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Auschwitz Tour from Krakow Tickets
Visits Auschwitz I & Auschwitz II-Birkenau
Expert English-Speaking Local Guide Throughout
Round-Trip Transport From Krakow Included
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Visit Auschwitz and Birkenau, two of the most powerful and tragic symbols of 20th-century history. The camp at Auschwitz was established by the Nazis on the outskirts of Oświęcim, Poland, in 1940, originally built to address the growing number of mass arrests of Poles and overcrowding in existing prisons. While it initially followed the model of earlier Nazi-run camps from the 1930s, by 1942 it had become the centre of the "Final Solution" — the Nazi regime's plan to exterminate Jews across all Third Reich territories.
Your experienced local guide will lead you through both Auschwitz and Birkenau, offering deeper insight into the Holocaust and the atrocities committed against Poles, Gypsies, Jews, and many others. Along the way, you'll learn about the historical and political context behind the camp's creation as you visit the prison blocks, gas chambers, and crematorium.
There are a choice of two tours, one with pick up from either a select meeting point or one directly from your place of stay.
About The History:
1940-1942: The Concentration Camp
Originally established to address the growing number of mass arrests of Poles and overcrowding in existing prisons, Auschwitz was built on the outskirts of Oświęcim following the Nazi annexation of western Poland in 1939. In its early years it followed the model of earlier Nazi-run camps, holding Polish political prisoners, Romani people, and others deemed enemies of the Third Reich.
1942-1944: The Centre of the Final Solution
By 1942, Auschwitz had been transformed into the largest centre of immediate mass extermination under the Nazi regime's Final Solution - the systematic plan to eliminate the Jewish population of Europe. Jewish men, women, and children were deported from across German-occupied Europe and transported to Auschwitz, where the vast majority were murdered on arrival. It is estimated that over 1.1 million people lost their lives here across these four years - around 90% of them Jewish.
The Tour:
Auschwitz I - Main Camp
Your expert guide will lead you through the permanent exhibitions and original camp buildings of Auschwitz I - the main camp where the Nazi regime first established its presence in Oświęcim. Visit the prison blocks, the gas chambers and crematorium, and the exhibitions documenting the lives and fates of those imprisoned here.
Auschwitz II - Birkenau
Continue to Auschwitz II-Birkenau - the vast extermination centre built to carry out the Final Solution on an industrial scale. Explore the most significant original buildings and sites across this enormous complex, including the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoria, the original railways, watchtowers, and fences that defined life and death here for four years.
Which Ticket Is Right For You?
Meeting Point Pick-Up | Hotel Pick-Up | |
|---|---|---|
Transport | From designated meeting point | From selected Krakow city centre hotels |
Skip-the-Line Access | ✓ | ✓ |
Licensed Professional Guide | ✓ | ✓ |
Entrance Tickets | ✓ | ✓ |
Headsets at Auschwitz I | ✓ | ✓ |
Best For | Independent travellers | Guests staying in central Krakow hotels |
Hotel Pick-Up Schedule:
Pick-up is available from the following hotels and locations in Krakow city centre:
8.15am: Sympozjum Hotel (available on request only)
8.00-8.30am: Best Western Hotel, Conrad Hotel Crown Piast, Demel Hotel, Best Western Effect Express, Fortuna Bis Hotel, Novotel Bronowice, Petrus Hotel, Orient Hotel (available on request only)
8.40am: 2 Matejki Square, 7 Szczepanski Square, Galaxy Hotel
8.45am: Alexander I Hotel, Andel's Hotel, Ester Hotel
8.50am: Globus Hotel, Logos Hotel, Wyspianski Hotel
8.55am: Holiday Inn, Novotel Centrum/Ibis Centrum, Queen Boutique Hotel
9.00am: Royal Hotel
9.05am: Radisson Blu Hotel
9.10am: Sheraton Hotel
YOU MUST CONTACT the SeeKrakow Help Desk at +48 506 379 678 to RECONFIRM your booking and pick-up time as soon as you receive your e-ticket. Please quote your booking reference number, full name, and date of booking, and leave your contact number for reconfirmation of your tour.
Your booking is on request and will be confirmed within 48 working hours. If the supplier is unable to fulfil your requested date, you will be contacted within this period with an alternative. If you do not hear back within 48 working hours, your booking will be confirmed for your requested date. Please refrain from booking flights or accommodation until your booking has been confirmed.
As per the requirements of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, all participants are required to provide their full name and contact details at the time of booking. Entry may be refused if the name on the booking does not match the name on the ID provided at the entrance.
The guided tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum is approximately 3.5 hours long. The total experience including travel lasts approximately 7-8 hours.
Luggage is not permitted in the camp with the exception of hand baggage not exceeding 30cm x 20cm x 10cm. Only water bottles and personal belongings not exceeding the size of a wallet or purse are permitted.
We recommend bringing a packed lunch from Krakow to consume during the short break between both camps. The tour programme does not include a lunch break.
As the camp is situated on an extensive open space, please dress appropriately for the prevailing weather conditions and wear comfortable footwear.
Given the historical importance of this memorial site, visitors are asked to conduct themselves with the utmost respect throughout the tour.
This tour is not recommended for children under 14 years of age.
FAQs
Morning Tour: Daily all year round (except some holidays)
Guided tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps and memorial museum, with transport from Krakow by air-conditioned bus
Please allow approx. 5½ hours for this tour from the time the coach departs Krakow as it is a 1 hour drive each way
Pick-up is included from the following hotels & locations in Krakow:
- 8.15am: Sympozjum Hotel (available on request only)
- 8 – 8.30am: Best Western Hotel, Conrad Hotel Crown Piast, Demel Hotel, Best Western Effect Express, Fortuna Bis Hotel, Novotel Bronowice, Petrus Hotel, Orient Hotel (available on request only)
- 8.40am: 2 Matejki Square, 7 Szczepanski Square, Galaxy Hotel
- 8.45am: Alexander I Hotel, Andel’s Hotel, Ester Hotel
- 8.50am: Globus Hotel, Logos Hotel, Wyspianski Hotel
- 8.55am: Holiday Inn, Novotel Centrum/Ibis Centrum, Queen Boutique Hotel
- 9am: Royal Hotel
- 9.05am: Radisson Blu Hotel
- 9.10am: Sheraton Hotel
An English-speaking professional guide will accompany you on this tour
This tour is not recommended for children under 14.
This tour includes a lot of walking, so is not recommended for people with limited mobility or those confined to a wheelchair
As this is a walking tour we recommend to wear comfortable clothes and shoes
Return transport, admission to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Museum
Food & drinks
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