Infamous sing 'Arbeit Macht Frei' in Auschwitz I Main Gate of Auschwitz II Birkenau Wooden Barracks of Birkenau Road to the Gas Chambers of Birkenau Sunset in Auschwitz II Birkenau

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.

Guided Group

Guided Group in Birkenau

After an hour drive with my comfy minivan we arrive to KL Auschwitz I. Please remember that any bags etc. bigger then 30x20x10cm are not allowed in Museum, and you should leave them in vehicle. There is also security check scanning for metal objects and electronic devices so you will have to put them all on tray like at the airport.

If you plan your visit in Auschwitz in a high season, you should have your entry passes already purchased through official reservation website visit.auschwitz.org

Wireless headsets are provided to listen to the guide loud and clear even if she/he is not next to you. Usually there are 20 - 30 people in a group. During summer time is worth to join first tour (9:30 am) which is not so busy.

Regular ticket for a guided tour in foreign language (English, Italian, French, German, Italian and Spanish) cost 90 PLN per person. Reduced ticket for student and senior citizens costs 80 PLN per person.

Usually You spend 1 hour 45 minutes in Auschwitz one. Guide moves quite fast so there is no time for taking many pictures, meditating or visiting places of your choice. After short break You meet me at the car park. I drive You to Birkenau where you meet your guide and group again.

Tour around Birkenau lasts about 1,5 hour. When it's completed You meet me back at the car park and we depart to Krakow or another destination agreed before.

There is also 6 hours study group tour available in English, Polish or German. The price is 130PLN per person ( 120PLN reduced )

Private Guide

Thomas explaining the tourist route

If you'd like to be guided around by a private guide you must plan your visit far in advance. Please note that there is very high demand on English speaking guides, so if you'd be interested in this option please let me know as soon as you know you will need it

Hiring private guide for General Tour costs 620 PLN (parties up to 10 people). For bigger groups costs respectively more.

General tour lasts 1:45 hour in Auchwitz and up to 1,5 hour in Birkenau. In most of the cases is more than enough however if you want to see and find out more there is also one day study tour that lasts 6 hours or even 8. If you'd be interested please email me to get more information.

Individual Tour

Guide Book and Information Plaques in Auschwitz

Sightseeing on your own is free of charge, however you still need an entry pass, you can get from official reservation website Visit.Auchwitz.org Please select 'Visit for Indviduals' and then 'Tour for Individuals without an Educator' on chosen date and time.

After arrival to Auschwitz I enter with you Museum to explain you on the Map where to go and what to see. Then you go around on your own.

All information you should know about Auschwitz and Birkenau are displayed on special plaques you can find every 10 - 15 yards on the tourist route. Information are in 3 languages: Polish, English and Hebrew.

As a supplement to information plaques, I will give you a small map with marked tourist route and all 'must see' sites and exbhibitions.

To see all 'must see' places in Auschwitz you need about 2 hours. If you need more time it's not a problem. I will adapt tour itinerary to your needs. When your tour around Auschwitz is done we drive to the the second Camp - Birkenau where again I enter with you Camp to explain on the map where to go and what to see. Duration of tour around Birkenau is flexible. In most of the cases 1,5 hour is enough to see all important site in that Camp.

Entrance to Auschwitz and Birkenau is free of charge so there are no any extra costs when you choose that option. Please note that from 2021 visiting Auschwitz on your own is possible only in the afternoon, so practically you need to go Birkenau first which is not ideal order.Based on my experience people get tired in Birkenau and then have no enough strenght to visit Auschwitz properly.