Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau — Practical Guides
Practical guides to visiting the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial from Kraków: the free entry pass and how to reserve it, what tours cost and why, the Museum's rules, how long to allow, going independently, opening hours, and combining the visit.
Opening Hours
The Memorial opens at 7:30 all year; last entry runs from 14:00 in December to 19:00 in June, July and August. The month-by-month table, and why the first hours of the day are the ones to book.
Read guide →Combining the Visit
Kraków operators sell Auschwitz packaged with the Wieliczka salt mine or Schindler's Factory. The logistics work. Whether the day works is a different question, answered honestly.
Read guide →How Long to Allow
The Museum advises a minimum of about 90 minutes for Auschwitz I and 90 more for Birkenau. With travel from Kraków, that means six to eight hours door to door — and a departure window you do not control.
Read guide →Going Independently
With a free entry pass reserved in advance you can travel to Oświęcim by train or bus and visit without a tour. What it costs, how long it takes, and the planning it demands.
Read guide →Rules for Visiting
The Museum's own requirements: solemnity and appropriate dress, personalised entry pass with matching ID, bags no larger than 35 × 25 × 15 cm, a security check, and its guidance that visits by children under 14 are not recommended.
Read guide →The Free Entry Pass
Admission to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial is free of charge, but a reservation is compulsory. How to book a free entry pass at visit.auschwitz.org, the seven-day rule, and why summer passes disappear long before.
Read guide →What a Tour From Kraków Costs
Admission is free, so a tour's price covers transport, a licensed guide-educator and a reservation. Options run from about $20 to $90 — what separates them, and when the cheapest is the wrong choice.
Read guide →If you would rather not arrange transport and a pass separately: see guided visits from Kraków →