Auschwitz & Birkenau: 7-Hour Guided Tour from Krakow with Pickup

Two camps, one day: what the Auschwitz-Birkenau tour covers in seven hours

You're picked up from your Krakow hotel and driven to Auschwitz, where a licensed guide takes you through the barracks, watchtowers, and gas chambers. After lunch, you travel 5 kilometers to Birkenau, the larger second camp, and tour its grounds before returning to your hotel. The full day is seven hours, including transport and a meal.

Step-by-step itinerary

Auschwitz Birkenau tour from Krakow

• Hotel pickup in Krakow
• Drive to Auschwitz (70 km)
• Guided tour of Auschwitz camp
• Lunch break and drive to Birkenau (5 km)
• Visit Birkenau camp
• Drive back to Krakow

The experience

The minivan picks you up at your Krakow hotel and drives 70 kilometers south to Auschwitz. By the time you arrive, the camp's perimeter is already visible: barbed wire, watchtowers, the brick buildings that still stand. Your licensed English-speaking guide from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum meets you at the entrance and walks you through the barracks, the gallows, and the gas chambers. Founded in April 1940, Auschwitz became the site of systematic extermination through starvation, disease, and murder. The guide is trained to handle this sensitively, moving through the evidence at a pace that lets you absorb what you're seeing.

Around midday you break for lunch (a sandwich, water, an apple, a chocolate bar) before the 5-kilometer drive to Birkenau, the second camp. Birkenau is ten times larger than Auschwitz and was built later as a killing center. The scale of it hits differently. The barracks stretch across the grounds, and the remnants of the crematoria sit in the open. Your guide continues the narrative here, grounding the numbers and the history in the physical space you're standing in. The tour of Birkenau takes up the second half of the day.

The whole thing (pickup, both camps, lunch, the drive back to your hotel) runs seven hours. If your booking is made last-minute and English guides are fully booked, the operator will substitute a guide in another available language and provide you with an English guide book and lunchbox as compensation. The minivan is air-conditioned. Children under 14 are not recommended for this tour, though there's no official age restriction. The museum leaves that judgment to families. Dietary restrictions for the lunch box are accommodated: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options are available.

What’s included

Hotel pickup and drop-off in Krakow, round-trip transport by air-conditioned minivan, licensed English-speaking guide from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, entry to both Auschwitz and Birkenau camps, lunch (sandwich, water, apple, chocolate bar with dietary accommodations available), and professional guidance through the barracks, watchtowers, gas chambers, and grounds of both sites.

Options for this experience

3 options

Minivan with a maximum of 8 people on the busGuide in English · Available from 2 Nov · 6 departure times: the first at 00:00, the last at 11:00Pickup from your address. Small group: travel in a comfortable minivan with no more than 8 people. In Auschwitz the group numbers 30 people. Duration: 8 hours. Minivan exceptions: on certain days we reserve the right to swap the minivan for a larger car and to arrange a meeting point. Pickup is included.

Lunch IncludedGuide in English · Available from 2 Nov · 08:00 and 09:00Hotel pickup is included: the day before the tour we will tell you the exact pickup time from your address. Pickups happen between 6:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Duration: 7 hours. Lunch box: you don't need to worry about food, as our host will provide lunch for you: a large sandwich, water, chocolate and an apple. Minivan for 8 people: lunch is provided for the whole group, and the same applies to the bus for groups of 20 passengers. Pickup is included.

Private transport with lunch boxesGuide in English · Available from 2 Nov · 6 departure times: the first at 00:00, the last at 11:00Pickup options: we can collect you from any address in Krakow or from the airport or train station. Railway Ramp: the driver can show you a site that is not part of the regular tour, the original ramp. Premium: a driver and a car are entirely at your disposal, so if you want to return to Krakow earlier or change your plans, that's no problem. Duration: 7 hours, regular timing. Lunch boxes: your driver will prepare a baguette with cheese and ham, an apple, a banana, water and a chocolate bar. Lexus ES limousine 2025: the premium luxury limousine. Lunch is included in the price with this option, and a printed guide in your language is also provided. Pickup is included.

You see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates & prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day6 departure times: the first at 00:00, the last at 11:00

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (4 to 17 years) · Child (under 4)

GroupUp to 30

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by ComFort Tours Cracow

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to visit both camps in one structured day without arranging transport, entry, or timing yourself: the seven-hour format fits both sites and the 70-kilometer distance into a single departure from your hotel.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (4 to 17 years); Child (under 4).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

How far is Auschwitz from Krakow?

About 70 kilometers south. The drive takes roughly 90 minutes each way.

Is the guide in English?

Yes, the guide is a licensed English speaker from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Other languages are available as paper guide books only.

What's included in the lunch?

A sandwich, water, an apple, and a chocolate bar. Dietary restrictions (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free) can be accommodated if you request them when booking.

How long is the whole tour?

Seven hours total, including hotel pickup and drop-off, both camps, and lunch.

What if I book last-minute and there's no English guide available?

The operator will provide a guide in another available language, plus an English guide book and lunchbox as compensation.

Is the minivan accessible for wheelchairs?

Yes, the minivan is wheelchair accessible. Strollers and specialized infant seats are also available.

What should I wear?

Smart casual dress code. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended as you'll be on your feet for most of the tour.