General Info about my Tours
Auschwitz is located about an hour driving from Krakow. There are 2 Camps to see: KL Auschwitz I and KL Auschwitz II Birkenau. General tour takes about 2 hours in Auschwitz I and 1,5 hour in Birkenau. When your tour around Auschwitz I is completed I drive you to the second Camp - Birkenau. It's located 2 miles driving from Auschwitz so we get there in a few minutes.
Auschwitz Museum and Memorial Site are open almost everyday. The only exceptions are: 1st January, 25th December , Easter Sunday and during 'The March of The Living' (no constant date). Visiting on 17th January (Liberation Anniversary) is possible however only with a private guide.
Museum is open from 8:00am in low season and 7:30am in high season. I recommend you pick up in Krakow as early as possible (7am). Museum Auschwitz is the most visited tourist destination in Souther Poland and very often there are more than 8 thousands visitors a day! It's really worth to wake up early and avoid all crowds and queues. If early pick up is not possible You can consider afternoon tour (pick up after 2 pm). Please note that late afternoon option is available only during summer months when Auschwitz and Birkenau are open until 6 - 7 pm.
Sightseeing former Death Camps in Auschwitz and Birkenau is a very personal experience therefore I offer You 3 sightseeing options. Below you can find my recommendations based on my long-term experience. I hope you find them helpful.
Guided Group: A good option for smaller parties (up to 5 people) due to affordable ticket cost. If you prefer to listen to the guide instead of individual reading info from plaques and guide book it would be a good option for you. If reading Polish, English or Hebrew language is not your strong point it's also better to join a guided tour which is available in many languages. A disadvantage of this option is lack of flexibility and being a part of larger group. At 9:30am Museum runs also extended 6 hours study tour which is good option for more interested visitors.
Private Guide: This option needs reservation ideally 3-2 months before the date.
Individual Tour: Currenlty this option is not the best choice as you can enter Auschwitz only after 4pm ( in winter time earlier ) Considering time needed to see everything is Auschwitz is hard to enter Birkenau before closing time.
