Guided Tours

From Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour with Hotel Transfers

Name: From Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour with Hotel Transfers
Start: 2024-09-23T07:00:00
End: 2024-09-23T14:00:00
Location: Krakow

Auschwitz-Birkenau sectors with barbed wire fences

Gate with the inscription “Arbeit macht frei” to enter Auschwitz I

Explore the history of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp complex during this guided tour.

Highlights

Skip the lines at the ticket office and visit Auschwitz, one of the infamous concentration camp complexes during WWII with an expert guide.
Enjoy pick-up services to and from hotels located in the center of Krakow or the nearest possible pick-up location in an AC minibus.
Follow your guide to get an in-depth historical understanding of the camp as you tour the surviving buildings, watchtowers, crematoriums, and gas chambers.
Select from 4 languages for your guided tour and savor a tasty lunch box featuring ham, cheese, or hummus sandwiches, along with fruit and chocolate.
Did you know? Franz Wunsch was a SS guard who fell in love with the Jewish prisoner Helena Citronova. He was in charge of the gas chambers and fell in love with her.

Inclusions

Entry to Auschwitz-Birkenau
Expert licensed English, Polish, French or German-speaking guide (as per option selected)
Pick-up from the hotel or from the nearest possible pick-up point
Transfers by an AC minivan or minibus
Service of an experienced driver/English-speaking tour manager
Audio equipment rental
Lunchbox with ham/cheese sandwich/hummus sandwich/, fruits & chocolate (as per option selected)

Exclusions

Pick-up & drop-off from hotels located far from the center of Krakow

Cancellation policy

You can cancel these tickets up to 72 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

Reviews

4.4

4.6K ratings

5/5

3.2K

4/5

748

3/5

252

2/5

206

1/5

227

Giovanni

4/5

Sep, 2024

Perfectly organized tour. Pick-up on time. Driver excellent, precise and friendly. Tour guide did his job very well: his Italian excellent, his explanations complete. From my very personal point of view (I have been exposed to very crude stories and documentaries about the deportations and extermination of Jews since I was a child) I found the visit to the camps emotionally less engaging than I expected, especially from the point of view of visual storytelling. Perhaps they did not want to push too hard on the more dramatic aspects of the events so as not to create undue discomfort in visitors. This is especially so at Auschwitz, whereas at Birkenau the feelings are stronger.

View original review in Italian

John

4/5

Sep, 2024

Bought tickets online, very easy. Pickup guy Joseph was very pleasant arrived on time. Guide was very informative and the actual tour was solemn but better than expected.

Fabien

5/5

Sep, 2024

The experience of a lifetime, which enabled us to make the connection between what we learned and read, and the places where the unspeakable took place. Many thanks to our guide Robert, who knows how to describe these places with measure, precision and emotion.

View original review in French

Gina

3/5

Sep, 2024

We had actually booked the tour to be picked up in Krakow. One day before we were told that we would have to get there ourselves and that a pick-up was not possible. So we had to pay a lot of money to get there ourselves. That was very annoying. The tour itself was good.

View original review in German

Andrew

4/5

Aug, 2024

The guide was very informative and his passion for using the horrendous events that took place in these places to inform current generations so that it cannot happen again. The one negative is that I think there was far too many people visiting Auschwitz in particular. At times you are queuing to get into blocks and rooms within blocks. This diminishes the experience and impact. I was still glad that I went and see first hand what I as read extensively about.

Your Experience

Set up in the early 1940s by the Nazis, Auschwitz was originally designed to house Polish political prisoners. When it extended to include the neighboring site of Birkenau, the area turned into an extermination camp for Jews. This is where 1.1 million people lost their lives.

Inside the Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp

Your tour begins with a hotel pick-up from Krakow. Once you reach the town of Oświęcim, start your exploration of one of the darkest chapters in European history. Enter the gate of the complex, and see the haunting sign, 'Arbeit macht frei' ('Work sets you free'). This is where inmates were tattooed, shaved, disinfected, and handed their striped prison uniforms. Follow your expert multilingual guide through the buildings and exhibitions. Pay your respects to Holocaust victims, and listen to stories about the genocide that changed the world. Your guide will offer a sensitive tour with an insight into the life in the camps, and the many horrors that took place here. See some of the personal possessions that belonged to the prisoners - a reminder of what should never happen again. You will get to tour both the KL Auschwitz and KL Birkenau camps, as well as visit the remaining prison blocks, gas chambers, and crematoria buildings. At Birkenau, observe the remains of the railway ramp where the prisoners would be transported. At the end of the tour, you will be dropped off back at your hotel in Krakow.

Know Before You Go

Important Information

Facilities: WiFi & Cloakroom.
Photography is allowed.
The tour is available in English, Polish, Italian, French, German, Dutch and Spanish.
The pace and duration of the tours are determined by the memorial’s visitor service. Hence, the pick-up time/duration of the tour is subject to change.
Note: As per the requirements of Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, all participants are required to provide their full name and contact details as part of the booking. Entry may be refused if the name provided on the booking is not identical to the name on the ID provided when entering.
All visitors are expected to commemorate the dead and adjust their clothing and behavior to reflect the solemnness of the site.
The maximum bag size allowed inside the museum is 30x20x10 cm.
All sightseeing within the camp can only be done in the company of a licensed guide.
It's recommended to wear comfortable shoes, appropriate clothes, as well as clothing items protecting from different weather conditions such as rain, cold, sun, etc.
Pick-up is possible from the hotels located in the center of Krakow. If your hotel location is in an area beyond this or in an area with limited traffic/accessibility, then you will be picked up from the nearest possible pickup place. The exact location and pickup time will be provided to you by the tour operator at least a day before your scheduled tour.

Restrictions

This tour is not recommended for children under 13 years old. It is up to the parents or guardians to decide whether to let children attend or not.
Baby carriages and luggage larger than 30 x 20 x 10cm are not permitted inside the museum.

My tickets

Your voucher will be emailed to you shortly.
Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.
Please arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled time of your tour to avoid any delays.