Such a moving and emotive meseum. The facilities are good quality and they have good covid measures in place. Did not have a guided tour as wanted time to explore at our own pace. The is plenty of information to take in so good to go at your own pace. We entered at 13.30 so it is a lot less crowded so felt you had more time to read the information boards and see the exhibits without feeling you were holding others up by the time we left at 3.30 there was hardly anyone around and there was a strange silence about the place that just made it feel more intense. We visited Brikenau in the morning before Auschwitz and again and it was much quieter than in the afternoon. If you have research the holocaust and have a good understanding of events and not doing a guided tour I would recommend doing things this way round as its much quieter and you have more time to read the information available. I am sure if you have a guided tour you would get much more information out of it but if you want to take your own time to take it in don't be put off doing it by yourself.

It's strong experience. The question irresistibly rising in my head was: "How could we do this to each other?" Here I could see what fear and hate can bring. The only future for us is love and unity.

This is a must visit museum. I have visited it twice and both times it was incredible. The last visit was prior to the new reception area. The new reception area is still a work in progress but it has some nice facilities. I highly recommend that you book reservations for your language well in advance as some languages sell out quickly. I also recommend that you use the facilities prior to entering as there is limited WC inside the camp. Some helpful information. You need to have an ID card with your name in order to enter. You then go through a security check. Then you will get your headphones 🎧 for your visit. Then you will be paired with your guide in the language you selected. We started the tour andwalked to the entrance of the camp. You will be given a tour of various parts of the camp with Alot of information about what took place. Note there are some places that the guide will ask you not to photograph. Once done with Camp I you will head to camp II via shuttle bus and there you will tour the rail platform and walk the same path as many who walked to the gas chambers. You will see the remains of the gas chambers and then visit one of the buildings. Then you will get back on shuttle bus to where you started. It takes about 3 hours or so. Again this tour is amazing and in my case very humbling.

Wow, what an experience. You cannot say you enjoyed it, but certainly glad you went. We booked through get your guide which during the covid pandemic we were taken by a minibus to the camp. There we explored both Auschwitz 1 and Auschwitz 2. We were informed via headphones in English about all of the historical information. I would highly recommend coming to see this if you are heading to Poland!

Difficult experience to discribe but an important plan to visit. Guided tour probably the best way to see the place but with lots of tours taking place it can get a bit crowded in some rooms and difficult to hear as 2 or 3 guides talking in the same area. Headphones essential but a bit defective with loss of connection intermittently. Our guide was very good and respectful of the memories of the dead.

Our guide throughout was brilliant, she knew her stuff and was very respectful in her commentary. A visit I will remember for the rest of my life although it was extremely moving,historically important and something every adult should see and experience. Words can never explain what this visit feels like. There are birds at both camps but I personally didn't hear them singing.

What a place. You get struck by the history, size and stories. Unbelievable experience that makes you think and wonder. Everyone should visit this place sometimes. The guide was excellent and informative both for adults and children. Got a private tour of some of the buildings.

Very difficult but necessary place to visit. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and provided a breadth of information for the different memorials. Nothing will prepare for the overwhelming feeling of walking through those gates. You can read and watch the documentaries but to actually see history in real life puts it all into perspective.

Its free entrance and parking. Open to visitors till 2pm, no tours available after 12 noon. Personally I enjoyed without the tour guide, you take your own time and distanced properly away from other people. Free to take pictures, you just have to bring an ID for entry. We wore our face masks althroughout the grounds.

A very harrowing and solemn visit to the memorial and museum,this is a must see if visiting Krakow. It is a huge part of history and although we have all read about it in history books, seeing the place in person highlights the real stories of what happened at Auschwitz. I recommend booking with a tour company, where a mini van collects you. Don't forget some ID for your ticket for example your passport and no backpacks, although you can leave this in the mini van. We got the early morning pick up at 530am for a 730am tour. The first tour into Auschwitz. When you arrive you have an opportunity after a 90minute drive to the memorial, to use the toilets, get a coffee or food from a vending machine. You then meet your guide who walks you through the Memorial with a head set to hear the audio. It is clearly marked out where you can take pictures. My tour group were very respectful and the tour guide was very informative. It is a real eye opener and I didn't know what to expect. The first memorial tour takes about 90minutes to walk through. A mix of indoor and outdoor parts. We visited in January so wrap up warm. You are then given another opportunity to use the toilet and get a warm drink. It is then a 10 minute drive to the second part, which is all outside in a big open outside space, this takes about an hour and is quite a bit of walking (about 3km) there is another toilet and a gift shop nearby. You are with the same guide. After our allotted time you meet back at your mini van and are given an opportunity to go into the gift shop and go to the toilet before your tour takes you back to the city or onto a second tour which was the salt mines for us. Definitely recommend appropriate footwear, clothing, snacks and your ID. I would suggest not suitable for young children under 12.

Everyone should visit this place. People must see what could happen in a loveless, careless hatred world. Unfortunately, the same things happening right now, right here, in front of our eyes to us and to our children. The only difference is , it is not happening in remote concentration camps, it is happening all around the world:( , it is not hidden anymore. We need to expose the truth and fight against it at all time .

A very sad but essential place to visit. Even though one has seen the photos and the documentaries, the reality of Auschwitz hits you when you first see the electric fences, knowing that they meant death and terror for literally millions of people. Don't be deceived by the beautiful surroundings of the camp - the ashes of generations lie buried under the flowers and pastures. We must never forget what man did to man, or we'll be bound to repeat it.

Everyone should visit this place one time in their life to never forget the horror that took place here. Auschwitz is the biggest shame of mankind

I did the auschwitz and birkenau tour, I have no words, I knew this day would be horrific and I wasn't wrong. Thoroughly recommend a visit lest we forget.

If you go, you know why. It is worth it. Went with a tour guide which made it worthwhile. The story is sobering and reminds us that we must remember what happened so we never let this type of thing happen again

A must for everyone at some time in their life. Whilst we've all seen the films, heard the stories, read the books I don't think you can appreciate the magnitude of what happened until you see this place for yourself. The height of the electrified fences topped with barbed wire; the size of the huts that held 700 people; the tracks leading to the gas chambers; the pile of shoes that is a fraction of what was gathered; the pain in the voices of those that narrate the story.

This is one of the most powerful locations to visit. I don’t think any of us are aware how recent the Holocaust has happened (some of the victims are still alive), and this definitely changes your perspective quite a bit. And in a way it’s inspiring: the people who survived had so much will go live its amazing, the conditions were so horrendous that you truly needed so much will. Now on to practical aspect: So you will spend 3-4 hours walking on not so soft trails. Bring comfortable shoes and a bottle of water. You don’t now how much you need it until you enter your 3 hour of walking.

You must visit this place if you go to Poland. They guide was very kind and clearly explained everything with close to Perfect English.

Great educational experience. Visited with two teenagers. Good to see history with your our eyes. So sad what happened. Our guide was very informative. A lot of walking outside. The tour took about 3 hours.

A really special place. Everyone should visit. The guide was really interesting to listen to all the time. All 4 hours! Go go go!

very haunting, I believe that most people who come here take their own memories .But for visitors it is quite a walk around the camp so be prepared

Bizarre place. Gave me the chills! It's good that it's still open to see.

It is a place that everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime, it is unique for all the past that was written in that place. Get to know a little bit more about this place is important

Bloodcurdling. A must see place. It is possible to reach it from Krakow in an hour and a half by bus. Be sure to buy your ticket before you arrive or come with a tour, otherwise you will have to wait a long time. You can visit it in about 2-3 hours.

I could smell death in certain blocks..... felt physically ill & extremely emotional in the gas chamber. Impossible to relate to this place as violence & hatred, in such manner is alien to me. All I could do was walk in their footsteps & wish them peace.

If we are to prevent such a terrible tragedy from happening again, anyone who is able must visit this museum and memorial. A regular tour is about 3 and a half hours, and the guides are very detailed and highly educated about what happened to the victims of the camps. For practical purposes, there are modern amenities (toilet, cafe) and breaks taken between Auschwitz I (the smaller camp) and Auschwitz-Birkenau (the larger camp), and buses regularly run between the two. It is difficult terrain for people who have mobility issues and may need a wheelchair, so be aware of this. The museum and memorial is doing active preservation work to make these 80-year-old buildings are safe for guests to visit. Even as someone who has read many books on the Holocaust and knows the story, this is still one of the most important museums I've visited.

Before visiting this Museum cum concentration camp, I just heard about it and felt sad. But real sadness and anger you’ll feel once you’ll visit this place and will constantly ask yourself… why? Why they did it? It’s much more than a place now.. You’ll feel once you’ll visit it. Please book a tour guide.

Been wanting to come here for a long time had great expectation about it, tell you the truth i thought it would be better, but it's still a eery place and you'd wonder how someone human would actually to the stuff they did to women and children

Wow .. just wow... The dark history not so many knows

Tough place to visit, but essential. Guide was truthful, honest and informative. Would have given 5 stars but it's a brutal horrible place obviously

Left this place with a very heavy heart. This will remind us that a person can do evil things to another person. It may be a child or an elderly, hundreds of thousands to millions of soul were lost in this tragic event of mankind.

Had a time booked but still had to wait in a queue to get in, it took over an hour to get in, queues are chaos 3 queues going into 1 with no social distancing, tour had to be cut short as it was closing. Arrive early if you want the full experience.

Worth visiting while in Krakow, the guided tour was pretty good and explained things well.

I went as part of a tour from Krakow, which makes everything easy. I've always been interested in the events of the holocaust. Visited Dachau many years ago and I still remember the feeling. Auschwitz is a must see for everyone. I'd make a visit mandatory if I could. Well organised, reasonably priced and never to be forgotten. Knowledge of what happened is one thing but being there is visceral. Amazing/awful/a must see.

Moving, educational, thought provoking. I have wanted to visit as long as I can remember. I actually mean to go back a second time without a guide to take my time and just be. The guides did a great job and the place has been well maintained and the experience will be your own. Wish I had some better words for it. Haunting and unbelievable.

Simply a must. Very organized visit. Entrance in groups every certain minutes.

Sad memorial taking you back in time to one of history's horrors. Excellent guides and well organized tours.

Great place to visit and very informative guided tour booked prior on line ,a humbling place based on the history of the camp and becoming more knowledgeable about what took place there in the early 1940s a must visit if in Poland

This was a riveting experience. Sad but enhanced my history and made it feel more real actually being there. The only drawback is that it is a very long walk around so anyone with mobility issues need to think carefully about whether they would be able to get around safely. I would definitely recommend visiting Auschwitz 1 and 2. Cost 460 Zl which is about £92. Well worth it. The organiser was fab and he arranged a private minibus for me and my sister to take us. Took 3.5 hours from Wraclaw to get there. Great experience. Total respect and comiserations to all who perished and survived there.

Definitely an experience you shouldn't miss when in the area, imagine the feelings the victims of the 1930s socialist party of DE would have felt, not knowing, losing children, siblings, parents.. eerie and haunting. Important we never forget, especially right now.

The Poles have done a great job maintaining this horrendous site. The guides are extremely knowledgeable and provided more information than you may want to hear. The rooms of shoes, hair, eyeglasses and suitcases bring home the extreme loss of life that occurred.

Such a moving place. Everyone should visit once in their life to learn from it so something like this should never happen again. Well curated and interesting exhibitions

This is a harrowing experience. But a must. You need a good guide and we had one. Everyone should visit this place to pay respect. I have been and will not return. This is an evil place and it is correct the birds don't sing.

The most heartbreaking yet educational place I've ever been. My deepest respect to those that endured this hell on earth, either never leaving alive, or surviving but being forever scarred. Left in tears but wiser for the experience

As something to do it would score lower, but its one of those things that needs to be experienced and I'm glad i visited. There is a lot of walking, I'd estimate 4km, the second half is in the open with no shade so if hot bear this is mind. Of course this is nothing in comparison to what people went through when the camp was in operation. We started early at about 08:45 and finished tour about 12.15 it appeared very busy when we left. You need to bring ID to be allowed to enter. RIP

The grounds and museum are absolutely great. The only thing that bothered us was the Czech guide who didn't provide headphones for the kids (10 and 11) years old, who couldn't hear anything, so a lot of the context ended up being boring for them

A must visit if you are in Krakow. It is very important to never forget what happened. You need to book a visit or guided tour online.

You just visit this place, what you wil see is a life lesson, it speaks more than milions of words!

It's a place that everyone should see at least once in a lifetime because "Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It." I highly recommend a tour guide where you will learn much more about history and life in the concentration camps, see with your own eyes and feel for a moment the pain of people living there during WW2. It is an eye opening experience, not suitable for children but a must see fir adults

Went with a tour group including 15 people. There were several other independent groups, forcing the tour guides to rush through the exhibits. There were so many exhibits with accompanying placards that I wanted to read but couldn't given the haste of the tour. If group tours are your thing, have at it. But I definitely prefer a self paced walk through. If it's possible, I would very highly recommend it. Perhaps there are audio tours that available for download via Google Play or the Apple store. Despite the aforementioned drawbacks, it's hardwr to get any closer to history than via Auschwitz. Most people will never have such an opportunity to experience it.

First thing first, there is cheaper parking near the main entrance and if you skip that turn you will have ability to park in other place but then you will need to take about 15min walk till the main entrance. So first thing first, double-check about the entrance. Inside you will be checked and your bags will also be checked. There you can go only with a guide, so I would recommend buying tickets before coming there. There is no dress code, but it's a historical place where humans were tortured, so just respect the place and no t-shirts with not nice words. The 1st part is where you are walking with a guide, the guide is talking to the radio and each of the tourists wears headsets and here a guide in ears. The only thing that was that when we were there, there was a group before us and after us, so for e.g. in the same room, there were 3 groups and all 3 guides talking at the same time, so you can imagine the sound. Also, this place is not for kids. Not because of history, but because of the whole experience. You will need to walk a lot, if it's hot day take a lot water, sun cream and sun head. In the first part, it's manageable, but when you go to the 2nd part, there are just open fields, with a short story and then free time to walk there. In the 2nd part, on the sunny day, you won't find any shadow. Basically, if you are going on a sunny or hot day, be prepared. But overall, recommend

Well worth the visit. It was shocking to see the actual conditions people were forced to live in… One downside though, there are way too many people - tours are stepping on each other’s toes. There’s no time to really take in and feel. You’re basically just rushing through the whole thing with 3,5h tour. The guide L.K. was repeating himself many times. However, when asked questions he answered with much knowledge so I recommend talking up the guide, so that the tour is not as robotic.

I recommend buying tickets in advance as way cheaper. Great, everything left the way it was at the time so it was amazing to see everything, wish the map in the booklet was clearer or the buildings were marked better in Birkenau but such an interesting experience.

Amazing experience, definitely get the guided tour there is too much information to go round by yourself. Everyone needs to visit this so that history never repeats itself

We took a private tour of the museum and the second location of Auschwitz. It was a very informative visit. I would definitely recommend going with a private tour guide as the big groups from the buses missed a lot of the places we stopped and talked. We were able to pass the line to go in , and if we had gone with no tour or guide at all we wouldn’t have been able to fully appreciate everything there. Worth going for sure.

Very moving and somber visit, one of many places I have wanted to visit, whilst many will just visit to say they have been I felt I needed to see for my own eyes. Lots of thoughts, our guide was very informative and clearly explained each element, this is something no Documentary, film or movie can ever explain, the atrocities that took place I will never forget. We did a joint visit to the Auschwitz and Auschwitz - Birkenau camp along with the Saltmine tour, whilst it was a long day, I would recommend doing this.

Important to see. Good level of details. Excellent English guide, she was very professional.

A surreal experience that allows you to immerse yourself at a concentration camp. The tour guides are all very friendly and would highly recommend you book in advance to avoid really long queues. The 6 hour tour is long but very much worth every minute. Make sure you pack lunch if you desire to do this tour as they give you a lunch break but there is only 1 canteen that has a big line.

This is some of the places every person should visit, to have in mind what horrible things could happen if evil is left unchecked. It's depressing? Yes! It should be! Recommend tour with a guide