1 Day Trip Auschwitz Birkenau and Salt Mines with Hotel Transfer
Description
Visit former Nazi concentration Camp in Auschwitz which was the largest camp of Nazi Germany. See one of the oldest Salt Mine in the world. Discover both of these places on our full day trip from Krakow. In Auschwitz you will join licensed guide who will bring you closer to the history of this place. The memorial tour in Auschwitz begin at the entrance gate by the ironic slogan - “Arbeit macht frei” Next you will see prisoners’ barracks and railroad track that transported people to gas chambers. Auschwitz tour takes around 2 hours and Birkenau tour around 1-1.5 hour. After that our driver will drive you to Salt Mine. Tour in Salt Mine takes around 2.5h and during the tour you will see St Kinga’s Chapel - 54 m long and 12 m high chapel resembles interiors of medieval wooden churches and is a real underground wonder with breathtaking chandeliers made of salt crystals, underground corridors and landscapes thatcannot be seen on the surface saline lakes and beautiful underground chambers.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your tour begins with transportation from Krakow, either from the hotel you specified or a designated meeting point of your choice. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum is located in Oswiecim, approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes away (65 km). All drivers we work with have the necessary EU certifications for passenger transport. You will be accompanied by a friendly, English-speaking group leader who will assist you whenever needed. Upon arrival in Oswiecim, you'll have a brief break to grab a coffee or explore the outdoor exhibitions. Afterward, you’ll be introduced to your local, professional guide, who is officially licensed by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum.
Begin your tour by walking through the gate of Auschwitz I, the first camp, initially established as a concentration camp for Polish citizens arrested after Germany annexed the country in 1939. You'll pass under the infamous sign "Arbeit Macht Frei" (Work Makes You Free). This portion of the tour typically lasts two hours, during which you'll use a headset to hear your guide clearly. The group size is limited to 30 people, as per the Museum's regulations, ensuring a comfortable and accessible experience for all participants. Explore the original wooden barracks, fortified walls, barbed wire fences, gas chambers, and crematoria, which together leave a haunting impression and allow visitors to grasp the immense scale of the Holocaust.
After visiting the first camp, you'll have a short break of up to 15 minutes. Following this, we will take you to the second part of the tour—Birkenau (Auschwitz II), located just 3 minutes away. Birkenau, the largest camp, was built and operated with the sole purpose of making Europe "Judenrein" (free of Jews). Your guide will continue the powerful narrative at Birkenau, located in the village of Brzezinka. Constructed in 1941 under the orders of SS commander Heinrich Himmler, the camp could hold around 90,000 prisoners. You’ll hear harrowing accounts of the brutal living conditions, the cruel selection process, and the pseudo-scientific medical experiments carried out by Nazi doctors, including Josef Mengele. The tour concludes with a story of liberation when soldiers from the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front opened the gates of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, leaving you with a profound understanding that such genocide should never have occurred—and must never happen again.
In a second part of the day, you will be transferred to Wieliczka Salt Mine, which happens to be one of the oldest working salt mines in the World. Before Salt Mine Expirence you will have about 1 hour break for a coffe, grocery or just rest.
Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the oldest working salt mines in the World: it has been producing salt for over 700 years. You will be attending an English guided tour at 4pm or 5pm (depending on road conditions). Your guide will take you up to 140 meters underground for a 2.5-hours journey through over 2.5-km tourist route full of chambers with amazing salt carvings and statues
At the end of the tour you well have about After another 40 minutes of travel, you will be taken to Krakow.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
The hours you book are tentative and may change due to schedule at the Auschwitz Museum and traffic conditions. Exact pick up time will be confirmed for a day before the departure. Be sure to select correct product option to use hotel or meeting point pickup as the price is different.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- VISIT: While in the camps, visitors are required to behave appropriately and respectfully.
- VISIT: There are no restrictions regarding the age of children in Wieliczka Salt Mine and Auschwitz Birkenau Memorial and Museum, but they should be either capable of walking unassisted or carried in baby slings or baby carriers. Baby pushchairs are not allowed underground (salt mine)
- VISIT: Visitors are generally allowed to take pictures with a few, clearly indicated exceptions.
- LUGGAGE: The maximum size of your carry-on can not exceed the following dimensions: 30 x 20 x 10 cm. You can leave your larger luggage in the car.
- CLOTHING: Temperatures in Wieliczka Salt Mine are around 59ºF (15ºC). Also, it should be taken into account that narrow paths may seem claustrophobic, and once underground there is no possibility to shorten your visit and turn back. At the entrance, visitors descent 400 steps down and the whole tourist route features over 800 stairs
- ENTRANCE: As it is mandatory in Auschwitz Birkenau museum to confirm your personal details, you are required to take with you passport or ID to be presented at the entrance to museum. Please do not forget it, otherwise you may be not allowed to enter museum.
Reviews(1,035)
Everything went smoothly Michal picked us in time and dropped us off in perfect timing as well. Both guides in the salt mines and Auschwitz were interesting and prepared
Auschwitz-Birkenau tour 19.08.26 We found this tour to be amazing from start to finish. Our coach driver Michael was most informative 👌 making everyone feel most comfortable assisting us with any requirements. Our tour guide could have been slightly slower as was like she was eletric as she took off 😳 worrying though as a few of the group struggled. The flip side of that was she was also most informative 👌 helping us to understand just how bad the atrocities were for our own human kindwhat they went through...some bits were hard to bare at times being pretty gut wrenching to say the least. ....ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Kraków Direct were amazing. Michał G was very knowledgeable both as a tour guide and our coach driver. The Auschwitz tour guide was fantastic, all arranged through Krakow Direct. I would definitely recommend them and use them again. The whole process was seamless. Thank you very much
Highly recommended.The trip is something i will keep as a lasting memory. From pick up point to the journey to the destinations until drop off was superb.Our tour guide Mr.Michael the Walker is very helpful,knowledgeable and very eloquent.Hoping for more fun and exciting trip with you soon.
KrakowDirect has done an excellent all around job. I arranged airport transfers with them plus a tour of Auschwitz/ Salt Mines. Airport transfers were 100% on time, drivers friendly. Tour was perfect, guides and driver knowledgeable plus it was a great value. I would use them again!
Driver was great, Auschwitz tour guide was pretty verbose, but generally a great day!
The experience was excellent, though I would recommend going at a least busy time of the year (not August) due to huge groups doing the tours at the same time..
Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that you had an excellent experience overall. We completely understand your comment about visiting during August, as this is one of the busiest periods of the year and the sites can be particularly crowded with large groups. We truly appreciate your feedback, as it helps us continue improving our services and providing helpful information to future guests. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
What a magical experience! Beginning with the South minds which are incredibly impressive and then going to historical sites. It was a roller coaster of emotions and it was a very solemn day altogether. The tour was really well organized, and it allowed the space for everyone to be present. Highly recommended!
Thank you very much for your wonderful and thoughtful review! We’re delighted to hear that you had such a memorable experience, from the impressive Salt Mine to the historical sites. We understand that it was a day filled with many different emotions, and we’re pleased that the tour was well organized and allowed you the space to fully take in each part of the visit. We truly appreciate your recommendation and your feedback, as it helps us continue improving our services. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
very good service and very kind people
Thank you very much for your kind review! We’re delighted to hear that you were pleased with the service and found our staff very kind and welcoming. We truly appreciate your feedback, as it helps us continue improving our services. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
Excellent experience. Very good tour guide and driver. Comfortable ride. Great value for the price.
Thank you very much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear that you had an excellent experience and that you were pleased with both the tour guide and driver. It’s great to know that you enjoyed the comfortable ride and found the tour to be great value for the price. We truly appreciate your feedback, as it helps us continue improving our services. Thank you for choosing our tour, and we hope to welcome you again on another tour in the future!
