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Original poster

Auschwitz/Auschwitz-Birkenau tours

40 replies

CissOff · 07/02/2024 23:09

We are looking to take a trip to Krakow and would like to take a decent tour of the above.

I’d be grateful for recommendations- there seems to be a lot online, both official and unofficial tours and I don’t want to end up with a dud.

Any advice would be appreciated! We are looking for half a day or so (at the camps - appreciate there’s travelling time either end)

OP posts:
TinkerTiger · 07/02/2024 23:11

I did a tour that was combined with the salt mines in the afternoon. Collected by a bus from our accommodation, did the first 2 sites in the morning, had a lunch on the bus, then got driven to the salt mines and dropped off at or near our accommodation. It was actually a nice way to end the day, as it was a heavy morning.

Gettingbysomehow · 07/02/2024 23:14

I went without a tour guide, me and ex just drove. I can't see how you really need a tour guide, it isn't that complex of a site.
Everything is labelled in english with it's own explanation of what it is.

TinkerTiger · 07/02/2024 23:14

Oh and I'm sorry, don't have the recommendations as it was a few years ago now. But I'm sure they're all pretty similar, Auchwitz is accessible only by tour and there were loads of different groups there on the day. We were placed in groups and got assigned to a tour guide that spoke our language. I'm sure you'll be fine! Maybe try and see if any you find have reviews?

TinkerTiger · 07/02/2024 23:14

Gettingbysomehow · 07/02/2024 23:14

I went without a tour guide, me and ex just drove. I can't see how you really need a tour guide, it isn't that complex of a site.
Everything is labelled in english with it's own explanation of what it is.

Oh I was under the impression that it was only accessible via a tour, must be mistaken

LWSnow · 07/02/2024 23:17

We were told we had to take a tour, our guide painted a picture of the camp which we wouldn't have got from labels.

A sobering visit

chipsandpeas · 07/02/2024 23:17

i used a company called Royal Cracow the bus picked us up and dropped back to the hotel and done a guided tour around Auschwitz then took us to Birkenau where we could look ourselves
just googled them now and you can book them via get your guide, it was a polish colleague who set everything up for us a few years ago

Maddy70 · 07/02/2024 23:18

You can get a bus from krakow directly. No need for a tour. Use google maps to find the bus stop just off the main square

Original poster
CissOff · 07/02/2024 23:19

TinkerTiger · 07/02/2024 23:11

I did a tour that was combined with the salt mines in the afternoon. Collected by a bus from our accommodation, did the first 2 sites in the morning, had a lunch on the bus, then got driven to the salt mines and dropped off at or near our accommodation. It was actually a nice way to end the day, as it was a heavy morning.

Was it a lot doing both the camps and salt mines in one day? We’ve seen tours that do both but am unsure. We are staying for 4 nights so happy to combine the tours for both if it would allow for more time to generally explore Krakow

OP posts:
TinkerTiger · 07/02/2024 23:21

@CissOff it was doable, we just dedicated the day to that. I thought the break of lunch on the bus then the salt mine after was a nice balance to the day.

Precipice · 07/02/2024 23:22

TinkerTiger · 07/02/2024 23:14

Oh I was under the impression that it was only accessible via a tour, must be mistaken

Show quote history

This is mixing two things:

  • Organised tour (pick up elsewhere, drive to Auschwitz, etc.) This is not how most visitors go.
  • Touring Auschwitz-Birkenau (you buy a ticket, the ticket is for a group tour composed of individual visitors who are there at the same time)

From their website, it seems like mostly you get put into a group tour; options for individually touring the museum yourself are restricted to certain times.

Invisimamma · 07/02/2024 23:35

We did the tour combined with the salt mines in Nov. We went with Krakow Direct tours and booked via Get Your Guide app, they were the operator recommended by our hotel. There were cheaper tour companies available.

It was a very long day, we were picked up from our hotel at 6am and got back about 7pm, but there was very heavy snowfall on the day we went which made for difficult driving conditions. The tour of Auschwitz was very moving, the guide was excellent but had a heavy accent making her difficult to understand. We felt the salt mine tour was far too long as we were very tired by that point it felt repetitive, although the mines are very impressive. We walked about 30000 steps that day!

They skipped the scheduled lunch break due to timings/travel delays so I'm very glad we had taken a packed lunch. Some people on the tour had no food or drink all day as they didn't bring anything, the queues were too long and we needed to keep up with the tour group. However some of this may have been due to the weather delays throwing the schedule off.

Original poster
CissOff · 07/02/2024 23:36

Precipice · 07/02/2024 23:22

This is mixing two things:

  • Organised tour (pick up elsewhere, drive to Auschwitz, etc.) This is not how most visitors go.
  • Touring Auschwitz-Birkenau (you buy a ticket, the ticket is for a group tour composed of individual visitors who are there at the same time)

From their website, it seems like mostly you get put into a group tour; options for individually touring the museum yourself are restricted to certain times.

Show quote history

This is the bit that confused me - when I tried to book a tour in May it wasn’t available 🤷🏻‍♀️

OP posts:
OlderGlaswegianLivingInDevon · 07/02/2024 23:43

My DD went in Oct, found it thru TripAdvisor and the company was Auschwitz Tours.

She also did a full day trip to Zakopane and the thermal spring baths, she did that thru VISIT POLEN also via Tripadvisor

and visited Oskar Schindler's Factory Museum - pretty sure she booked an English tour directly via the Museum.
Before the museum she did her own walking tour of the Old Town / The Jewish Quarter.

She was also 4 nights, but as the flight got in late - it was 3 full days,

Day 1 looked around the town square / horse and carriage to castle etc. lunch then her walk and the museum
Day 2 was to Auschwitz, then the Cat Cafe ! ( not a museums / art galleries etc. type girl :)
Day 3 was to Zakopane

SheerLucks · 08/02/2024 00:02

I think everyone should watch The Zone of Interest before embarking on any of these tourist packages.

NewName24 · 08/02/2024 00:10

TinkerTiger · 07/02/2024 23:11

I did a tour that was combined with the salt mines in the afternoon. Collected by a bus from our accommodation, did the first 2 sites in the morning, had a lunch on the bus, then got driven to the salt mines and dropped off at or near our accommodation. It was actually a nice way to end the day, as it was a heavy morning.

Same. Sorry, I don't have the name as my travel companion booked it.

We were picked up at 5.30 am Shock so it was a long day, but I would definitely recommend it to someone else. We just went to bed early afterwards.
Krakow is a lovely place to walk round or sit in the main square so you can have a relaxing couple of days afterwards.

I didn't see anyone at Auschwitz without a tour guide so possibly you do have to have a guide ? Their knowledge and respectful information sharing added a lot to it.

Original poster
CissOff · 08/02/2024 08:55

Thanks everybody - all really helpful information

OP posts:
Original poster
CissOff · 08/02/2024 08:56

SheerLucks · 08/02/2024 00:02

I think everyone should watch The Zone of Interest before embarking on any of these tourist packages.

I will do - though I suspect it doesn’t show it in a good light? 🥺

OP posts:
SheerLucks · 08/02/2024 09:33

...though I suspect it doesn't show it in a good light?

What?

How can a place that was murdering 10,000 people A DAY at its peak, EVER be shown in a good light.

The Zone of Interest asks if we're all actually closer to the perpetrators than the victims of the Holocaust and this thread is going a long way to confirming that.

Flatleak · 08/02/2024 09:46

@SheerLucks the OP clearly meant that the film didn't show auschwitz tourism in a good light. Not the camp.

CharlesChickens · 08/02/2024 09:56

It makes me feel really uncomfortable reading about a trip to Auschwitz as though it is any other tourist attraction, to be fitted in around museum visits.
A friend’s dd went there a few years ago, with her school , and she was very shocked and upset for some time afterwards. The tone of this thread though, gives it an unreal quality. I don’t think I could see the camp and then trot off happily the next day round something cheerful.
I am not a Jew, but I am married to a man who is partly Jewish by ethnicity, he and my children had relatives murdered in that camp. I can see the “education “ idea behind the tours, but it is still painful to read .

ASDLife · 08/02/2024 09:57

TinkerTiger · 07/02/2024 23:11

I did a tour that was combined with the salt mines in the afternoon. Collected by a bus from our accommodation, did the first 2 sites in the morning, had a lunch on the bus, then got driven to the salt mines and dropped off at or near our accommodation. It was actually a nice way to end the day, as it was a heavy morning.

I did this too and really needed the beauty and awe of the salt mines after such harrowing trip round the concentration camp.

LWSnow · 08/02/2024 10:28

You need to go there to be a witness to the atrocities. Someone might go there thinking it's yet another tourist attraction, but I doubt anyone leaves there thinking that.

LlynTegid · 08/02/2024 18:10

@CharlesChickens I have read from people who have gone there that some of those visiting do seem to view it as just another day out. Taking selfies for example.

Two weeks ago was the 79th anniversary of when the last of the four ancestors of mine who were transported there left the camp, moved to Buchenwald, and who died shortly afterwards. The other three died 82 years ago.

NewName24 · 08/02/2024 19:03

It makes me feel really uncomfortable reading about a trip to Auschwitz as though it is any other tourist attraction, to be fitted in around museum visits.
A friend’s dd went there a few years ago, with her school , and she was very shocked and upset for some time afterwards. The tone of this thread though, gives it an unreal quality. I don’t think I could see the camp and then trot off happily the next day round something cheerful.

You need to go there to be a witness to the atrocities. Someone might go there thinking it's yet another tourist attraction, but I doubt anyone leaves there thinking that.

I agree @LWSnow
I mean, I was only there for the one visit, but I didn't see anyone being other than respectful.
It is somewhere as many people across the world as possible ought to go and see, to really get the message about the absolute horror and to make it real. Of course no-one thinks it is a 'tourist attraction' in terms of it being anything other than harrowing, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't encourage as many people as possible to go there and see what we must never allow to be repeated, for themselves.

SirChenjins · 08/02/2024 19:13

CharlesChickens · 08/02/2024 09:56

It makes me feel really uncomfortable reading about a trip to Auschwitz as though it is any other tourist attraction, to be fitted in around museum visits.
A friend’s dd went there a few years ago, with her school , and she was very shocked and upset for some time afterwards. The tone of this thread though, gives it an unreal quality. I don’t think I could see the camp and then trot off happily the next day round something cheerful.
I am not a Jew, but I am married to a man who is partly Jewish by ethnicity, he and my children had relatives murdered in that camp. I can see the “education “ idea behind the tours, but it is still painful to read .

I agree. The fact that these death camps are now money making tourist destinations to be fitted in with other attractions does not sit comfortably with me at all. Everyone knows what went on there and if you don’t then there’s plenty of film footage, accounts from survivors and eye witness statements that will tell you more than you ever need to know without going there to spectate.