Visit Auschwitz from Krakow

Auschwitz-Birkenau tours from Krakow - Tickets & Day Trips

All info about Auschwitz tours, tickets and excursions from Krakow. Tips for visiting former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland.

Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau

When visiting Auschwitz, you will visit two different complexes. The concentration and extermination camp complex set up by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II consisted of:

Auschwitz I: This was the original camp, established in 1940, and is now often referred to as “Auschwitz”. It initially served as a concentration camp for Polish political prisoners, but later also for other groups. Auschwitz I was relatively small in size and contained the administrative center of the entire camp complex. In this section, prisoners were subjected to forced labor, medical experiments and executions. The infamous entrance gate with the inscription “Arbeit macht frei” (“Work sets you free”) is also located here.

Auschwitz II - Birkenau: Also known as Birkenau, this camp was built in 1941 a few kilometers from Auschwitz I and was many times larger. Birkenau became the main extermination camp, capable of holding thousands of prisoners. It housed the gas chambers and crematoria where the mass murder of Jews and other population groups took place. The camp became notorious for its immense scale and the systematic execution of the Holocaust.

Vist Auschwitz

The Auschwitz Museum encompasses both camp sections, where visitors can explore the grounds and original structures such as the barracks, watchtowers, barbed wire fences, the infamous “Arbeit macht frei” gate, and the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoria at Birkenau. The exhibitions are moving and display personal belongings of the victims, such as suitcases, shoes, glasses and hair, giving a poignant picture of the extent of the suffering. In 1979, the Auschwitz-Birkenau site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List as a symbol of remembrance and warning

Guided tours of Auschwitz are available in several languages, usually lasting around 3.5 hours. The tours provide in-depth explanations of the history, daily conditions in the camps and the victims. The visit often begins at Auschwitz I, where there are exhibitions of personal belongings of victims. Then you continue to Birkenau, where the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoria are located. Be aware of the heavy emotional impact that an Auschwitz Tour will have.

Auschwitz Excursions & Tours

Where is Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland?