Auschwitz-Birkenau Tours from Krakow

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum lies roughly 60 to 68 km west of Krakow, about 1.5 hours by road each way. The most common length of the tours we describe is about 7 hours in total. We list 44 tours from Krakow to the memorial. Visitors have left more than 8,436 reviews on the tours listed here, with an average rating of 4.3 out of 5.

Guided museum visit from Krakow

Guided museum visits are the format built around entry to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and those that give a length run about 7 to 8 hours from Krakow. One lists an English-speaking tour leader and entrance tickets, with guiding offered in Spanish and Italian as well as English. Another puts it as "Historical Sites guided tour with a local guide", its listing notes, on a "No Museum Entry" option, while a licensed museum live-guide and a headset belong to its "Museum Guided Tour" option.

Tour leader briefing and Birkenau from the Judenrampe

This format runs about 6 hours, with a transfer from Krakow to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial. "Assistance of a professional tour leader with a historical briefing before the visit", its listing notes; the visit to Auschwitz II-Birkenau is external, from the Judenrampe walk, and the listing names the Birkenau main gate and the railway tracks. It also lists a free entry ticket to the Auschwitz Museum.

Combined day with the Wieliczka Salt Mine

A combined day adds the Wieliczka Salt Mine and runs about 11 hours, close to the 10 to 11 hours that most combined tours take. It lists entry to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, entry to the salt mine and a live guide. Guiding is offered in Spanish and Italian as well as English.

Table data is indicative and comes from the GuruWalk catalogue. Each activity's current details, including availability, are the ones shown on its listing when you book.

Who leads the visit sets the three formats apart: a tour leader on the first, a tour leader with a historical briefing on the Judenrampe format, and a live guide on the combined day with Wieliczka. Of the trips shown here, the one with the most reviews is "Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour or Self-Guided Tour", with more than 5,982 reviews and a rating of 4.2 out of 5.

Bags, security and ID at the museum

Bags may not exceed 30 x 20 x 10 cm, about A4 size, and there is airport-style security; larger bags stay on the bus or in paid lockers on site. Bring a valid passport or ID card, because the name on it must match the name on the entry ticket. No food is allowed on the premises.

Respectful dress and shoes for Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial site and a burial ground, so dress respectfully. Comfortable walking shoes matter at Birkenau; the ground there is gravel and grass, and the site is exposed to the weather.

Auschwitz I and Birkenau on the day

A standard guided visit on site takes about 3.5 hours and covers both parts of the complex. Auschwitz I, the original camp of brick barracks, holds the main exhibitions and the personal belongings of the victims, and it takes about 2 hours; Auschwitz II-Birkenau lies 3 km away, reached by a short shuttle, with the guard tower, the railway unloading tracks and the ruins of the gas chambers. Allow about 1 to 1.5 hours there, much of it walking outdoors.