Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp Memorial and Museum
*Our Auschwitz guide may contain affiliate links, if you click the link and purchase an item through this you won’t pay a penny more, but we get a small commission which helps…
*Our Auschwitz guide may contain affiliate links, if you click the link and purchase an item through this you won’t pay a penny more, but we get a small commission which helps keep this website up and running, thank you!*
A visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau is a somber and emotional experience, but an important one. It offers an educational opportunity and a chance to remember and respect those that were murdered or forced to endure the horrors of the camp. The Holocaust should never be forgotten.
It was the largest of the Nazi concentration and extermination camps during WWII. It was established in 1940 and was liberated in 1945. During this time it’s estimated that 1.3 million people were deported there and of those, 1.1 million were murdered. By 1942 most prisoners being sent to the Concentration Camp were Jewish.
Those perceived as enemies of the Nazis were sent to camps such as Auschwitz and here they were subjected to slave labour, cruel medical experiments and if deemed ‘unfit’, exterminated. Those ‘unfit’ for work included children, pregnant women, elderly people and those with disabilities.
The Nazis created ‘bathhouses’, or as we now know – gas chambers, where ‘unfit’ prisoners were ordered to take showers, but once inside were poisoned with Zyklon-B gas.
The Concentration Camp was split into three sections, Auschwitz I, which held around 20,000 prisoners. Auschwitz II which was located 3km away in the town of Birkenau and could hold around 90,000 prisoners. Then Auschwitz III, which was the largest of many subcamps and held around 10,000 inmates
Auschwitz Concentration Camp is one of the most visited Dark Tourism sites in the world. Over the last few decades, sites of human tragedy, like Auschwitz, Dachau and Chernobyl, have become popular sites of interest. This surge in visitors calls into question the ethics of visiting such locations along with safety, in some cases.
We’ve written this guide to answer the most common questions and explain our experience, so you can visit the site respectfully and be aware of what you might see.
Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp is located in southern Poland near the town of Oświęcim. It is around 60km west of Krakow and is about 1 hour from the border with the Czech Republic.
From Krakow, Auschwitz is around a 1.5 hour drive or a 2 hour bus journey. If you haven’t got a hire car, then the bus is the most direct way to get there. If you are driving be aware you will need to pay for parking at both locations (or use the shuttle bus between).
The most direct and quickest method of public transport for visiting the memorial and museum is by bus. The bus journey takes around 1.5-2 hours and costs ~20 PLN each way. During peak season they leave nearly every hour but check the timetable in advance as this can change.
You can buy tickets in person at the bus station, Kraków Dworzec MDA or at ticket booths in the station. Be sure to check your bus stops at the museum stop as the Oświęcim stop is a 2km walk away.
From Krakow, Auschwitz-Birkenau is a 1.5 hour drive, this is a great option if you have a hire car or are visiting another part of Poland. Parking costs ~20PLN at the main Museum and ~40PLN at Birkenau.
A visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is a sobering experience. It’s a thought provoking visit and one that is important in order to help preserve the memories and knowledge for future generations. Visiting the Concentration Camp is worthwhile, it educates visitors on the history of such a harrowing site. Reminding those who visit of the horrors that ordinary, innocent people we forced to endure.
To visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp you need to book a time slot to reserve your space, even if you are visiting without a guide.
Yes, you can visit Auschwitz without a tour guide and this is free, and a good option if you can’t make an allotted tour time. Visiting without a guide does give you more freedom to spend more time in certain areas if you want to. However, we noticed that there wasn’t much information on boards available to read and therefore you would most likely get more detail if visiting with a guide.
This is not always the case, having visited Dachau Concentration Camp and Memorial, in Germany, we would recommend visiting there without a guide as there was a really helpful audio guide and very detailed and informative museum.
How long you spend at Auschwitz depends on if you are on a guided tour or not. The museum recommends leaving around 3 – 3.5 hours for a visit, however, it really depends on how you are visiting. If you are on a guided tour , it will take you around 3.5 hours to visit the two parts of the camp. Whereas if you are going without a guide it may be shorter, as you aren’t in a large group and so can visit at your own pace.
Top Tip: If you plan to visit in the afternoon instead, be sure to check the closing times as during winter it can close as early as 14:00.
When you arrive at Auschwitz you will need to pass through security checks before entering the museum via a concrete tunnel.
It’s important to note that the content of a trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau can be deeply disturbing and graphic, they suggest it’s unsuitable for children under 14.
As you enter the Concentration Camp you will pass through the entrance gate, above it, a chilling inscription reads “Arbeit Macht Frei,” which translates to “work sets you free.” Tragically, many inmates initially believed they were destined for a labor camp, laboring under the false hope that diligent work would secure their eventual release.
After passing under the gate you will walk through and inside some of the red brick barracks. Inside are several exhibits about life in the concentration camp, along with shocking collections of the inmate’s personal belongings and even hair.
After visiting Auschwitz I, you can either drive or catch a shuttle bus (every 30 minutes) to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. This camp is much bigger than Auschwitz I and is all outside.
Birkenau was where most victims of the Auschwitz died, there were multiple gas chambers and crematoriums here, of which you will see the remains.
The entrance is a long building with railway tracks going through the centre. This was where inmates arrived to be ‘selected’. You also see some of the remaining wooden barracks and guard towers.
Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau is free without a guide, however you do need to reserve a time slot either way. Be sure to book your time in advance as during peak seasons the slots can book up quickly. There are also specific times you can visit for free without a guide, check here for the most up to date times.
If you would like to visit with a guide, then there are different time slots available depending on the language of your tour. You will need to book tickets for this as well, and the cost to visit with a guide is ~110PLN (around £22).
Weather in Auschwitz ranges throughout the year, from November to March, weather can be extremely cold with low temperatures of -4°C. It’s a very flat and open landscape so the wind can make it feel a lot colder. In summer there can be highs of around 26°C during peak season.
Accuweather gives you are more accurate idea of the temperatures along with previous temperatures for specific dates, but below is a current weather forecast for the area.
Make sure to wear sturdy and comfy shoes when you visit, as there is a lot of walking and some uneven ground. If you are visiting in winter make sure to bring a warm coat, scarf, hat and gloves along with a rain coat if needed. When visiting Auschwitz Concentration Camp you will be outside most of the time and there isn’t any shelter so be prepared.
We hope this guide has given you a better understanding of how to visit Auschwitz Concentration Camp and what to expect. If you found the information in this post useful, please let us know in the comments below. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any more questions about our experience.
If this is part of a longer trip to Poland, or for more inspiration why not check out some of our other destinations.
Thanks for reading,
Eve and Nick
*Our Auschwitz guide may contain affiliate links, if you click the link and purchase an item through this you won’t pay a penny more, but we get a small commission which helps…
*Our Visiting Dachau post may contain affiliate links, if you click the link and purchase an item through this you won’t pay a penny more, but we get a small commission which…
*Our Visiting Chernobyl post may contain affiliate links, if you click the link and purchase an item through this you won’t pay a penny more, but we get a small commission which…