Krakow to Auschwitz Birkenau Guided Tour with Transfer and Ticket
Description
Embark on a profound journey into the harrowing chapters of history with our Auschwitz-Birkenau tour. This comprehensive exploration ensures the memories of the victims are honoured. Enjoy a hassle-free start with a pick-up from your hotel or a set meeting point. With round-trip transportation, entrance fees, and a pre-scheduled entry, you'll avoid long ticket queues. An expert museum guide will lead your group, which ranges from 16 to 30 participants, through the poignant sites of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Highlights: •Auschwitz I: See the chilling "Arbeit macht frei" gate, evidence of wartime atrocities, and the remnants of a gas chamber and crematorium. •Auschwitz II - Birkenau: Explore the Death Gate, initial selection ramp, inmate barracks, and ruins of gas chambers and crematoriums. Anticipate a concise yet impactful 3-hour tour, enriching your grasp of this significant historical site.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your trip to Auschwitz will start with picking up from a previously determined place in Krakow from a hotel or apartment. The journey from Krakow to Auschwitz takes about 1,5 hour. Information about the driver who will pick you up the phone numbers to him and the color of the vehicle that will pick you up, you will receive the day before the planned trip.
When you arrive at Auschwitz, you will meet your guide. Together you will enter the museum and in less than 2 hours of walking he will show you one of the darkest places from the World War II. During your visit to this place you will see: the gate "Arbeit mach frei", the last one gas chamber that survived and a lot of exhibitions with photos and remains of prisoners
After the break, the driver will take you to the second camp, Auschwitz II Birkenau. You will meet your guide again in front of the entrance gate. During the more than an hour walk, your guide will show you the second camp, which was the largest concentration camp built by the Nazis. In this camp you will see: "Death Gate" with the tracks leading to the camp, the unloading ramp where the trains with prisoners arrived, the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoria, the monument to the victims of the Holocaust and buildings where prisoners lived.
After completing the tour, the driver will drop you to your hotel in Krakow
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We pickup people from every hotel or apartment from defined area.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- TRANSPORT: Our mode of transport includes the use of minibuses and minivans. Should you experience motion sickness or encounter any discomfort related to car travel, we kindly ask you to notify us beforehand. Please note, travel duration is subject to change based on weather and road conditions, which may result in delays.
- VISIT: The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum welcomes a large number of guests each day. Due to the significant influx of visitors, touring the site independently may be challenging. Visitors are expected to behave respectfully and appropriately within the camp areas. A smart casual dress code is advised to honor the gravity of the site. It is important to note that eating, smoking, and any form of disruptive behavior are not permitted on the Museum grounds.
- GUIDES: All guides are trained by the museum and are its employees. The museum's regulations do not allow individuals without proper authorization to conduct tours. In cases where the museum cannot provide a guide fluent in a specific language, it permits the use of interpreters from companies, who accompany the museum's guide. All interpreters that we employ possess extensive knowledge about the camps, speak English very fluently, and conduct tours independently (you can read about them in reviews, including Brigit and Ana). The tour route is determined by the museum, and tour operators have no influence over it.
- PICKUP: Several hotels in Krakow are located in areas with traffic restrictions. Consequently, your pickup will be organized from the closest point that can be accessed, and you will be informed about the details.
- DEPARTURE: Owing to the museum's regulations, constraints on the number of people allowed inside at once, and the substantial influx of guests, there might be adjustments to the scheduled pickup times. We appreciate your patience and recommend not scheduling additional engagements on the day of your visit, given the potential difficulty in rearranging. We recognize our clients' eagerness to experience as much of our city as possible, and we make every effort to inform you about the pickup schedule well in advance. Generally, we will contact all visitors about 3-7 days prior to their tour to facilitate better planning for the day.
- DOCUMENTS: The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum requires the verification of personal information, necessitating the submission of full names for all individuals included in the booking. It is also imperative to have your passport or identification card on hand, as it might be inspected upon entry to the museum. Not presenting these documents could lead to being refused admission.
- BAG SIZE: Please be aware that entry to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum is not allowed with large bags or backpacks. The maximum permissible size is 30cm x 20cm x 10cm. You can securely leave your bags in your car, which will be locked during your visit.
- LUNCH: Lunch is not included in the tour package. There isn't ample time for a regular lunch break between visits to Auschwitz (1st camp) and Birkenau (2nd camp), so it's advisable to bring along a snack or some food to stave off hunger. However, if you prefer a more substantial meal, you can opt to order lunch boxes through us for an additional fee. We'll send you the offer the day before the excursion. Please note that at the parking lot, only vending machines with snacks are available, as the restaurant is currently under construction.
- SECURITY: Please be prepared to undergo a security check, similar to airport procedures, before entering the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum.
- WEATHER: Our operations run regardless of weather conditions. You will spend up to 70% of your time outdoors, particularly at Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Therefore, we advise you to dress accordingly for the weather and bring water, especially on sunny days.
- CHILDREN: Children must be accompanied by an adult, and infant seats are available for younger children. Due to the potentially traumatic nature of the visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, we recommend that visitors be at least 13 years old.
- PICTURES: Visitors are generally permitted to take photographs, with a few exceptions clearly indicated. However, taking photos inside buildings using flash is strictly prohibited.
- CONTACT: We confirm all tours via messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Viber, Signal, and Telegram. According to us and our clients, this is the most convenient form of communication. If you don't use any of them, don't worry, we'll send you an email. Emails are sent through the system, so please also check your spam folder to ensure you don't miss our message.
- GROUP: The group is of the standard size recommended by the museum, typically ranging between 16 and 30 people.
- SELF-GUIDED OPTION: Due to the change in the museum entry regulations for groups without a guide and the addition of another checkpoint for groups without a guide at the entrance to Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp, we have decided to suspend the organization of this type of tour. We believe that on days with a higher number of visitors, the checkpoints are insufficient, and the limited time for touring both camps is not adequate. We sincerely apologize, but in order to ensure the quality of the tour, we recommend choosing a guided tour.
- There is a lot of walking in the museum. It is not recommended for people with mobility issues.
Reviews(1,653)
This tour was perfect. The communication was great from time of booking until the tour ended. The logistics were flawless and the driver, Adriano was excellent, a true professional. Book with confidence.
Agent informed us well before the trip. Trip started about 1,5h later than we booked, but they informed us well in anvance (2 days before). The tour in Auschwitz-Birkenau was very informative and trip all in all very well organized.
Picked up promptly. Really good driver and excellent communication. The English speaking guide was very informative. He handled questions well and kept up a good pace. The information provided about food and toilet breaks was good.
Everything was fantastic! Very well organised, the driver was there on time and friendly. Everything was explained well in the car on the way there so we knew what to expect. Once there we met the tour guide again she was very friendly and really informative. I don’t think anything could have been made better. I would recommend to a friend!
The guide (Jacek) seemed to live every moment of the story of A-B which made the experience of the visit very vivid. The level of knowledge was outstanding as was the delivery. The audio aid was very efficient which allowed me to hang on every word from the guide. I faced the visit to AB with some trepidation but the quality and manner of the guide allowed me to get through the visit with appreciation of what has been done to preserve the memorial. The organisation of the tour was first class from start to finish.
The experience was good. The guide was unfortunately in a bit of a hurry through everything and did not stop everywhere and talked, but he does not really stop and read himself or take pictures for the group to stay together.
It was a very moving emotional experience, it was very well organised with extremely knowledgeable guides.
Booked with Welcome in Cracow Tour company. Very impressed with the organisers of the trip we chose, Auschwits and Birkenau excursion along with providing a very good pack lunch as extra cost as a 6 to 7 hour trip. Picked up from our hotel and returned in a lovely comfortable Marcedes-Benz vehicle. The trip was smooth & got us back in good time with picking a morning start from hotel of 7.15am. Was important to see physically the atrocities the the Natzi's carried out. In deed a dark time where evil, cruelty, murder was commited on both sexes, childen, the weak, ill, pregnant woman, different nationalities & faiths. We never should forget. Be prepared for lots of walking. Recommend.
Anna was an amazing tour guide, it was such an incredible experience which everyone should get to go to. Would definitely recommend. Would be wary on timings though, we booked for 9:10 and was told a few days later that we would actually be starting the tour at 7:30 meaning a 6am pick-up. However, this allowed for a full day after the tour - just a heads up.
Everyone on this tour was kind and super helpful! Our tour guide was answering all my questions, and she was very respectful of the victims. Also this tour company is so incredibly helpful, I realized at 9pm after my tour that I forgot my airpods in the van and they responded so quickly with a solution , also went out of their way to get my airpods. Amazing tour company I would suggest them to anyone who is visiting Poland.
