Auschwitz: Where it is and How to Get to the Concentration Camp

From history books to reality: the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp is the largest built by the Nazis in occupied Europe. A place of memory, a symbol of an unprecedented human tragedy.

Visiting it today represents much more than a mere journey through history: it is a unique, unrepeatable opportunity to reflect deeply on our past, our present and our future as humans. But what is the best way to reach it?

Keep reading this article, we will discover together the many ways you can get there.

Warning If you plan to visit the death camp, it is good to consider the large number of visitors attracted here each year. If you don’t want to waste your time in line, we recommend that you book your skip-the-line ticket in advance. Click here, and secure a fast and worry-free entry!

Where is the Auschwitz Concentration Camp located?

The Auschwitz camp-museum, a site of enormous historical importance, is located in the town of Oświęcim, Poland, on Highway No. 933.

The concentration camp is easily accessible by various means, and as you continue reading you will find out which one may be best for you.

To get to Auschwitz-Birkenau, inside which you can see thousands among well-preserved objects, artifacts, as well as the places of imprisonment and execution, you can take advantage of the nearby bus stop or train station that is only two kilometers from the site.

Below you will find all the directions to the museum-camp from the nearest Polish cities.

How to get to Auschwitz?

There is great news for you right away: to get to the camp-museum you have many, convenient options available! Certainly it is advisable to start from the main cities near Auschwitz, namely Krakow and Katowice.

Both are reachable by plane and well connected – by trains, buses and highways – to the camp in the city of Oświęcim.

Let’s discover together the different options for reaching Auschwitz:

Transportation	Details	Travel Time	Ideal for	Nearest stop/parking lot
Train	Travel from Kraków is fairly easy, with a direct trip from the central train station “Kraków Główny.” Trips are frequent, at different times of the day.	Travel time is variable, depending on the number of stops. It varies from forty-eight minutes up to one hour and twenty-two minutes.	Travelers looking for an option that can be both fast and economical.	Oświęcim Station.
Bus	There are several lines that run from the center of Krakow. Buses run with good frequency in the morning (one every 30 minutes), which decreases in the afternoon. Service begins with the first morning bus leaving Kraków as early as 6:20 am.	About an hour and a half from Kraków RDA Dworzec autobusowy.	Travelers who want an inexpensive option that allows them to get very close to the museum entrance.	Auschwitz Muzeum bus stop.
Car	You can reach the destination via the A4 toll road and then DW780.	Approximately one hour and twenty minutes, half of which is on the toll road.	Groups or families wishing to move independently and flexibly.	Parking lot entrance located at 55 Więźniów Oświęcimia Street.
Taxi/Uber	Direct service from Kraków to the museum entrance.	Journey lasting approximately one hour and ten minutes.	Those who wish to move around easily, without time constraints.	Drop-off/Pick-up at the central station, or contacted via radio cab.

As we said, Auschwitz is also easily accessible from Katowice, the second largest city closest to the museum-camp provided with an airport.

Below is useful information for you:

Transportation	Details	Travel Time	Ideal for	Nearest stop/parking lot
Train	Trains to Oświęcim depart frequently from Katowice Central Station via a change.	The total duration is about an hour to which the waiting time between the first and second train must be added.	Travelers looking for an economical solution.	Oświęcim station.
Buses	Unfortunately, there are no buses covering the route, so the train option is the only option if you opt for inexpensive public transportation.	–	–	–
Car	The route by car is very easy by taking the DK79 road and then continuing on the DK44.	It is a moderately short journey, lasting about 45 minutes.	Groups or families wishing to move independently, freed from train schedules.	Parking lot entrance located at 55 Więźniów Oświęcimia Street.
Taxi/Uber	Direct service from Katowice to the museum entrance.	As with the car, the trip will take about 45 minutes.	Visitors who wish to travel comfortably without depending on train schedules.	Drop-off/Pick-up at the central train station.

How to get to Auschwitz by train

If you wish to reach Auschwitz by train, the best idea is to start from the central stations in Krakow or Katowice.

Oświęcim station is 2 kilometers from the entrance to the museum-camp. Therefore, for walkers, it will be possible to reach the site of interest with a walk of about twenty minutes. Alternatively, it is possible to take local buses that connect the station to the camp.

The journey from Krakow to Auschwitz is smoother and faster, although longer, while the journey from Katowice forces a change.

Be careful: in some cases you risk a wait of about thirty minutes.

Regarding the frequency of trains you will find more availability from the city of Krakow, especially in the morning with a price of about 8 euros each way; from Katowice, on the other hand, the price ranges from 2 euros up to 12 with less frequent trips.

If you are in Warsaw, you will be a long way from the museum-camp, which can be reached by train with a trip of more than four hours priced at 20 euros.

How to get to Auschwitz by bus

If you prefer the road to rocking the rails, you can reach Auschwitz by bus starting conveniently from the city center of Krakow.

In fact, you will be able to find several companies offering shuttle service directly from the main bus station, Kraków MDA, to the Oswiecim Muzeum stop at a cost of about 8 euros.

From here it will be a short 10-minute walk to the museum entrance.

If you are in Katowice and want to avoid the train, you will first have to reach Krakow by bus: you can do so via a Flixbus trip lasting one hour and ten, costing about 6 euros, departing from Katowice Sadowa to the aforementioned MDA bus station.

This is a route that offers at least one trip per hour.

How to get to Auschwitz by car, cab or Uber

If you want comfort and freedom, you can move around independently. For groups or families, it might be ideal to arrive at Auschwitz by rented car or your own, reaching the convenient parking lot at Więźniów Oświęcimia Street 55.

Starting from Kraków it will be sufficient to drive along the A4 toll road, for about half of the way, and then DW780 thus arriving at your destination in about one hour and twenty minutes. If, on the other hand, you are coming from Katowice you will have to take the DK79 road and then continue on the DK44; it will take you about 45 minutes to get there.

Although a long way away, you can also reach the museum-camp from Warsaw via DW717, continuing on the A1 highway and then taking, at the S1 junction, the direction for DK1.

The journey, in total, is just over three and a half hours (327.5 km).

If you intend to plan a trip without any worries and with all the comforts, you can use cabs or a ride-sharing service. The travel times are similar to those given in the previous paragraph, but you won’t have to worry about the route to take or, even less, the timetables of public transportation!

Organized tours to the Concentration Camp to reach Auschwitz

Then there is another way to reach Auschwitz: booking an organized tour.

You will then have many conveniences: you will not have to think about transportation, which you will often find included in your ticket with priority access, not to mention the possibility of having the assistance of an experienced guide with you!

If you are also interested in this option, here for you is our selection of the most interesting organized tours:

Getting to Auschwitz: Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusions

We have thus come to the concluding part of this our guide on how to get to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp.

Located in the town of Oświęcim, the camp can be reached through an easy and not too expensive journey, offering different transportation options depending on your preferences.

The best place to start is Kraków Central Station, whether you choose to travel by bus, train, or car.

But you also have several options starting from Katowice, a city that is only 35 km from Auschwitz, or from the more distant Warsaw.

Now you have everything you need to plan your visit to the Concentration Camp, and should you still have questions all you have to do is leave a comment below.

And be sure to remember to book your priority ticket-it‘s the only way to avoid running into long and tiring lines!

Only in this way will you be able to fully immerse yourself in the solemn atmosphere of Auschwitz and enjoy an unforgettable experience in which history and memory still seem to whisper in visitors’ ears!

Sources:

• Cover photo: ID 12527300 | Auschwitz © Spectrumoflight | Dreamstime.com
• Poland.travel – Public Transport: Section of Poland’s official tourism website dedicated to public transport, with useful information for getting around the country.
• Jakdojade.pl: Platform for planning public transport routes in major Polish cities, useful for organizing travel.
• Living in Poland – Public Transport: Detailed guide to the various means of public transport available in Poland, including buses, streetcars and ride-sharing services.