your group and educator, you will take the shuttle bus to Auschwitz II-Birkenau, located some 3 km away.

Auschwitz II-Birkenau is where around 90% of victims died. It is a huge area that worked kind of like the killing factory, with four gas chambers and crematoriums. This is also where most prisoners arrived – you most likely know the view of the railway tracks and brick gate – that’s Auschwitz II-Birkenau. This part of the visit is mostly outdoors.

You will walk around the area, see the remnants of the camp, visit some barracks inside, and learn all about the horrific tragedy that happened here. When Auschwitz I has a more intimate, even claustrophobic feeling, Auschwitz II-Birkenau can overwhelm you with its scale and enormity.

You will spend around 1,5 hours here, too; afterward, you can take the shuttle bus back to the visitors center when you started your tour.

Final thoughts on visiting Auschwitz

Even though I’ve lived in Poland almost my whole life, and Auschwitz has been a familiar topic since I remember, it took me nearly 37 years to finally visit the place. Before I was in different Nazi Germany sites in Poland, mostly in Majdanek in Lublin, so I didn’t feel the need to visit Auschwitz too. But I don’t regret the decision to go there eventually.

You can read and learn about the place, but nothing can prepare you for visiting Auschwitz. Some areas look familiar (after all, pictures of the “Arbeit macht frei” sign or Birkenau gate are present everywhere), but you will still be overwhelmed by the place and seeing it in real life. It’s hard to comprehend the cruelty and tragedy that happened here, and dealing with all the thoughts invading your mind afterward can take a while. It can be one of the most difficult-to-understand places you will ever visit.

Still, despite it all, I think everyone should go to Auschwitz to see where fanaticism and totalitarianism can lead and why we should avoid them at all costs.

Travel Resources

You can find the best accommodation options at Booking . They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in Poland

Never travel without travel insurance , you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for Poland here.

I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Get Your Guide – click here .

For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:

• Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
• Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
• I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Poland too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!

LIKED IT? PIN THIS POST FOR LATER!

If you enjoyed that post why don't you share it with your friends? That would mean so much to me! Also be sure to join 30.000+ fellow travelers and follow me on Facebook , Twitter , or Instagram for travel updates and even more pictures! If you don't want to miss new posts sign up to my newsletter or follow on Bloglovin !

No Comments

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Sign me up for the newsletter!

Let’s become friends!

Join me on Facebook for even more travel updates!

Kami and the rest of the world