Krakow to Auschwitz Birkenau Guided Tour with Transfer and Ticket

Highlights

Inclusions

Itinerary

1. Your tour begins with transportation from Krakow (hotel you specified or a meeting point you choose from). Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum is located in the town Oswiecim, about 1h15min in one way (65km). Every driver we cooperate with has all required by EU permissions for passenger transport. An English speaking and friendly leader of the group will assist you at any time you need. After arriving in Oswiecim, have a short break to grab a coffee or keep an eye on outdoor exhibitions.Then be kindly introduced to your local and professional guide who is licensed by Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum.

   2 h

2. Start your tour by walking through the gate to the first camp - Auschwitz I - originally conceived as a concentration camp, to be used as a detention centre for the many Polish citizens arrested after Germany annexed the country in 1939, with the most recognizable sign Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Makes You Free).This part usually takes 2 hours and you will be using a headset to hear your guide clearly. The group according to the Museum’s rule counts up to 30 people making the visit comfortable and accessible for every participant. Visit the original wooden buildings, fortified walls, barbed wires, gas chambers and crematoria - all of those leave a shocking impression allowing to imagine the scale of Holocaust.

   2 hAdmission included

3. After the 1st camp short break up to 15 minutes is planned. You will be taken by us to visit the second part of the tour - Birkenau (Auschwitz II), only 3 minutes away, which is the largest camp built and operated for the specific purpose of making Europe ''Judenrein'' (free of Jews). The same guide continues a poignant lecture about the camp in the village Brzezinka (Birkenau) which was constructed in 1941 on the order of Heinrich Himmler (SS commander) and could hold some 90 000 prisoners.You will be told about terrible stories of unimaginable living conditions as well as cruel selection and pseudo-scientific medical experiments made by prominent Nazi doctors including Josef Mengele. A history about soldiers of the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front opened the gates of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, which meant the final liberation, ends your tour with a feeling, both this genocide should never have happened and it can not happen again.

   1 h

4. When the tour ends, you are not rushed by us. There is at least a 20 minutes break which you can spend in a bookstore, grocery store or just rest. After another 1h15min on the way, you will be taken to a predetermined address in Krakow.

   2 h

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

Ratings come from 10,016 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Showing reviews written in English.

• 5Well organised trip,...

  Well organised trip, coach was on time and driver friendly. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, engaging and spoke perfect English. They are on a strict time schedule, a little more time would have been nice particularly at the second site where we only spent 50 minutes, this felt a bit rushed.

  Stephanie_KSeptember 2026via Viator

• 5Brilliant

  Brilliant experience the driver and guide where very knowledgeable and informative with passion in the way they spoke about everything

  heatherfH3370GQSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5A Great Experience in Krakow

  We had a great first time in Krakow. The trips booked were excellent and everything went so smoothly. Great airport pickup. We will definitely be back to this beautiful place. Many thanks for all your help and support for our trip to Krakow.

  veronicaTyroneSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 2Skip This Operator: Rude Driver and Unnecessarily Long Ride

  Something I didn't realize when purchasing this package is that the only difference between this tour and the multitude of others is the transportation. The actual tours at the camps are conducted entirely by the museum's official guides, meaning the "guide" you meet at your hotel is simply your driver. Our driver, Michal, was flippant, rude, and generally unpleasant to be around. The ride took an incredibly long time because we seemed to take backroads the entire way, presumably for the company to avoid paying tolls. We had friends who booked with another company and arrived much quicker because their driver simply took the motorway. If you value your time, choose an operator who is willing to pay the tolls to get you to and from Auschwitz more efficiently. Additionally, the long drive was a missed opportunity to learn about the history of the area. We were given no facts or context. Instead, Michal took numerous phone calls, replied to WhatsApp messages, and listened to a podcast on his wireless earbuds while driving. The museum tour itself was excellent, but again, that is solely due to the museum's own staff. Since the camp experience is exactly the same no matter who you hire to drive you—and you can likely get there faster by train and/or bus—I wouldn't recommend this specific operator. Finally, if you do decide to book one of these tours, skip the add-on lunch bag. It looked very bare. You are much better off bringing your own food in a backpack.

  Dustin_JSeptember 2026via Viator

• 5Respectful exceptional guide

  Although we booked for a morning visit, our tour didn’t start until after3pm. The pick up was on time and transfer time was hampered by traffic issues as the driver avoided the motorway to reduce costs. These issues were of no consequence however as our guide for the day was exceptional. He was very respectful of the history of the locations and had a wealth of knowledge. The visit to both sites lasted around 3 hours with a lot of walking. It was a fascinating insight into a period of our history which should never be repeated.

  B4905DMgrahamsSeptember 2026via Tripadvisor

• 5This was a trip which...

  This was a trip which just has to be experienced. It was an eye opener and sobering eperience. The tour guide was extremely knowledgable and genuinely interested in the history there. There is a lot of walking involved and a couple of people didn't make it around both of the camps.

  Sandy_MSeptember 2026via Viator

Know before you go

How it compares in Krakow

• Its from-price is 75% below the median of the 322 day trips we list in Krakow.
• Its length is typical for the group.
• By number of reviews it ranks 1 of 322.
• The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Krakow

Kraków, Poland's royal former capital, has a beautifully preserved medieval old town, crowned by Wawel Castle above the Vistula River.

The Main Market Square, one of the largest medieval squares in Europe, is lined with burghers' houses and centred on the arcaded Cloth Hall. St Mary's Basilica rises at one corner, its carved wooden altarpiece a Gothic masterpiece, and a trumpet call sounds from its tower through the day and night.

Top-ranked sights in Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square), Wieliczka Salt Mine (Kopalnia Soli).

See all 1446 experiences in Krakow