Kraków, Poland

Auschwitz-Birkenau

A guided visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.

🇵🇱 PolandMonday, September 7, 2026

Tonight's hotel

Sep 6–9, 2026 · 3 nights

AC Hotel by Marriott Kraków

A day at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, about an hour from Kraków, with a guided tour booked through Viator.

The general guided tour runs about 3 hours 45 minutes.
First entrance is around 8:30 am; last entrance is 4:30 pm. Decide the entry time you want.
As of March 2026, Auschwitz no longer sells tickets on-site. Every visit, including guided tours, must be booked online in advance at visit.auschwitz.org.

Option 1: Auschwitz-Birkenau self-guided tour with guidebook, hotel pickup & drop-off — $130.12 for 2. Time slots: 6:00, 7:10, 8:10, 9:10, 10:10, 11:10, 12:10, 1:00. (Jennifer's preference: 10:10 or 11:10 am.)
Option 3: Combined Auschwitz-Birkenau + Wieliczka Salt Mine one-day tour — $295.72 for 2 (hotel pickup/drop-off; box lunch optional).

Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi German concentration and extermination camp (1940–1945). More than 1.1 million people were murdered there, the overwhelming majority of them Jews.
The memorial has two parts: Auschwitz I — the original camp with the 'Arbeit Macht Frei' gate — and Auschwitz II–Birkenau, the far larger camp with the rail line and the ruins of the gas chambers.
The camp was liberated on January 27, 1945, now observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This is an emotionally heavy visit with a lot of walking, much of it outdoors. Dress respectfully and for the weather; large bags are not permitted inside.

Not yet chosen: Kraków ideas: Starka (best all-around traditional, in Kazimierz), Pod Aniołami (vaulted cellar), Pod Nosem (Michelin-listed, near Wawel), Bottiglieria 1881 (Michelin-starred). Also: Blonia Bistro, Kogel Mogel, Miód Malina, Przystanek Pierogarnia.

3 items

🇵🇱 Poland

Weather: Daytime high 68–73°F · evening / night low 50–55°F.
Note 1: Currency: the Polish złoty (PLN). Do not exchange a large amount before you go.
Note 2: Bring a Visa or Mastercard with no foreign-transaction fee and use it for most things.
Note 3: Cash is needed most for restrooms, tips, and small shops. Pull 300–500 PLN from a reputable ATM after you arrive.