Visiting Auschwitz is a harrowing but essential part of any visit to Poland. This infamous concentration camp was the site of some of the worst atrocities of the Nazis during World War 2. Its preservation as a museum serves as a stark reminder of these terrible crimes and as a memorial to the hundreds of thousands of victims who lost their lives in the camps. In this guide, we’ll look at how to plan a visit to Auschwitz, from reserving admission tickets to getting there and what you can expect once you enter the museum.
The history of the concentration camp that we now know as Auschwitz pre-dates World War 2. The site was initially constructed during World War 1 before becoming a Polish Army Barracks for the next 20 years. Poland was then invaded and defeated by Nazi Germany in September 1939 at the start of World War 2. The camp was soon put to use by the Nazis. The name Auschwitz was given to the camp at this point and reflected the Germanic name for the town it was located in.
The first mass transport of prisoners to the camp occurred on 16th June 1940 and consisted primarily of Polish political prisoners. While the treatment of residents was still brutal, the camp was initially only a detention camp. However, following the invasion of the USSR in June 1941, the camp took an even more sinister turn with the gassing of Soviet soldiers in August 1941.
As the number of political and military prisoners increased, the Nazis looked to expand the camp. This also coincided with the Nazis’ plans for the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question.” A second camp was built several miles from the original Auschwitz camp and opened in March 1942. Named Auschwitz II-Birkenau and sometimes referred to as “Auschwitz 2”, the camp could hold over 80,000 prisoners. It covered a vast area and included four gas chambers with an attached crematorium. From this point, the systematic murder of Jews, Poles, and many other nationalities and ethnic groups occurred.
It’s believed that over 1.1 million people lost their lives at Auschwitz, mostly Jews from across Europe. The killing and persecution only stopped in January 1945 when the Soviet Red Army finally liberated the camp. Before their departure, the Nazis blew up the gas chambers and crematoriums to try and hide the crimes against humanity that had occurred over the previous five years. Over 50,000 inmates were forced to march west away from the Soviet advance, while 7,000 of the weakest prisoners were left in the camp. Sadly, many of these prisoners didn’t survive long after liberation, as the effects of starvation on their bodies couldn’t be reversed.
Following the war’s end in May 1945, former inmates sought to preserve the site as a warning to future generations. Such was their harrowing experience that they wanted to ensure such a crime could never happen again. The site was finally declared a museum in 1947 to ensure its protection.
The Auschwitz Museum is made up of the original Auschwitz I camp and the Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. Both the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau camps lie on the outskirts of Oświęcim, a small town in southern Poland. The camps are located southwest of the town center and are around 1 mile from the train station. Oświęcim is situated between the major Polish cities of Katowice and Krakow and has good transport connections to both. The town is also close to the present-day borders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Located on the outskirts of Oświęcim, Auschwitz is easily accessible by public transport. Most visitors come from the nearby major cities of Katowice and Krakow, so we’ll look at the different options available from these two cities.
It’s possible to travel to Auschwitz by bus, train, or taxi from Krakow. Note the train station is around a mile away from the entrance to Auschwitz, while the center of town is a similar distance away.
Bus – Buses leave from the Kraków Dworzec MDA coach station. There are hourly departures from 7 a.m. onwards, with more frequent services during the middle of the day. You should check the departure board in the terminal to confirm the departure gate. You can check bus times online using the MDA planner. Tickets typically cost around 16zł, and the journey takes around 90 minutes. One advantage of the bus over the train is that it drops you right outside the Auschwitz I site.
Train – The train from Krakow to Oświęcim departs from Kraków Glówny train station. Leaving hourly, the journey takes around an hour and 40 minutes and often involves a transfer. There are also direct faster trains, but these are significantly more expensive. The fare for a standard train is 12.50zł, while the quicker trains cost 36zł. On arrival, you’ll either need to walk for 25 minutes to Auschwitz I or take a taxi or local bus to the museum entrance.
Taxi – You can get a taxi from Krakow to Auschwitz anywhere in the city. It’s 70 kilometers by road, so you should expect to pay between 200-250zł for each leg of your journey. It can sometimes be more cost-effective to arrange for the taxi driver to wait for you while you complete your museum tour.
Although Katowice is closer to Oświęcim and Auschwitz than Krakow, its smaller size and lower volume of visitors means there are less frequent transport connections. However, it is still possible to reach Auschwitz by bus, train, or taxi from Katowice. All transport from Katowice drops you at Oświęcim Railway Station, so you’ll need to walk or take a bus/taxi for the last mile to the Auschwitz Museum.
Bus – Several buses run daily between Katowice and Oświęcim, although not always at the most convenient times. Buses typically take 50 minutes to complete the 38-kilometre journey and cost around 10zł.
Train – Train is the most cost-effective and efficient way to get from Katowice to Oświęcim. Trains cost 8zł each way and depart hourly from 4.30 am until 10 pm. The journey typically takes 48 minutes.
Taxi – As Katowice is closer than Krakow to Auschwitz, the taxi fare you will pay is lower. Expect to pay between 150-200zł each way for a taxi transfer. It should take around 40 minutes to complete the journey from Katowice to the museum entrance.
Visiting Auschwitz is always an incredibly important and emotive experience, so there’s no bad time to visit. However, it’s essential to consider the weather when planning your visit. The climate in Oświęcim varies dramatically between winter and summer. Heavy snowfall and temperatures of -20℃ are possible during the height of winter, while summer temperatures can exceed 30℃. As most of the site is outside and exposed to the elements, the weather could seriously impact your visit. Therefore, you’re best off visiting Auschwitz in spring and autumn when temperatures are milder. There are also fewer visitors during this time compared to the peak summer months.
In terms of the best time of day to visit, this once again comes down to the weather. If you’re visiting during the summer, it’s best to arrive early to miss the midday heat. Otherwise, there’s little difference between arrival times. Auschwitz is a very popular museum, so you’ll likely encounter crowds and tour groups most of the day. If you’re planning to visit without a guide, you’ll only be able to enter later in the day, typically after 4 p.m.
All visitors to Auschwitz require a ticket to visit the site. While admission to the site is free, you do need to book a ticket to guarantee entry. You must book a ticket well in advance of your visit, especially during peak times. Over 2 million people visit Auschwitz annually, meaning the site can be very busy, and ticket availability can be limited. Ticket can be booked via the official website, where you can choose between a guided or unguided trip. Note there is an 85zł fee for the guided trip. See the opening hours section below for information on when unguided trips are permitted. If you’ve booked to visit as part of a tour, you should check to ensure your tour includes an entrance ticket.
For most people visiting Auschwitz, the big question is whether to visit with or without a guide. Our recommendation, and that of the museum, is to engage a guide (or an educator, as they like to refer to them) to get the most out of your visit. While the site features a good volume of signs and information in both Polish and English, the signs don’t cover anywhere near the level of information provided by a guide. The guides at Auschwitz are supplied and trained directly through the museum to ensure their knowledge and service are excellent. The cost for a guide in 2022 is 85zł, meaning it’s not a particularly expensive addition to your visit. You can also choose your guides language from many different languages, including English, Polish, Russian, and French.
If you’d still like to visit without the services of a guide, the other consideration is when you’re allowed to visit. Only guided tours are permitted during most of the day. It’s only the last 2 to 3 hours of the day when a tour without a guide is allowed. See the opening hours section below for the specific information.
Auschwitz is open seven days a week except Christmas Day (25th December), New Year’s Day (1st January), and Easter Sunday (variable). Visiting hours vary by month, so check below to see when the site is open. As highlighted above, it’s only possible to visit the site with a guide/educator for the first part of the day. We’ve included a separate column to show when unguided visits are permitted.
Month | Opening Time | Last Admission | Unguided visits allowed from |
Jan | 7:30 AM | 3:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
Feb | 7:30 AM | 4:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
Mar | 7:30 AM | 5:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
Apr | 7:30 AM | 6:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
May | 7:30 AM | 6:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
Jun | 7:30 AM | 7:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
Jul | 7:30 AM | 7:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
Aug | 7:30 AM | 7:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
Sep | 7:30 AM | 6:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
Oct | 7:30 AM | 5:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
Nov | 7:30 AM | 3:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
Dec | 7:30 AM | 2:00 PM | 12:00 PM |
There are some important details that you need to know before you visit. We’ve tried to cover the most common and important questions below.
Everyone requires a ticket, and these should be pre-booked before arrival. There is no cost for the ticket, but if you want to visit with a guide/educator, there is a fee of 85 PLN to pay.
A tour typically takes around 3.5 hours and covers both the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau sites. See the Auschwitz guided tour section below for further details.
You can take photographs throughout the site except for 2 locations that are clearly marked. The museum requests that no tripod or flash photography be undertaken during your visit.
You are permitted to bring one small bag into Auschwitz, which doesn’t exceed the measurements of 30cm x 20cm x 10cm. There is a luggage facility at the entrance where larger bags can be left for a small fee.
There is no specific dress code for Auschwitz, although the museum requests that you act with respect at all times. Therefore, it is recommended that you dress conservatively and also wear comfortable footwear, as a visit involves a significant amount of walking.
The typical guided tour of Auschwitz lasts around 3.5 hours. Individual tours can vary in length, but most follow the same schedule. Our experience of the guided tour was perfectly in line with the anticipated time and was broken down as shown below.
Item | Duration |
Auschwitz I | 100 minutes |
Break | 15 minutes |
Transit to Auschwitz II-Birkenau | 10 minutes |
Auschwitz II-Birkenau | 75 minutes |
Transit back to Auschwitz I | 10 minutes |
You’ve got your ticket, made travel arrangements, and read up on the background of Auschwitz, so what can you expect now? Well, first and foremost, you should make sure that you arrive at the Auschwitz I location (and not the Auschwitz II-Birkenau location) where the tour begins. You should arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled time of your tour as there are often large crowds outside, and it’s not always clear where you need to go.
On arrival, you should go to the ticket office to collect your entry pass unless you already have a digital copy on your phone. The confirmation email from the Auschwitz Museum includes a PDF version of your entry pass, which can be used for admission. You’ll then need to enter the building on the left-hand side and pass through airport-style security. Once through security, you’ll be allocated a headset to listen to your guide during your initial tour of Auschwitz I. The headset is also used for the introductory film, which is shown to visitors 15 minutes before the start of the tour. You can select the language of the film using the buttons on the chair.
At the film’s end, everyone exits the theatre into the courtyard, where waiting guides/educators will collect you. At the time of receiving your headset, you’ll also be allocated a sticker that denotes your group and the designated language of your tour. If you’re coming as part of an unguided visit, you’ll be able to proceed into the grounds of Auschwitz I at this point.
The tour commences outside the gates of Auschwitz I in front of the famous ‘Arbeit macht frei’ (work will set you free) sign. From here, you pass along several of the cobbled roads of the site and enter a number of the buildings. Each building seeks to provide some information and background on how the camp worked and the experience of its prisoners. It begins with the process of selecting and registering prisoners. Initially, all prisoners were registered; however, from early 1942 onwards, prisoners began to be chosen based on their ability to work. If you could work, you would be registered. If you weren’t selected, you wouldn’t be registered and instead be taken straight to the gas chambers. It’s harrowing to hear that only 400,000 of the estimated 1.3 million prisoners who arrived were registered. The other 900,000 were immediately murdered shortly after arrival.
The next part of the tour is one of the more harrowing as you see the possessions that were stripped from new arrivals. This includes mountains of shoes, glasses, and suitcases. There’s also an incredibly moving collection of human hair removed from prisoners and would have typically been used in making fabrics. The plaits and braids in the hair can still be seen.
The tour then progresses through several other buildings, which provide insight into the work details inmates were assigned to. This is followed by an example of the crowded accommodation that prisoners were forced to live in. The tour then progresses to a more sinister location where the torture and detention cells are located. Outside of this building is the square and the wall where prisoners were routinely murdered, often for the most minor transgression.
The tour proceeds to the roll call square, where prisoners were made to attend roll call each day. It’s also the site of gallows that were used to hang inmates, again often for very little or no reason. The tour of Auschwitz I concludes with a visit to the gas chambers and attached crematorium. While most of the systematic murder of prisoners was conducted at Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the gas chambers and crematorium at Auschwitz I were where such crimes were first trialed and committed.
Following the conclusion of part 1 of the tour, you return your headsets and exit back to the front of the main building. You are then given a 15-minute break. There is a shop, vending machines, and a small takeaway café as well as bathrooms that you can use.
Your guide will meet you at the front of the building at the end of your break. You’ll then take the short walk to the road where an airport-style transit bus will bring you the 2 miles or so to the second site, Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Buses come every 5-10 minutes, and the transit takes around 5 minutes.
The second part of your visit is perhaps even more emotive than the first part. While the site at Auschwitz I was witness to unspeakable crimes, the Auschwitz II-Birkenau site was where mass exterminations took place. The camp operated from March 1942 onwards and was explicitly designed to fulfill this horrendous purpose. Covering an enormous 171 hectares, the site dwarfs the 20 hectares of the original Auschwitz camp.
You begin by entering through the large guardhouse entrance, which is one of the most recognizable images of Auschwitz. Following the railway tracks, you eventually come to the railway siding where Jews and other prisoners were disembarked from trains that arrived from throughout occupied Europe. A relatively late addition to the site in 1944, it was here that the selection of prisoners occurred, with the fittest being put to work and the others sent to the gas chambers for immediate death.
You continue along the tracks to the end of the railway. A large monument to the inmates and all of those who lost their lives is now located here and sits between the sites of the two largest gas chambers and crematorium. Both of these structures were blown up by the Nazis in January 1945, shortly before the Soviet army liberated the camp. It was a desperate attempt to try and destroy the evidence of what occurred at the camp. While what remains is essentially just rubble, there remains enough of a footprint to understand the scale of the changing rooms, gas chambers, and crematorium.
The tour then continues around the countless buildings used to house prisoners. Most of the blocks were built of wood, and only the brick chimneys remain from the block. However, some blocks were constructed from brick, which remains in place, and these buildings have been preserved in their original state. Each block held up to 700 prisoners, with prisoners squeezed onto bunk beds that were three high. Each bed had to accommodate up to 6 prisoners, which in part explains the terrible sanitary conditions in the camp with typhoid and other diseases rampant. Washrooms and toilets were built later when a shortage of able-bodied workers caused concern among the camp leaders.
The tour’s culmination is a visit to several of the blocks that housed prisoners. You are immediately struck by the crowded rooms, which provide little or no space for anything besides beds. While there is a walkway in the blocks now, the floor before was just dirt, and conditions in the blocks would have been horrendous. It’s a fitting end to a visit that will live long in your memory. As upsetting as the site is, it serves a critical role in ensuring such a tragedy is never forgotten and can never occur again.
After your tour in Auschwitz II-Birkenau, you bid farewell to your guide/educator. You then need to go to the car park opposite the main entrance where the regular shuttle buses depart back to Auschwitz I. Buses arrive every 5-10 minutes, so you shouldn’t have to wait long. On arrival back at Auschwitz I your tour is complete.
If you’ve enjoyed this guide please let us know. You can find more guides and travel ideas for Poland in our country guide. You can also find other destinations on our Countries A-Z page.
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