1 Day Trip Auschwitz Birkenau and Salt Mines with Hotel Transfer
Description
Visit former Nazi concentration Camp in Auschwitz which was the largest camp of Nazi Germany. See one of the oldest Salt Mine in the world. Discover both of these places on our full day trip from Krakow. In Auschwitz you will join licensed guide who will bring you closer to the history of this place. The memorial tour in Auschwitz begin at the entrance gate by the ironic slogan - “Arbeit macht frei” Next you will see prisoners’ barracks and railroad track that transported people to gas chambers. Auschwitz tour takes around 2 hours and Birkenau tour around 1-1.5 hour. After that our driver will drive you to Salt Mine. Tour in Salt Mine takes around 2.5h and during the tour you will see St Kinga’s Chapel - 54 m long and 12 m high chapel resembles interiors of medieval wooden churches and is a real underground wonder with breathtaking chandeliers made of salt crystals, underground corridors and landscapes thatcannot be seen on the surface saline lakes and beautiful underground chambers.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour begins with transportation from Krakow, either from the hotel you specified or a designated meeting point of your choice. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum is located in Oswiecim, approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes away (65 km). All drivers we work with have the necessary EU certifications for passenger transport. You will be accompanied by a friendly, English-speaking group leader who will assist you whenever needed. Upon arrival in Oswiecim, you'll have a brief break to grab a coffee or explore the outdoor exhibitions. Afterward, you’ll be introduced to your local, professional guide, who is officially licensed by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum.
Begin your tour by walking through the gate of Auschwitz I, the first camp, initially established as a concentration camp for Polish citizens arrested after Germany annexed the country in 1939. You'll pass under the infamous sign "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Makes You Free). This portion of the tour typically lasts two hours, during which you'll use a headset to hear your guide clearly. The group size is limited to 30 people, as per the Museum's regulations, ensuring a comfortable and accessible experience for all participants. Explore the original wooden barracks, fortified walls, barbed wire fences, gas chambers, and crematoria, which together leave a haunting impression and allow visitors to grasp the immense scale of the Holocaust.
After visiting the first camp, you'll have a short break of up to 15 minutes. Following this, we will take you to the second part of the tour—Birkenau (Auschwitz II), located just 3 minutes away. Birkenau, the largest camp, was built and operated with the sole purpose of making Europe "Judenrein" (free of Jews). Your guide will continue the powerful narrative at Birkenau, located in the village of Brzezinka. Constructed in 1941 under the orders of SS commander Heinrich Himmler, the camp could hold around 90,000 prisoners. You’ll hear harrowing accounts of the brutal living conditions, the cruel selection process, and the pseudo-scientific medical experiments carried out by Nazi doctors, including Josef Mengele. The tour concludes with a story of liberation when soldiers from the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front opened the gates of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, leaving you with a profound understanding that such genocide should never have occurred—and must never happen again.
In a second part of the day, you will be transferred to Wieliczka Salt Mine, which happens to be one of the oldest working salt mines in the World. Before Salt Mine Expirence you will have about 1 hour break for a coffe, grocery or just rest.
Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the oldest working salt mines in the World: it has been producing salt for over 700 years. You will be attending an English guided tour at 4pm or 5pm (depending on road conditions). Your guide will take you up to 140 meters underground for a 2.5-hours journey through over 2.5-km tourist route full of chambers with amazing salt carvings and statues
At the end of the tour you well have about After another 40 minutes of travel, you will be taken to Krakow.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The hours you book are tentative and may change due to schedule at the Auschwitz Museum and traffic conditions. Exact pick up time will be confirmed for a day before the departure. Be sure to select correct product option to use hotel or meeting point pickup as the price is different.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- IMPORTANT: Option Guided Tour to Salt Mine Only includes: entrance only to Wieliczka Salt Mine, round transportation to Wieliczka, professional and licenced guide in Salt Mine, Headsets to hear the guide clearly, guaranteed skip-the-line entrance tickets only to Salt Mine.
- VISIT: While in the camps, visitors are required to behave appropriately and respectfully.
- VISIT: There are no restrictions regarding the age of children in Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial and Museum, but they should be either capable of walking unassisted or carried in baby slings or baby carriers. Baby pushchairs are not allowed underground (salt mine)
- VISIT: Visitors are generally allowed to take pictures with a few, clearly indicated exceptions.
- LUGGAGE: The maximum size of your carry-on can not exceed the following dimensions: 30 x 20 x 10 cm. You can leave your larger luggage in the car.
- CLOTHING: Temperatures in Wieliczka Salt Mine are around 59ºF (15ºC). Also, it should be taken into account that narrow paths may seem claustrophobic, and once underground there is no possibility to shorten your visit and turn back. At the entrance, visitors descent 400 steps down and the whole tourist route features over 800 stairs
- ENTRANCE: As it is mandatory in Auschwitz Birkenau museum to confirm your personal details, you are required to take with you passport or ID to be presented at the entrance to museum. Please do not forget it, otherwise you may be not allowed to enter museum.
Reviews(928)
Bart was excellent and a great host
Bart and marta were really good. Thank you
Visiting Auschwitz was an incredibly moving and thought-provoking experience, but I felt the tour was a little too rushed. There wasn’t enough time to stop, read the information displays properly, and reflect on the enormity of the tragedy that unfolded there. I found myself quickly taking photographs of the information panels so I could read them later back at the hotel, which took away from being fully present during the visit. Our guide was a lovely young lady who was clearly passionate about the history, but I felt her English could have been a little clearer, and the pace of the tour was quite fast. Auschwitz is a place that deserves time for quiet reflection and contemplation. Although I appreciated the guided tour, I personally feel I need to return one day without a guide so I can explore at my own pace, absorb the information fully, and truly reflect on such a profound and heartbreaking place.
The tour was very well organised. Bart was very welcoming and informative at each stage. Would highly recommend.
Great hotel pickup, timely and professional. Our tour director Bart was great, as well as additional tour guides at Auschwitz and the salt mines. Be prepared for lots of walking. We did take a 1 hour lunch stop outside of the tour areas, which wasn’t advertised, as far as I saw. This was actually great way to relax and get some cheaper but yummy food between tour stops. Plan a full day, we were picked up at 7:15am and dropped off around 7:00pm.
From start to finish this tour was well organised, with plenty information and breaks throughout, Bart gave clear instructions at each stop. It was an excellent tour and I learnt so much about the salt mins and the camps……a somber experience!
Day tour of Saltmines and Auschwitz Birkenau - although the subject of the tour was very humbling and mentally tiring Krakow Direct were excellent throughout. A reminder of tour date, time and pick up point was sent several times before hand, very handy if you are on a city break with a busy itinerary. Our driver Bart did a great job keeping us safe and ensuring the whole experience went smoothly from start to finish keeping us in the loop at all times and even throwing in local tips on where to eat. Would highly recommend.
Thank you Bart for a great day! Everything went smoothly and to plan. Bart kept everyone well informed about the day and provided useful tips to help the trip flow. Highly recommended.
Had a very interesting and special day. Thanks to Bart for the safe and good driving. The helpful tips and clear explanations. The tour is very well organized and I would definitely recommend. (Ps didn't take photos in Auschwitz).
Very emotionel and hard. But important that we never forget.
