Things to do in Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum
The Auschwitz-Birkenau complex has left its inglorious mark on human history. A symbol of the Holocaust, during its five years of operation over a million Jews, along with Poles, Romani and other groups, were systematically killed by German Occupiers in WWII. Confronting and emotionally charged, a visit to the complex is an essential part of the human experience.
Composed of two sections, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, together they convey the magnitude of the compound. Auschwitz I was the main site opened in 1940 with the now infamous sign on its gate Arbeit macht frei (‘Work sets you free’). It held the first camps, the offices of the SS and was where criminal medical experiments and the first gassings using Zyklon B took place. Auschwitz II-Birkenau came later and for all intents and purposes became an extermination camp. The remains of its gas chambers and crematorium, along with primitive barracks, can still be seen.
Since 1947 this site has become a memorial and museum dedicated to the many victims of Auschwitz. Both camps require at least 90 minutes each to gain a comprehensive understanding of the events that took place here. With over two million visitors per year, it’s well advised to book in advance.
Our recommendations in Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum
Krakow Auschwitz - Birkenau Self-guided Tour
Book your visit to the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau and listen to a self-guided tour.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine one-day tour from Krakow
Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine, two must-see places, during a day trip from Kraków!
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Guided Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum tour from Krakow
Visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial with this tour from Krakow and learn more about the history of the former concentration camp.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau guided tour with fast track ticket
Visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial with a fast-track ticket. Listen to your guide in your preferred language to better understand the horror of the Holocaust.
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Krakow Auschwitz - Birkenau Self-guided Tour
Book your visit to the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau and listen to a self-guided tour.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine one-day tour from Krakow
Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine, two must-see places, during a day trip from Kraków!
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Guided Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum tour from Krakow
Visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial with this tour from Krakow and learn more about the history of the former concentration camp.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau guided tour with fast track ticket
Visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial with a fast-track ticket. Listen to your guide in your preferred language to better understand the horror of the Holocaust.
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Full-day Tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine from Krakow
Book a full-day tour from Kraków to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau and the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Enjoy skip-the-line tickets, guided tours, and comfortable round-trip transport.
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Auschwitz - Birkenau guided Memorial tour from Krakow
Book your tour from Krakow and visit Auschwitz Birkenau, a former concentration camp with a professional English-speaking guide.
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Krakow and Auschwitz Small Group Tour from Warsaw with Pick-up and Lunch
Visit one of the most tragic places in history with a small group tour to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. See also the old town of Krakow, rich in a great past!
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Full-Day Auschwitz-Birkenau and Oskar Schindler Factory Tour from Krakow
Book a full-day Auschwitz-Birkenau and Oskar Schindler Factory. Take part in a guided tour of Schindler's factory and pay tribute to all those who lost their lives.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau self-guided or guided tour from Krakow
Visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum and follow a guided or self-guided audio tour through the camp.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine Guided Tour from selected Meeting Point
Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine in one day from Krakow.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial guided tour from Krakow
Book a guided tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial from Krakow. Follow a licensed guide and visit the concentration camp.
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Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Wieliczka Salt Mine full-day tour
Book a full-day tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and the Wieliczka Salt Mine, with transportation from Krakow included. Tour the concentration camp and visit the museum crematoria ruins, gas chambers and railway platform.
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How to get there
Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum
Krakow
Poland
Reviews Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum
“The tour itself was great and we did have a memorable experience. However pick up time was 12 but we wasn't informed of the 2.5 hour delay I had to call Tui to find this out myself. Our guide Ollie was amazing and very welcoming and informative. Poor planning with communication though we stood outside in the cold for almost an hour before finding out about the delay.”
“We did not get picked up or dropped off at the hotel. Had an email to say "pick up and drop off cant be done from your hotel" Had to walk across town. What if we couldnt walk that far????”
“We had booked the tour with a 6am collection time, which got changed the day before to 4am. We didn't realise that booking with the tour group meant we wouldn't actually have tickets, so we got to aushwitz at 545am to get to the ticket office at 9am to be given a 1230 tour time. The tour itself was brilliant and the guide was very knowledgeable, but the experience and waiting and tiredness made it hard to fully appreciate. We would have been better booking directly through the aushwitz website”
“When we arrived at auchvitz we're told that if we wanted a English guide then we had to wait 5 hours so we had to go round with a polish guide who we didn't understand and rushed round then we had the same guide at the second place. The place was amazing but the experience for the cost was very disappointing”
