Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum Half-Day Trip from Krakow

Krakow, Poland

Leave Krakow for a morning or afternoon to visit the UNESCO-listed Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. This sobering half-day trip will have a lasting impact, commemorating the lives of those who died in the extermination camps during the Holocaust of World War II.

Auschwitz-Birkenau is the best-known cemetery and place of genocide in the world. Started in 1940 as a concentration camp for Polish political prisoners, in 1942 the camp became a center for the extermination of European Jews. During the years 1940 to 1945, approximately 1.5 million people died there. The majority of the camp's victims were Jews, along with Poles, Gypsies, Russian POWs and members of other nationalities.

Your tour of this haunting site begins onboard the coach with a 15-minute documentary about the liberation of the camp. On arrival at the museum, your guide will show you the exhibitions in some of the surviving prison blocks, the gas chamber and the crematorium.

After a short break, the tour continues to Birkenau, where the view from the watchtower above the entrance gate reveals the forbidding expanse of the biggest Nazi concentration camp built during the Holocaust. A Martyrdom Museum was set up here in 1947, and in 1979 Auschwitz-Birkenau was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites.

USD $46.67

Traveler Reviews

Review by: David H	April 2012
superb

Review by: John W	April 2012
A very moving and sobering experience. The guide was extremely well informed and could answer any questions put to her._br/_ I certainly came away from this a better person.

Review by: Kevin O	April 2012
very well organised, friendly helpful staff.

Review by: Malcolm M	April 2012
Auschwitz gets the 5 stars, however Viator left us feeling disappointed. Why did I get an e-mail telling me of a departure time change, when the bus left at the original time? Why was the hotel pick-up arranged with such ease, then nobody came to pick us up? Why, when after making several calls to Viator (thinking by now that we had missed the trip) did a taxi with broken seatbelts turn up at the hotel late, with the driver not knowing who or how many passengers he was picking up? A bit disorganised to say the least!

Review by: David J B	April 2012
Well organized trip. Excellent guide. Would use this company again.

Review by: William C	April 2012
I can't say that the experience was enjoyable due to the evil purpose of the place. However, it was a fascinating and worthwhile trip and the guide was very knowledgable and sensitive. She gave an excellent account of the camp's history and the conditions faced by its poor inhabitants. Well done to Cracow Tours. Thoroughly recommended.

Review by: Deirdre F	April 2012
A trip everyone should do in their life time. Harrowing at times.

Review by: Karen G	March 2012
Excellent and well worth seeing this trip but be prepared it is non stop and it was a pity we couldn't have had an extra half hour at each site to be able to take time on your own to read some of comments/explanation. We went wih Cracow tours and the organisation was a bit of a shambles because there was so many people and we had to swap buses twice. I think I would have preferred a much smaller tour and wish I had taken the time to explore all options.

Review by: Jason L	March 2012
Very good and informative, by very knowledgeable guide

Review by: Karen D	March 2012
Very well run, good value, guide very knowledgeable, venue very interesting, duration just about the right length

Review by: G R B	March 2012
Excellent organisation of travel and guide. On time and very professional. Worth the cost._br/_ Very thought provoking, not to be forgotton.

Review by: Anne N	March 2012
The tour was well organised from the start, guides were extremely knowledgable and had excellent English,the only drawback was due to there being so many people and many other tours, as a consequence there wasn't sufficient time to take in and absorb such a sensitive and thought provoking place.

Review by: keith h	March 2012
Very sad but very interesting the guide was brilliant would recommend to all.

Review by: Andrew J W	March 2012
Viator doesn't do its own tour, but rather contracts to a local tour company. Our guide was tactful and polite, but his commentary did not add very much to the experience. In fact, I felt it often got in the way of taking in the surroundings. We were also rather rushed through the site and not given proper time to ourselves to experience the camps at our own pace. Touring most other historical sites, I might not mind so much, but the individual experience here is essential. The tour company not only dictated everything we spent time looking at, but also forced us to return to the bus immediately after their planned visit.

Review by: Mary-Elizabeth S	March 2012
Was not at all impressed by our tour guide, who was not from Viator, but from a different company . I have had informative, interesting, and most impressive Viator guides in the past; I expected the same this time around but was sorely mistaken. Our guide did not tell our group anything new that we had not already seen on the informational video shown during our bus ride there, or that was not already written on the captions next to the photos. He did not give us adequate time to walk around and explore a bit on our own. I felt herded and pushed along. Additionally, our group's size was about 25 people large, most of whom did not book through Viator and may have paid less for a more impersonal setting. Overall I was really disappointed in the quality that Viator provided this time around.

Review by: Graememac07	March 2012
Can't believe how simply and efficient to book it was. I only booked on the Internet the day before I travelled, and with the e-ticket it couldn't have been simpler. Showed the tour guide my confirmation on my phone and that was it. The trip itself was very well organised and the local guide very informative. A real must trip to go on, I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone

Review by: Stephen P	March 2012
you cannot help but be moved by what you see and learn about what happened here.

Review by: John S	March 2012
Good tour guide,good organisation,_br/_ Tour was rushed towards the end.more time and flexibility required The tour guides clearly wanted to end the tour and get back to Krakow_br/_ without delay,What a shame,when people on the tour had come from as far as USA and Jerusalem.

Review by: Adrian D, Ade	March 2012
Very moving experience. our guide was brilliant and sensitive.

Review by: Sue W	February 2012
Excellent well organized trip. Guide was very informative and sensitive. Harrowing. Would recommend to other visitors traveling to Kracow.

Review by: Matthew E	February 2012
The trip was a little fast for my taste, especially the first part. I would have preferred to cut the amount of time spent on Birkenau and had more time at Auschwitz. Great trip though, well run.

Review by: Myles M G	February 2012
Our guide was incredible. She actually made everyone feel the pain. I found it an extremely informative and moving experience.Thank you.

Review by: Stuart B	February 2012
At the meeting point,there was mass confusion as to who was on what bus,going to which destination,which was a bit annoying,but after these initial teething problems,everything else about the trip was perfect,cmpletely faultless,and I would recommend it to anyone,indeed,already have!

Review by: simon s	February 2012
Tour coach arrived on time. Guide on bus gave useful intro. On arrival we were split into smaller groups and taken around by an extremely good guide (radio-controlled headphones for everyone linked to his microphone meant we could all hear what he had to say). Pace and style were spot on and very appropriate. Recommended.

Review by: Myles M G	February 2012
Our guide was incredible. She actually made everyone feel the pain. I found it an extremely informative and moving experience.Thank you.

Review by: Steven M	January 2012
booked my trip with viator, but on the day a coach arrived from "cracow-tours" I got on the coach with my printed voucher but the lady did'nt seem to know I was part of the trip. (I was told to join this trip when I phoned up the day before as instructed on my voucher) despite this minor stress the trip lived up to my expectations and beyond. the guide was very informative, we had headsets so we could all hear well. very good use of English lanuage and we were able to ask questions. The guide also responded to our requests and questions by changing slightly the route and things we saw. She seemed to be very well informed about the whole hollocaust from start to end. HIGHLY RECOMENDED

Review by: Dilwyn D	January 2012
Very moving experience, because of the snow it showed how harsh and severe the conditions at the camp must have been.

Review by: kevin m	January 2012
Fantastic.Very very intresting and very humbling, makes you think about things.

Review by: Natalie T	January 2012
This was a well organised trip with our tour guide lady being very informative and sensitive to this difficult, surreal and moving place. The children`s shoes I found the most moving in one of the museum rooms at Auschwitz 1. The museum rooms were very busy when we visited on New years day and so you had to wait for one group to leave a room before our group could enter. But we all had headphones and our guide had a microphone so she always made it clear where she was heading next or waiting for us so nobody got left behind or lost. It is worth noting that this is more than a half day trip, we left Krakow at 9.30am and arrived back in Krakow at 4pm so it is really a whole day. There is only 10 minutes or so allocated at the first Auschwitz site to buy refreshments and there is not a huge selection in the small shop and vending machines here just crisps and chocolate etc. So I would recommend bringing sandwiches on the coach as there is time to eat these when travelling between the two Auschwitz sites. This trip is definitely worth doing and I think everybody will learn something here.

Review by: Chanfam	January 2012
The tour guide was very knowledgeable and she explained the events of Auschwitz -Birkenau in a very respectful way. A very sombre day.

Review by: Michelle	January 2012
Prepare a lot of walking. I was exhausted after the trip but worth it.

Review by: Irene S, United States of America	July 2010
Fabulous visit .. something everyone should see. Knowledgeable guide and pick-up from hotel and back was easy and on time.

Review by: Tracey H, New Zealand	July 2010
Very moving experience.

Review by: Peter O, Ireland	July 2010
Difficult to call it enjoyable but it is well worth the experience lest we forget what humans can do to each other. My wife had serious misgivings about going but was glad she did although some of the sights were quite shocking and emotional.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	July 2010
A very worthwhile experience. The Tour guide was wonderful and was very respectful in recounting all that had gone on in the camps. Very emotional.

Review by: Eileen S, United States of America	June 2010
This tour was brutaly honest and very informative. Not for the faint of heart as you are able to enter the gas chamber and crematorium in Auschwitz. Life changing tour.

Review by: susan s, United Kingdom	June 2010
We found this trip very good and the tour guide was very helpful and spoke perfect english which was good we understund more,

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	June 2010
Prompt local collection. Excellent guide at Auschwitz. Very moving & thought-provoking trip Lived up to my high expectations.

Review by: Judy N, United Kingdom	June 2010
Definitely a must do trip, everything was well organised and went smoothly, excellent tour guides round Auschwitz. Such a sad place but people must be reminded of such happenings. The tour picked up at the hotel but unfortunately didn't drop off there on our return, that was the only downside.

Review by: JON H, United Kingdom	June 2010
Words are hard to find to describe this tour. It was informative, indepth, well run, and a bit overwhelming. I highly recommend it.

Review by: William M, United States of America	June 2010
Very informative and highly recommended for everyone, especially stated non-believers, such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	June 2010
Amazing Tour, our guide at the Memorial was one of the best we've ever had.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	June 2010
We were picked up from the pick up point on time and the tour started at 9.30 as was on the itenary. I really didnt know how I would feel visiting Aushwitz-Birkenau or what my emotions would be, I felt very sad at what the guide told us, he was a really good guide, he was very knowledable. We couldn't have asked for a better guide. You hear and watch about the Haulocaust on the TV but until I was actually in the camp that is when it became a reallity to me. I think this tour is an experience not to be missed.

Review by: Anonymous, Singapore	May 2010
It is a must-go day trip from Krakow.

Review by: Melodee M, United States of America	May 2010
This was a great tour, comfortable transportation, etc. However, it felt a bit rushed, could've used more time there as Auschwitz was so big and really crowded. Our guide did her best to make sure we could see everything and didn't feel rushed. She was very knowledgable and did justice to the victims we were there to remember. One thing anyone considering this tour should know...when they tell you not to take pictures inside the buildings, including the crematorium, please DON'T DO IT! It was incredibly disrespectful. Members of my partner's family was murdered here. What would anyone do with a picture of the ovens anyhow Despite some tour group members not respecting this, our guide was great and the experience powerful.

Review by: Anonymous, United States of America	May 2010
Worth visiting the historical place.

Review by: liam o, Ireland	May 2010
The cost of the trip was very reasonable.The buses were on time and they dropped us back close to our hotels.The tour guides were excellent.The tour guide had great local knowledge and relayed the information with great compassion and excellent english.Great trip.

Review by: Anonymous, Ireland	May 2010
This trip was truely excellent. The guide was great-pleasant to everybody, and the head phones were a great idea. i think it would be a nice idea if we could take photos inside..

Review by: kim l, United Kingdom	May 2010
The guide on the coach was excellent Anna , and the one at the camp gave a fantastic commentary. The only dowmside was the time we had to buy souvenirs, a coffee or use the bathroom. We were given 5 minutes and it was 5 minutes, too rushed, and this was the general opinion.

Review by: Anonymous, United Kingdom	May 2010
the experience was overwhelming and very good. not sure if the morning tour last longer than the afternoon one tho because we would of liked to go further down to the monuments in berkenau, but because it was getting dark , we did not. but excellent tour