From Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Camp Complex Guided Day Trip

Discover the human stories of the Holocaust on this guided trip from Krakow to the concentration camps of Auschwitz, Birkenau. Learn how the camps were set up and the purposes each one served. Pause to reflect on what happened in these sites.

Start with your pickup in Krakow. From there, you will ride about 45 kilometers to reach the former main camp in Auschwitz. Listen to your guide discuss the camp’s former use as barracks for the Polish military. At the entrance, note the gate with “Arbeit macht frei” over it.

Visit the prisoner blocks, which now house artifacts from the camps and belongings left by the prisoners. See photographs and documents, shoes, suitcases, and glasses among other personal effects.

From Auschwitz, travel a short distance to the former camp at Birkenau. There you will find the gas chambers and crematoria. Keep the camp’s victims in mind as you make your way around the memorials. 

The trip will end with your return to Krakow.