Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour Planning Recommendations

Hi, Joe. I too am on a July RS Best of Poland tour. Maybe the same one you are on? I have booked a day trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau. On the Thursday, the day the tour ends. I decided on a tour rather than doing it on my own. Debated which way to go - on my own or on a package trip. I opted for the convenience of all the arrangements being made. Just seemed easier than trying to make my way to Auschwitz on my own, getting from one site to the other, waiting in line for tickets, etc. Bus leaving Krakow at 10:15, returning to Krakow at about 5:15. Visits both Auschwitz and Birkenau, with a box lunch provided. With “Discover Cracow” (Yes, that is the way they spell the city name!). Price is 46 Euro. (I was surprised it was Euro and not Zlotny.). The reviews I read were good.

I took the DIY approach. There was no problem buying a ticket to the camp/memorial online. That should be done well in advance. I can't say how far in advance, because my trip was in 2018. When I rolled up into Krakow, there were some very disappointed people at the tourist office, because tickets were sold out for the next 8 days. Obviously, you'd need to buy earlier than that now.

As far as I know there is nothing special about the tickets a package tour will provide. All pre-purchased tickets allow you to skip the ticket-buying line. That line tends to be long, and it is outdoors, open to the weather. There's no guarantee standing in that line will result in a ticket, so it's important to have a ticket in your hand before you show up at the camp.

All visitors to the camp are taken on a tour by a camp-provided guide, not by a tour-company guide. Transportation is provided between the two camps.

One thing you get by paying extra money for a tour from Krakow is the simplicity of having bus transportation provided. I'd hope the tour company provides a guide to provided background information on the drive to the camp, but I don't know for sure that it does.

One of the few times we took a tour and very glad we did. Very easy and convenient. Our hotel arranged it after I became overwhelmed trying to suss out all the offers we saw in Krakow. We were picked up at the door and the guide spoke to us and provided history and background en route to the camp where we were handed over to an authorized tour guide. It was seamless and relieved us of any concerns about coordinating everything on what is an emotional and trying day. Sorry but I don’t know the tour company’s name, but it was handled by our excellent hotel staff at the Wielopole. If nothing else perhaps they can suggest a company for you. Our trip was some time ago. Safe travels.

I did the Discover Cracow tour last April - transportation was on a 30 person bus. The only information on the bus was a video displayed on a rather small screen, depicting a number of atrocities. They take care of your admission ticket at the memorial [it will have your name on it], and provide transportation between the two camps. Lunch was not provided on my tour, so I made a sandwich from the breakfast buffet and ate it during the transfer to Birkenau. Note that it will be a very long day. You will go through a security scan to enter the memorial.

If you are an experienced traveler, as acraven is, you could consider booking an admission ticket and transportation on your own, but note that transportation is one area where a language barrier still exists in Poland to some extent, so I'd want to thoroughly research in advance. Note that you'd be depending upon the transportation provided by the memorial to go to/from Birkenau - at the height of tourist season - there could be a wait for a bus.

As for "skip the line" - you don't want to show up there without a ticket.

Thanks so much for all the replies. They are very helpful. I think I might contact the hotel to see if they have a recommendation.

P.S. I am on the tour that begins in Gdansk on July 1st. Might be the same as JimD.

Me too. Looking forward to meeting you on July 1, Joe.

Me as well :)