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Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial Guided Tour from Krakow

Badge of ExcellenceKrakow, Poland

Auschwitz Birkenau Museum Half Day Trip from Krakow

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From $62.99

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

7 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Experience a poignant piece of World War II history on a day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau from Krakow. Led by a knowledgeable guide, explore the UNESCO-listed former Nazi concentration camp complex and preserve the memory of those who perished there. Pass through the crematoriums, old prison blocks, and moving memorials, and hear the stories of this dark time in history from your guide in a sensitive manner. Your tour concludes with transportation back to your original departure point in Krakow.

Day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau from Krakow with a local guide
Explore the UNESCO-listed complex and learn about its terrible past from a knowledgeable guide
Trace the stories of individual prisoners and visit the memorials to the camps’ victims
Learn the history of WWII’s Holocaust and about the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945

Why Travelers Choose This Tour

This guided tour offers pickup and drop-off from select hotels and morning or afternoon departure times.

What's Included

Transportation (air-conditioned vehicle)
Local live guide
Headsets to hear the guide clearly

Gratuities
Food and drinks, unless specified

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Parking 24H Kraków old town car park cracow
Mikołaja Zyblikiewicza 2, 31-029 Kraków, Poland
Go to ul. Zyblikiewicza 2, and wait for pickup at Parking Kiss&Ride in front of the "Zabka" store. Check-in here is 15 minutes prior to the booked tour departure time.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

End point

Lesser Poland Voivodeship
Kraków, Poland
Regardless of whether you have chosen the pick-up option or the main meeting point, you will be dropped off at the end of the tour to the center of Krakow at 2 Wielopole Street.

Pickup details

DEPARTURE TIME The hours you book are tentative and may change, and departures from Krakow may take place in the following hours: 6.00 am – 1.00 pm. You will receive a message with the exact departure time until 7 pm on the day before the activity. DEPARTURE POINT Pick-up selection from one of our main departure points: - Parking Kiss&Ride (2 Mikołaja Zyblikiewicza street) in front of the "Zabka" store. If you do not need hotel pickup or your hotel cannot be operated, you will need to make your own way to the main departure point. Check-in here is 15 minutes prior to the booked tour departure time. PICKUP SERVICE Our pickup service is available from selected hotels all over Krakow. Depending on the location of the hotel, the pickup service will be between 30-40 minutes before the tour departure time. Please enquire at your hotel reception desk regarding the pickup time and the possibility of a pickup. RETURN DETAILS Regardless of whether you have chosen the pick-up option or the main meeting point, you will be dropped off at the end of the tour to the center of Krakow at 2 Wielopole Street.

What To Expect

Established in the early 1940s by the Nazis, Auschwitz was originally intended for Polish political prisoners. Later, when it was extended to include the neighboring site of Birkenau, it became a larger concentration camp for primarily European Jews, killing an estimated 1.1 million people.

Begin your trip with pickup at select Krakow hotels or in central Krakow, at your preferred departure time. Accompanied by your guide, travel to the town of Oswiecim while a documentary on WWII and the Nazi Holocaust is shown on board. Arrive at the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Enter the gates bearing the inscription Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Sets You Free) and then head inside to learn about how the complex quickly turned from a detention camp to a center for mass murder. Your guide discusses the camp’s history in a sensitive manner as you visit the crematoriums and gas chambers, as well as the watchtowers and fences at Birkenau where the Nazi officers stood guard.

After examining the exhibitions inside the old prison blocks, pay your respects at the camp's somber memorial. Your trip concludes with drop-off back at your original departure point.

Panstwowe Muzeum Auschwitz-Birkenau

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
MAIN DEPARTURE POINT: Parking Kiss&Ride (2 Mikołaja Zyblikiewicza street) in front of the "Zabka" store. Please check in at your chosen meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the tour.
The hours you book are tentative and may change, and departures from Krakow may take place in the following hours: 7.00 am – 11.30 am. You will receive a message with the exact departure time until 7 pm on the day before the activity. Please check in at your chosen meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled start time of the tour.
Near public transportation

Infants must sit on laps
Not recommended for travelers with back problems
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Drop-off point: center of Krakow at 2 Wielopole Street.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Frequently Asked Questions

The answers provided below are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.

Q:How can I let you know where to pick me up?

A:If you are interested in complementary hotel pickup please make sure to contact the supplier no later than 24h prior to your tour. You can let us know where you are staying in the 'Special Requirements' box in the Traveler Details section during checkout. Or you can let us know after booking by visiting 'Manage my Booking' and emailing us there.

Jul 2019

Q:Where is the meeting point?

A:The meeting point for this tour is at 7 Powisle Street at the bus park opposite the Sheraton Grand Krakow hotel.

Jul 2019

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Lloyd W

This was a terrific tour, although it is to a very somber place. The guide was tremendous and we were able to see quite a lot, and were provided with a lot of history of the events that occurred in Auschwitz and Birkenau. Highly recommended tour - an absolute must see if you are visit Krakow.

Reviews

4.5

1,475 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 1,475 reviews

Bad experience

Anne_M, Apr 2024

Although i booked this tour i was informed it was 9am pick up and only told late night before was going to be a 6.15am pickup which was far too early. Tried to cancel but informed too late to get a refund. Luckily my husband got to go but with the hotel we were staying at. Got more trips booked other country's and won't be using you again will be telling other people too as am sure you wont reimburse me

Bucket list experience

David_S, Apr 2024

Fantastic experience our guide Tomas was absolutely brilliant very passionate and extremely knowledgeable you could tell he had a personal attachment and it’s wasn’t just a job can’t speak highly enough about him

A Trip you must do while in Krakow

SUZANNE_B, Mar 2024

Fantastic trip from start to finish. So well organised .Excellent communication with timings for hotel pickup - driver Bartek was so lovely and helpful - our guide Tomas was amazing and his knowledge was unreal to give us the full understanding of the atrocities and genocide that took place - the trip you must do without a doubt

Tour was ok.

Martin_B, Mar 2024

Unfortunately it was ok but we felt rushed and there wasn’t time to take it all in, the tour guide started talking before we caught her , and there were other tour guides Louder.

Really liked the guide...

Ilya_R, Feb 2024

Really liked the guide and driver. Everybody was nice, knowledgeable and helpful. Good tour, though sad.

Great tour with well informed guide

Stephen_S, Dec 2023

Well organised and informative. Guide really knew her stuff. Sadly no time was allowed to spend a few moments at the memorial and that was unfortunate

A powerful experience

Brenda_S, Dec 2023

Being able to experience the tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau and learn more of what the prisoners went through was very powerful.

All the details taken care of…

Kathryn_C, Nov 2023

This trip is well organised and takes care of all the little details so you can focus on seeing and learning about Auschwitz. Our driver and guide were both friendly, kind, and answered all our questions. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit Auschwitz and am grateful to these organisers for making it very easy, as a solo traveller, to do so.

Great tour with excellent guide

Craig_G, Nov 2023

Fantastic tour. Our guide Anna was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the whole experience. Transport to and from was great also. Highly recommended

Don’t use this company

Kathryn_M, Oct 2023

Do not book with this company unless you want a 6.30am collection. The booking said 10.10 am but it was changed the evening before to 6.30am. This meant that we could not cancel without losing the full amount.. Auschwitz is most certainly worth visiting and the driver was nice but they sold the tour in false pretences.

This is a must see experience to remember those who died - Please really think about them if taking photos on site

Ben_F, Oct 2023

A big thanks to Artur for organising the transport to and from the two concentration camps. It was an early start (07:20) meeting up with 18 others at the local pick up point nearby the Old Town. We all got onto the mini bus and the journey took us about 1.5 hours to get to the first destination, Auschwitz. The experience is harrowing being there, most people probably have already got an idea of the atrocities that took place here, but being there is something else. Experiencing it, feeling it and getting a proper licensed guide taking you around the site, telling the factual history of what happed in each area of the camp and inside some of the blocks really impacts the mind and soul. You can learn so much by just being there and of course actually being able to ask your own questions to the specialist (tour guide) on the subject. After a break we got back on the bus for a short journey towards Birkenau. This is often the lesser known site, but is the concentration camp with the infamous train tower and train tracks leading into the camp. Although much of this site was destroyed by the Nazis to hide their evidence and also the local residents (to get materials to rebuild their homes/city) it still has remains and some huts (you can go in these) to actually feel what went on. In addition to this a Jewish family had also donated money to purchase an actual train carriage that's now positioned on the original train tracks as a memorial to their family member/s who died whilst in transportation to Birkenau Again seeing the actual train carriage and being in the same location, where innocent and by now distraught families got off these trains, were met face to face with a Nazi determining their fate -just hits you. It's a real unforgettable moment just being there. You also get to place your respects at the memorial site at the back of the site. It's a heavy hitting emotional day, but worth being there to experience and learn about it, ensuring this part of the war is never forgotten. Needless to say everyone was quiet, internally reflecting on their own experiences and thoughts on the bus journey back to the Old Town...

A must see tour

Sandra_K, Oct 2023

A very informative tour. We were picked up from the meeting point as arranged. The bus driver took us to our tour guide for Auschwitz. This is a very well managed tour. We opted to take up their offer for the packed lunch and it was a great choice with plebty of good food. While this tour is sad, it is a must see.

Over dramatic tour guide

Farouq_A, Sep 2023

The tour guide had excellent English. But she was too dramatic - almost shedding a tear after every statement. Also, whilst I appreciate her grandfather was forced to work at Auschwitz, it was not the reason I was there. The location and the sights were dramatic enough and I wanted to know the history.

Well organised from...

Clare_A, Sep 2023

Well organised from pick-up to drop off. The tour itself was excellent, with a fantastic guide. A long day, 8 hours, but well worth it. The optional extra of a lunch bag was good value too.

Very interesting Very intense and Informative

Justin_F, Sep 2023

The whole tour was just amazing especially if you’re really into you’re history of ur 2nd world war!

Emotional trip

Nicholas_H, Aug 2023

I was absolutely shocked by the size of birkenau,I dread to think how many more would have perished if they hadn’t been stopped.

A must see for everyone to be educated.

Angela_C, Aug 2023

Visiting Auschwitz Birkenau is a must see for anyone going to Poland. It is not a fun day, but truly remarkable and haunting to see what evil can do in our world. If you are an history buff, have had family members exterminated at the camp and are able, I’d advise you book a tour that lasts longer than the 2 - 2.5 hrs. Unfortunately with all the visitors, the tour groups move too quickly making it difficult to read all the signs and get all the facts. You are swiftly walking past rooms and areas that deserve more attention if you are truly looking to learn the grim details and historical facts. We spent about an hour and half at Auschwitz and only 1 hour at Birkenau. I wish I was able to stay longer and learn more. For some however, this brief visit is satisfactory. Our van to pick us was prompt and our driver, Michal was courteous and polite. He offered and provided an entire bag of food including multiple drinks, sandwich, tissues, mints and snacks for a nominal fee of $10. He even met up with the very next day when I left my RayBan sunglasses in his van. I highly recommend this company!

Tour provider let us down!

Shari_J, Jul 2023

This specific tour was selected in consultation with Viator and the tour provider as is fitted in with our day trip flight times from London. The tour provider changed the departure time from 105pm pick up to 905am pickup less than 24 hours prior. Exceptionally disappointing that the tour provider and Viator were not willing to provide a full or partial refund to co we out out of pocket costs (the fine print of potential departure time changes was never highlighted). Poor customer service for such a substantial financial investment. DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS PROVIDER!! Such a shame Viator has not protected the customer and I can only hope your company doesn’t use this local provider moving forward - but I bet you do because you both get money for nothing!

A must visit if you are in Krakow

Elaine_S, Jul 2023

A very moving experience, profoundly sad, horrific and hard to understand man’s inhumanity to fellow man

Hungry, and bit disillusioned with organised tours

Hazel_P, Jul 2023

Tour was rushed, due to numbers of large groups going round. I booked lunch when I paid but providing it on the day relied on the tour provider texting to confirm. I didn’t receive this text so no lunch. Tour of Auschwitz II is at the discretion of the museum director who cut all tours short due to weather. It was 23 degrees so maybe not a good idea to expect to see both sites in the summer months. Or travel independently on a cooler day! I believe entry to Auschwitz II is free. Worth checking.

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