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Krakow Culture & history

Our most recommended Krakow Culture & history

Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour with Pickup & Optional Lunch

1. Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour with Pickup & Optional Lunch

Pay your respects at the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. Make use of transportation from Krakow, and take a guided tour of the historical landmark. Benefit from pick-up at your accommodation in Krakow, and journey by air-conditioned vehicle to Oświęcim. Enter the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum for a 3.5-hour guided tour of the former Nazi concentration camps.  Hear how 1.3 million Jews, along with prisoners from Poland, France and Italy were murdered there during World War II. See the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate and learn the origins of the camp and what life was like for the prisoners. Visit the original barracks and gas chambers, along with platforms and other sites, and take a poignant trip through history via period photos and personal artifacts that bring the past to life.

Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour Hotel Pickup & Lunch Options

2. Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour Hotel Pickup & Lunch Options

Visit Auschwitz on a day trip from Krakow. Learn about the history of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps during a guided tour with a certified historian and guide. Auschwitz-Birkenau was founded in 1940 by Nazi Germany and was the largest concentration camp operated by the Nazis. It became the final resting place for millions of people, mostly Jews and Poles, who were murdered in gas chambers. Pass through the gate with the inscription "Arbeit macht frei" to enter Auschwitz I, where your guide will show you around the preserved area and explain the history of the site.  Then, visit the second camp at Birkenau, where mass killings took place as part of the Nazi "Final Solution to the Jewish Question."

Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau & Salt Mine Guided Tour in 1 Day!

3. Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau & Salt Mine Guided Tour in 1 Day!

Enjoy an exciting tour from Krakow that includes visits to the memorial sites of Auschwitz and Birkenau, then continue your excursion with a visit to the salt mines. This 11-hour tour starts in the morning from a meeting point or with a convenient pickup in Krakow. From here you will be transported by a comfortable bus. During the tour, you will be accompanied by your experienced tour leader. Upon arrival at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, you will begin your tour with a professional guide who will introduce you to the history of the memorial sites. The next point of the trip will be the Wieliczka Salt Mine, where a local guide will tell you all about the history of the mine. You'll see amazing chambers, original sculptures, and authentic miners' workplaces. There will be a break for lunch on the full-day tour, but it is recommended that you bring snacks with you. The tour will finish in the evening around 8:00 PM.

From Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour

4. From Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour

Explore the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine on a guided tour from Krakow or choose to meet in Wieliczka. Walk the labyrinthine passages, marvel at the chapels and chambers, and be wowed by the statues and art installations of the mine. Let your guide take you down winding corridors and into salt caves. Enjoy transportation from Krakow or choose to meet in Wieliczka, then descend 800 stairs to a depth of 135 meters to enter what feels like an underground salt city. Be awed by chambers of salt sculptures, art exhibitions, and old machinery from the days when it was a functioning salt mine. See how salt was extracted as you learn about the space's history from your guide. Pause to listen to the unique acoustic properties which come from the nature of the space. Hear how Chopin sounds in this environment, accompanied by spectacular underground lighting. Learn about the health properties of the salt mine as you tour its multiple chambers. At the conclusion of your experience, head back to the vehicle for transportation back to Krakow.

Krakow: Auschwitz Guided Tour with Pickup and Optional Lunch

5. Krakow: Auschwitz Guided Tour with Pickup and Optional Lunch

Depart Krakow and journey to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum to explore the largest concentration camp in Poland built by the Nazis. Benefit from the services of a professional guide as you take a poignant tour of both the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II labor camps. Get a short break for lunch on arrival, and then get shown around Auschwitz I to see the infamous Arbeit Macht Frei sign and some of the administration buildings where the horrors were planned. Look inside the gas chamber where the Nazis committed their hideous genocide, and see personal artifacts belonging to inmates at exhibitions dedicated to their memory. Benefit from a short 15-minute break before going to the Birkenau camp for a 1-hour guided tour. Discover where the prisoners entered the camp and the wooden barracks where they were forced to live. Return to Krakow with your thoughts and get dropped off at a place of your choice in the Old Town or Old Jewish Quarter.

Krakow: Guided Wieliczka Salt Mine Day Trip

6. Krakow: Guided Wieliczka Salt Mine Day Trip

Visit the most famous salt mine in Europe. The Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the UNESCO monuments and has been gathering salt for over 700 years. It’s one of the most beautiful facilities of this type in the world. An English-speaking driver will pick you up from the city center or from the hotel if private transport is selected. With an air-conditioned, comfortable bus/van, reach Wieliczka town in about 25 minutes. Meet your guide, and walk down the wooden stairs to a depth of 65 meters. The guide will explain the rules of the salt mine as well as various legends and stories about mine’s past. The tour takes place in the underground corridors and chambers, well prepared for visitors. Certain points on your way are dedicated to famous people who decided to visit Salt Mine in the past, for example, Chopin or Goethe. Hear many stories about mining and the progress of the works over the years. After a while, encounter a huge chapel carved underground. It’s considered one of the most beautiful chapels in the world – St. Kinga Chapel, where the artists carved a church in salt. It’s time to get some photos and have a quick rest before proceeding with the tour. After a short break, proceed to a huge area with an underground lake, where the world’s first underground balloon flight took place. There will be a few places to buy souvenirs as well. Don’t worry, there is no need to climb these hundreds of steps again to go to the surface. There is a mining elevator that helps you get out of the mine. It’s time to meet your driver at the parking lot, and have a safe journey back to Krakow.

Wieliczka Salt Mine: Skip-the-Line Ticket and Tour

7. Wieliczka Salt Mine: Skip-the-Line Ticket and Tour

Book this skip-the-line entrance ticket to Wieliczka Salt Mine and meet your local guide in front of the entrance. Follow him through the underground historic city as you learn about the major health benefits of visiting the salt mine because of its special climate and microelement-filled air. The Wieliczka Salt Mine dates back to medieval times and has a history of around 9 centuries of salt exploitation. The tourist route through the mine is located 135-meters (about 443-feet) underground and is accessible by stairs or by elevator.

From Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Self-Guided Tour

8. From Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Self-Guided Tour

Travel from Krakow to the small town of Oświęcim to visit the largest Nazi concentration camp complex from World War II. Learn the terrible story of the more than 1.3 million victims who lost their lives at Auschwitz and Birkenau. The first part of your trip is a 2-hour visit to the Auschwitz I camp to see the permanent exhibition in the former prisoners' barracks. Afterwards, spend an hour at Auschwitz II Birkenau, the largest of the more than 40 camps and sub-camps that made up the Auschwitz complex. See remnants of the crematories, the unloading ramp, remaining barracks and the monument dedicated to the last victims of the camp.

Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour with Pickup & Lunch Option

9. Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour with Pickup & Lunch Option

Step into history with a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial. Learn about the tragic history of the largest Holocaust memorial from your guide. Be picked up from the comfort of your accommodation in Krakow and board a comfortable bus for the 1.5-hour trip to the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex, a historic site that serves as an important Holocaust memorial.  Explore the museum in the outskirts of Oświęcim, approximately 60 kilometers west of Krakow. Upon arrival, meet a local guide who will show you around the site and tell you about its inhuman history. Find out how Auschwitz-Birkenau has become both a symbol of human suffering and a witness to physical and emotional exhaustion during a respectful tour with a licensed guide. Walk through the gate marked "Arbeit Macht Frei" (work frees) to enter Auschwitz 1, where your guide will show you around the preserved area and introduce the history of the place. Spend approximately an hour in Birkenau, where the mass killings as part of the Nazi "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" took place. After the visit, you can reflect on the experience during the ride back to Krakow. 

Krakow: Schindler's Factory Tour with Entrance Ticket

10. Krakow: Schindler's Factory Tour with Entrance Ticket

Visit one of the most important and most popular museums in Krakow. Schindler’s Enamel Factory, located on 4 Lipowa street, is a part of the Historical Museum of Krakow. The main exhibition title is ''Kraków under Nazi Occupation 1939–1945'.  You are invited to join the tour with a professional English speaking guide who will explain to you all aspects of the exhibition, including the story of Oskar Schindler. Upgrade your experience to enjoy a guided walk through the Kazimierz district (Old Jewish Quarter), Real Krakow Ghetto, or Salt Mine in Wieliczka.

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What people are saying about Krakow

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 47,585 reviews

It was snowing heavy when we visited but in a way it made it nicer, Peter our driver picked us up at a nearby location and was very friendly. He brought us to the first camp and explained everything very clearly to us to where to go etc. You only get a 15min break before going to next camp, I'd suggest bringing snacks/water with you as the que gets long and you won't get time to rest/eat. It was emotional at times during the tour especially the gas chamber but its something everyone should do. "By standing on the fence you are siding with the oppressors"

The best exciursion, worth the whole trip, The museum is excellent, but we had an unforgettable time because of a brilliant tourguide named Thomas with the yellow umbrella. We were happily only 8 on the tour, and Thomas not only informed us of the history of Schindler’s Factory, but he brought to life for us emotionally, what it had been like to live in Krakow in the 30’s and 40’s. Thomas has a great talent for his job! What a future awaits him! He knows so much and our group was so grateful.

Brilliant driver with a good verbal history of Krakow and it's history and landmarks as we travelled out of the city. Comfortable and well organized and the Camp tour guide was outstanding. Highly recommended

Great service, picked up on time, the actual.guide at at Auschwitz was amazing, very knowledgeable and went at a good pace. Highlyly recommend

Fantastic day and experience! My partner and I had a brilliant time!