Auschwitz is one of the places (well, not the only one unfortunately) in which the humanity died everyday for a long long time. Once in Krakow, Auschwitz to me is a must-go destination once in a lifetime. Once decided to visit Krakow, you can actually find tens of ways to visit the museum. I found many places to join an organized tour before arrival online (you can also book a tour that combines Auschwitz with the salt mines for about 70/80€) and also you can find more than a hundred travel agency once in Krakow. You probably need to book your seat the day before.
As an adventurous and a budget traveler, I decided to get my hands on it and organize everything on my own since we had enough time to visit both mines and Auschwitz. In this post, I will mention my experiences and some alternative tips I found out during my research.
1. Entrance to the museum is for free.
Once the Soviet troops came over Poland and rescued the camp survivors from their fate and German soldiers, they immediately turned the camp into a museum, conserving everything they found there as a memorial. I'm not so sure if this is the effect of communist Russia or the sensitivity of Polish government, but visiting the museum is for free for everyone.
However, in order to control the safety of the museum and improve the experience of the visitor, there is a limit for the number of visitors hourly. That is why, they give away an entry ticket - even if you don't have to pay for it. I believe that the ticket office gives away this entry ticket, but if you wish to have the control of your day, you can book your entry pass from the official website.
To my experience, we wanted to visit the museum at the mid day in July and 3 weeks ago, all the spots were already taken! So, book your pass in advance. Once you book your entry, it is enough to have the QR code on your mobile phone or have it printed out would be enough to visit the museum.
2. Having a guided tour is highly recommended.
Even though the entrance to the museum is for free, there are guided tours that you can purchase in many languages, such as English, Spanish, French, Polish, German, Italian and Russian (these are the languages I remember, for more accurate info, check the website). During my travels, I always take the cheapest and the free options if I can, but we decided that Auschwitz is not the place to go cheap.
Again, it is possible to purchase the tour once there from the ticket office, but there is no guarantee whether you can enter the museum or when you can enter. That is why I simply purchased our entries for the English guided tour 2 weeks in advance from the website. The guided tour costs about 50 zloty (about 12 euros) and goes to the tour guide. Once you purchase the ticket, you receive an automatic e-mail with your ticket in the attachment.
Following the tour guide was really easy, since you are given an electronic head set to hear your guide speaking from your earphones. This allows you to listen to the guide much easier and much better despite of the other groups around you and to look at the exhibition pieces while listening to the guide.
3. Taking intercity buses are extremely easy.
Let's go back to the arrival. Auschwitz is located about 1,5 hour away from Krakow and there are some options to reach there.
RENT A CAR: You can always rent a car, since the museum has a huge parking lot near Auschwitz and Birkenau. Having a free shuttle in every 10 minutes between the two camp sites make the parking less problematic. But, if you don't have the intention of renting a car for other purposes, I would tell you that renting a car JUST to reach Auschwitz would be a waste of money as there are alternative public transports, which take more or less the same time.
TRAIN: There are the trains to the little town in which Auschwitz camp was built in. Yet, keep in mind that the camp entrance is about 2 km away from the train station, which could mean 20-30 min of walking once you take the train. That is why even though the train ride is much more comfortable and less painful for Fabio, we decided not to consider this option at all.
INTERCITY BUS: The last and the best option is to take an intercity bus and get off exactly in front of the museum. The intercity bus station is just next to the train station in Krakow and you can get a bus in every 10 min. You can wait in the line to purchase the ticket using cash or credit/debit card in the ticket sales office or in the bus using cash. You should take the bus that goes in the direction to Auschwitz/Oswiecim. Even though there are different bus companies with different schedules, try to get Lajkonik since it is the most comfortable among others.
From: MDA Bus Station Krakow
Price: 12-14 PLN for one way ticket
Travel time: 1:30-2:00h
In the ticket office, they do not sell return tickets since different bus companies might cost slightly different. I have seen some people purchasing their return ticket in the bus before they even arrive to the museum, but keep in mind that the purchased return ticket can be used ONLY for the same bus company. So unless you are certain that you would take the same one, just wait and purchase it once in the bus to go back to Krakow.
4. The museum is surrounded by snack bars/restaurants.
As I said before, the tour takes 3 hours. Even if not, visiting the museum takes a lot of time. Since also the transportation takes a long time, you might need some snacks or drinks at some point of your journey. The museum is not very integrated with a town or some local neighborhoods so do not expect any supermarket or so with low prices and wide range of choices. However, this doesn't mean that you will be starving. In fact, there are multiple snack bars, a bar and a proper restaurant that you might just choose to go based on your needs. The prices are not that expensive for those who are used to spending in euros/dollars but compared to the prices in the city, they are a bit expensive but definitely affordable.
5. Be prepared for a security check.
Once there with your entry pass, you will see some people holding a piece of paper on which the timing of the next tours is written. Try to be present at least 15 minute earlier because you will be asked to pass a security check, collect your electronic headset and find your group. It is also a good idea since visiting the toilet costs a couple of zloty outside and costs nothing right after the security.
Please keep in mind that they are really strict about the size of the purse you can bring inside. I have a little backpack purse (really little) and the security refused to let me in. Don't worry though, there is a luggage deposit office that is pretty safe and efficient. In the end, I was kinda happy that I didn't have anything with me to carry around.
The luggage office is run by people, it's not a safe box and that is why make sure that you get everything before leaving your bag there.
6. Go intellectually prepared.
I have seen many movies, visited many museums and read many books before to go and visiting the museum still shook me to the core. It's strange. It's simply too sad. And if you don't have enough background, you will either not be impressed, or you will be affected way too much. Even if you join the guided tour, the guide will explain you a daily life in Auschwitz, some peculiar stories or something particular regarding the invasion of Poland. However, none of these will make sense if you don't know much about what was happening in the rest of Europe or Russia. Do your homework a little bit to appreciate it the most.
7. Consider your behavior and outfit.
I don't have a Jewish or Polish background or I have nothing personal to do with Auschwitz or the concentration camps in general. Still, I was completely bothered by many people who seemed not to know where they are really visiting. I don't think that this is a touristic attraction, this is a memorial that requires some respect. This is not a place where you should show up with crop-tops, deep V neck shirts or mini skirts. This is not a place to take selfies or search for a Pokemon (yes, I heard that someone literally checked the Pokemon Go app and found a Pokemon with the gas. like, are they f.... serious?). This is not a place to show your love to your significant other and start french kissing. This is not a place to visit with your kids, especially if they are energetic and cannot stay calm. If you cannot manage to behave, just change your plans, steal some photos from Google to publish on your Instagram profile and just not go. We won't tell anyone, promise.
Labels: Auschwitz, Highlights, Poland
