More about: 10 Best Tips to Visit Auschwitz from Krakow
The visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp is undoubtedly one of the most interesting visits you will make during your trip. You will learn a part of history from a totally new point of view: what life was like in the labor camps where thousands of Jews lost their lives.
The tour may not be entirely pleasant, but when you get there you will realize that everything is preserved with extreme respect for the victims. If you want nothing to tarnish your tour, here are some tips to follow:
1. Book a tour to get the most out of the visit and delve deeper into the history
Unfortunately, Auschwitz-Birkenau is a desolate place, with a lot of historical context and too many stories behind it. Its first camp, Auschwitz I, is very well preserved and there are barracks transformed into very explanatory and well contextualized museum-exhibition rooms, but Auschwitz II is practically a wasteland.
To understand well what you are seeing, to understand how was the daily life of the victims who had to pass through here and above all, to deepen in a chapter of history that, today, still seems like science fiction, to be accompanied by an expert guide is essential.
Throughout the tour will help you to situate you, explaining what each area of the place is and how was the daily life in these labor-extermination camps. In my opinion, it is 100% worth joining a tour to Auschwitz from Krakow to get the most out of the visit.
2. Wear comfortable shoes and dress warmly in winter
As always when traveling, it is best to check the weather forecast in advance, but in Auschwitz this makes special sense. During most of the tour you will be outdoors, without roofs to protect you if it rains and of course, exposed to low temperatures in winter (the camp may even be snowed).
If you add to this that the second part of the visit takes place in the second camp, which is practically a wasteland, wearing comfortable shoes is essential, as well as keeping warm if the forecast shows low temperatures. The feeling of cold there in the middle is quite acute.
3. If you have to eat before or after the visit, take your lunch with you or wait until you arrive in Krakow
It is most likely that during the hours of the visit your stomach will close up. Personally, I do not recommend eating near the camp, but wait until you return to the city to eat quietly after having processed all the information of the visit.
If you still want to be prepared in case you get the bug, you can always carry some snacks in your backpack to eat on the way there or back. At the entrance to Auschwitz there is a kiosk for visitors where you can get some sandwiches, snacks or refreshments, but I do not recommend it too much.
Near the museum, in the village of Oświęcim, there is some restaurant where you can try your luck if you have decided to do the tour on your own (mind you, don't risk taking the last bus back so you don't miss it).
4. Be respectful with the pictures
You will notice it as soon as you enter Auschwitz, but Auschwitz is a place of respect, regret and a rather tense atmosphere. It is not the best place to take artistic photos posing, think that much of what you are going to see there are places where many people were tortured and lost their lives and along the tour you will see their photographs, clothes, belongings...
You can take pictures in almost every place (especially the parts of the visit that take place outdoors) but my advice is that you always do it with respect.
5. Try not to go with very young or extremely sensitive children
Personally, I do not recommend doing this tour with very young children, although, of course this is part of the history of mankind and at some point they will face the reality and study it at school. But if they are still very young or are particularly sensitive, be aware that the tour goes into a lot of detail.
Along the tour you will pass by the gas chambers and they will explain how thousands of people arrived here crammed into train wagons to be exterminated. If for adults it is incomprehensible and painful, it may cause a child unnecessary discomfort that could tarnish their memory of the trip.
Even so, if you decide to take the tour, try not to dwell on the most lurid details or rooms, put your child in context before you go and explain what happened in the least dramatic way possible. If you go with a stroller, you will be able to access almost the entire camp except for the smaller, smaller rooms, where the stroller will have to stay outside for space reasons.
6. Don't miss the documentary film at the visitor center
Even if at first you don't feel like watching a documentary because you prefer to go directly to explore the real places of the camp, I assure you that it is worth it. It is very brief (it lasts about 15 minutes) and it will put you in context of everything you are going to see next.
It is a brief introduction but contains real images of the camp and its prisoners, their way of life, a summary of the history of the formation of the camp ... in short, highly recommended.
7. Do not go too loaded with unnecessary luggage
The tour is a walking tour through the several hectares of Auschwitz I and II, so the less weight you carry, the better. There are lockers at the entrance where you can leave your belongings, but if you carry any bulky luggage, you run the risk of it not fitting and therefore not being able to make your visit.
Leave all large luggage at the hotel and arrive here with just enough: a handbag or a small backpack. If you need a place to leave your luggage because you have already checked out of your accommodation, check if you can leave it at the hotel reception or at a luggage storage facility in the city center or at the Krakow train station.
8. If you go on your own, better use the bus
If you have ruled out the option of joining a guided tour and prefer to buy tickets to Auschwitz and visit on your own, you will have to prepare your trip from Krakow.
Although traveling by train is usually very comfortable, in this case the bus makes a more direct (and therefore shorter) journey. The first bus leaves from 6:20 in the morning and takes just over an hour, leaving you much closer to the concentration camp than the train itself (the train station is about two kilometers from the entrance to Auschwitz.
If you need to know more details to plan your arrival, I recommend my article on how to get to Auschwitz.
9. Don't forget your passport or identity card
For security reasons, you will need to be documented to enter the concentration camp, so don't forget to bring a valid ID card or passport with your photo. Without this, I am afraid you will not be allowed to enter Auschwitz, remember!
10. Plan your visit: you will need at least half a day
Although the concentration camp is not too far from Krakow and can be reached in just over an hour, the visit inside the camp can take two to three hours.
If you add to this the round trip and the waiting times for public transport, you will easily need half a day for the entire visit. Keep this in mind to plan the rest of your day in Krakow, calculate where and when you can eat, what other visits you can do the same day, etc.
You can take a look at my article on How long are the Auschwitz tours if you want to have more details to organize your day.