Want to better plan your visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau but don’t know how? Don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place! In this article we will provide you with all the information you need to best plan your visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
By the end of the reading you will know how to arrive well prepared, without leaving anything out, to make the most of your experience at one of Europe’s most important historical sites.
Warning Before continuing with the reading, we would like to provide you with an important and valuable advice: that of reserving a priority entrance through a skip-the-line ticket. Only in this way will you be sure to avoid long lines that are always present to access the museum-campus! What are you waiting for? Click here and choose the best option for your trip!
Ticket to Auschwitz-Birkenau (skip the line) with guided tour and transportation from Krakow
Buy online. Choose the time of your choice. Visit the prisoner barracks, infamous gas chambers and crematoria on your own.
You can cancel for free up to the day before your visit.
Table of Contents
Visiting Auschwitz: Hours
If you are planning a visit to Auschwitz, we’ll give you some good news right away: admission is allowed virtually year-round! In fact, the concentration camp can be visited every day with the exception of Christmas, Easter and New Year’s Day.
However, the museum-camp observes different hours depending on the time of year, this is also because of the temperatures, which can be really prohibitive in winter.
The month with the shortest hours is December, when you can visit the site between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. As the days get longer, Auschwitz visiting hours will do the same: in January and November it will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in February from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and in March and October from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
So we come to the warmer and brighter months, those in which we recommend planning to visit, when you can enjoy hours from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in April, May and September, and from 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the summer months of June, July and August.
One important clarification: the last admission allowed is an hour and a half before closing. For example, if you want to visit the museum-camp in August, the last entrance allowed will be at 7 p.m.; however, we do not recommend shrinking to the last moment since, for a complete visit, we suggest that you devote at least three and a half hours.
Useful info Auschwitz: Prices, tickets and reservations
The first piece of information you need to be aware of is that it is mandatory to book your admission to gain access to the Auschwitz camp-museum. We recommend that you do this well in advance to ensure a smooth entry on your preferred date.
You will be able to reserve individual or group entry, however consider that visiting on your own is not always the best option, since you will inevitably risk missing something, and that would be a real shame considering the enormous importance of the site you plan to visit.
The individual tour with a tour leader has prices starting at about 35€, but there are group discounts (additional offers for school groups) that vary depending on the number of participants.
It is also possible to choose to split the visit into two days, but at a higher price; in addition, for individual travelers, if the number of visitors allows, it is possible to join groups up to the maximum number allowed (we recommend that you consider this option as well).
However, the best advice we can give you is to choose from the most comprehensive offerings: you can in fact secure a much deeper and enriching experience through an organized tour! Thanks to guided tours, not only will you enjoy the services of an expert guide who will accompany you inside the camp, but you will also get priority access to skip the long lines before entering!
Plus, in some cases, you’ll be able to include transportation from the city you’re in, sometimes with private pickup to your hotel (many offers from Krakow and Warsaw), lunch package, and other conveniences! Plus, you won’t have to worry about handling shuttle transportation between Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II – Birkenau, since your experienced escort will take care of that.
Are you wondering how to go about booking these services? The solution is at your fingertips! Click here to browse our selection of skip-the-line tickets and organized tours and choose the one that’s right for you!
Ticket to Auschwitz-Birkenau (skip the line) with guided tour and transportation from Krakow
Buy online. Choose the time of your choice. Visit the prisoner barracks, infamous gas chambers and crematoria on your own.
You can cancel for free up to the day before your visit.
Visit Auschwitz practical tips: Guided tours
If, wisely, you opt for a guided tour, you will have ensured yourself an unforgettable and touching experience!
Indeed, this solution will allow you to devote the right amount of time to each area, receiving adequate and enriching information at each block.
What’s more, the language escort will allow you to learn about the stories of inmates who were locked up in the concentration camp.
In the first camp, Auschwitz I, you will be guided through each block, for about an hour and a half in all. After that, you will reach Auschwitz II – Birkenau by free shuttle, and here you will have more autonomy to explore the open spaces of the camp.
You will be able to see the crematoria, gas chamber, train yard, watchtower, and the Auschwitz International Memorial Monument to the Victims of Nazi-Fascism. Again, you will have an hour and a half abandoned.
In any case, your tour leader will remain available for any questions and to provide additional useful information. At the end of the visit, if your package includes it, you will have transportation back to your hotel.
To choose from the best guided tours available, click here and discover our selection of guided tours to Auschwitz!
Tips for Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau: other useful information
As far as luggage is concerned, the only obligation concerns the size of backpacks and bags, which must necessarily be smaller than 30x20x10 cm.
If we talk about clothing, on the other hand, it is recommended to consult the weather forecast and dress appropriately: temperatures, especially in winter, can be very cold indeed.
We also suggest wearing comfortable shoes considering the long visit and the sometimes uneven terrain of the camp.
It is also advisable to avoid clothes that are too short or excessively low-cut out of respect for the site visited.
Obviously, it would be best to visit Auschwitz in the summer months, so you can count on milder weather and longer museum-camp opening hours.
Should you be planning to come to the camp with children, we recommend that you prepare them psychologically to best cope with the experience; it is also a good idea that they never leave their parents’ side and that they are disciplined out of respect for what Auschwitz represents.
Ticket to Auschwitz-Birkenau (skip the line) with guided tour and transportation from Krakow
Purchase online. Choose the time of your choice. Visit the prisoner barracks, infamous gas chambers and crematoria on your own.
You can cancel for free up to the day before your visit.
Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau: Frequently Asked Questions
Comfortable shoes are recommended for entering Auschwitz to best cope with the camp grounds and the long visit. It is not recommended to wear low-cut, short or overly brightly colored clothing, out of a form of respect for the place. Considering the very cold temperatures present in Poland, it is a good idea to dress appropriately, especially if you plan to plan your visit outside of the summer months. Finally, remember that the only backpacks and bags allowed are those smaller than 30x20x10 cm.
It is possible to visit the concentration camp independently. You must reserve admission in advance for the selected date. However, it is recommended to reserve a ticket with skip-the-line included, to avoid the long lines present once you arrive at Auschwitz. Finally, it is considered almost essential to reserve an expert language guide: this is the only way you can be sure of a truly complete experience.
The best time to visit Auschwitz is definitely summer, since you can rely on milder weather and also in view of the opening hours of the museum-camp. However, they could also be quite crowded months given the high demand for admission: so April, May and late September could also be good alternatives.
To visit Auschwitz, simply book your admission here or on the museum-camp website. However, we also recommend you take a look at the extra services, such as expert guide accompaniment and priority access. It is possible to join groups in case you are a solo traveler. The best idea, to have a complete visit with comfort, is to opt for organized tours that include various services: not only the skip-the-line ticket and the presence of an expert guide, but also transportation, packed lunch, and any other services.
Concentration Camp Visit: Conclusions
Here we have come to the concluding part of this article. We have seen together the main useful information for visiting the Auschwitz museum-camp.You could read that the camp remains open almost all year round and with varying hours depending on the month.
You got an overview of tickets and their prices, as well as important considerations when choosing clothing.
Finally, I have answered the most frequently asked questions but, if you need to, you have the opportunity to ask more by leaving a comment below.
In conclusion, we would like to remind you once again of the importance of opting for a guided tour: only by enlisting the help of an expert will you be able to have a truly complete experience, giving you a very profound opportunity for reflection.
In short, all you have to do is choose the guided tour of your choice to delve into the important pages of Holocaust memory and savor firsthand the solemn atmosphere that thrills thousands of visitors every year.
Ready to go? Click here and book your entry now!
Ticket to Auschwitz-Birkenau (skip the line) with guided tour and transportation from Krakow
Buy online. Choose the time of your choice. Visit the prisoner barracks, infamous gas chambers and crematoria on your own.
You can cancel for free up to the day before your visit.
Cover photo: ID 177849719 | Auschwitz © Wojciech Grabowski | Dreamstime.com
