General Info about my Tours
Auschwitz is located about an hour driving from Krakow. There are 2 Camps to see: KL Auschwitz I and KL Auschwitz II Birkenau. General tour takes about 2 hours in Auschwitz I and 1,5 hour in Birkenau. When your tour around Auschwitz I is completed I drive you to the second Camp - Birkenau. It's located 2 miles driving from Auschwitz so we get there in a few minutes.
Auschwitz Museum and Memorial Site are open almost everyday. The only exceptions are: 1st January, 25th December , Easter Sunday and during 'The March of The Living' (no constant date). Visiting on 17th January (Liberation Anniversary) is possible however only with a private guide.
Museum is open from 8:00am in low season and 7:30am in high season. I recommend you pick up in Krakow as early as possible (7am). Museum Auschwitz is the most visited tourist destination in Souther Poland and very often there are more than 8 thousands visitors a day! It's really worth to wake up early and avoid all crowds and queues. If early pick up is not possible You can consider afternoon tour (pick up after 2 pm). Please note that late afternoon option is available only during summer months when Auschwitz and Birkenau are open until 6 - 7 pm.
Sightseeing former Death Camps in Auschwitz and Birkenau is a very personal experience therefore I offer You 3 sightseeing options. Below you can find my recommendations based on my long-term experience. I hope you find them helpful.
Guided Group: A good option for smaller parties (up to 5 people) due to affordable ticket cost. If you prefer to listen to the guide instead of individual reading info from plaques and guide book it would be a good option for you. If reading Polish, English or Hebrew language is not your strong point it's also better to join a guided tour which is available in many languages. A disadvantage of this option is lack of flexibility and being a part of larger group.
Private Guide: These days this option is rather undoable, until you won't make reservation 12 months before your visit
Individual Tour: In my opinion this is the most appropriate way of sightseeing Auschwitz. For Polish/English/Hebrew language reading people is extremely informative as well. This option offers total flexibility. You also don't pay any entry fees. Disadvantage is smaller choice of pick up times during high season and no access to the watch tower at Birkenau.
Below you can find more details about each option. If you'd have any other question or suggestion regarding your trip to Auswitch please feel free to contact me.