From Krakow to Auschwitz (transportation)

Hi All,

We're going to Krakow in May and I want to know if I should book with a tour group to get from Krakow to Auschwitz or can I get local transportation and just join a guided tour there? Same for the salt mine.

Thanks

Yes. It's quite easy to do, even if you don't speak Polish. But think carefully whether or not you really want to go there; it is an unpleasant and disturbing place.

Yes so I heard and I'm considering giving it a skip and rather go to the pub for a Tyskie or two.

A trip to Zakopane could be good!

Yes, that's the plan for the second day, Heard there's regular busses going there because I know the train takes forever!
So I reconed we wouldn't need a organized tour for that as well?

Not really - though an organised tour there would mean the bus driver spoke English.

SA guy in Lodz
you will find all the information here: en.auschwitz.org.pl/z/


after visiting this place, you'll need a beer or two anyway, so why not doing both... it's sad but worth visiting...

Thanks, will have to start preparing myself mentally from today!

I dont think hes expecting roller coasters, we all know what its about.

Auschwitz is a day of wahh, no, really, they couldnt have, is that real, but they did, ohh my god. A must see for the benefit of man kind.

Yes, I was thinking about it this afternoon. If he goes to Zakopane, it's a nice day out, pretty alpine views etc; but Zakopane isn't anything special at all. A fourth rate ski resort full of tourist traps. Auschwitz with the whole crushing horror of the place is something he'll remember all his life.

Hes a grown man and can make his own decisions, he doesnt need you telling where he should or shouldn't visit. Why did you visit the place of crushing horror?

Which he's asked about on an open forum. Who the hell are you to question why someone gives their opinion here or anywhere else? Either you're having a very very bad day or there's some other problem, WB. And what makes you think I'm telling him "where he should or shouldn't visit["?


I had visitors from the UK, very old friends whose grandparents were there.

no he didnt.


he didnt ask for your opinion.

He raised something in an internet forum. So what are you burbling on about when someone posts? Either contribute something intelligent or shut up altogether.

I have done a guided tour and we were picked up at our hotel. It was really easy but you do not have time for yourself when you are there.

hi,
usually in krakow i used bekrakow company they dont have time limit on tours sa we spent 6 hours in both camp - they're very good especiali lukas driver!

Merged:Transfer / taxi service in Krakow

hi,

We just returned from Krakow break some informations:
We booked Katowice airport transfers and the Aushwitz/Birkenau and Salt Mine tour in the one day with BeKrakow.com
Our plane in katowice airport was delayed 2h but driver was waiting for us in arrival hall.
We arrived at the auschwitz camp early so we could tour at our own speed, which was welcome at such a difficult place to visit. No set tour; no strict timelines. Lukas encouraged us to stay as long as we wanted.

On the way to the Salt mines again we had more information from Lukas as to the local area, recommendations restaurants. Went on the Salt Mines which are very interesting and worth seeing, but we felt that the 2 hour tour after Auschwitz was a little tiring. I would highly recommend BeKrakow.com to anyone looking for a relaxed, sensitive tour of the the concentration camps and transfer service.

I would highly recommend them to anyone travelling to Krakow.

Merged: From Krakow to Auschwitz

Hi, I'm planning trip to Poland. Exactly to Krakow,
I want to visit Auschwitz Museum. I know it's not in closed area of Krakow.
I find some website: krakowdirect.com/auschwitz_tour/,
Do you know it's a good idea?

actually Kraków is not that far from Auschwitz - it's only about 80km - that's why it is a popular destinations for tours from Kraków - like the tours advertised on the website

When I went back in 2008,and as I didn't speak a word of Polish at the time, I opted for an Auschwitz tour.
I went with this company: cracowtours.pl/auschwitz-birkenau-memorial-and-museum,tour,1.html

I couldn't fault them at all. They pick up and drop off at various hotels in Kraków.
Although it's possible to get a bus to the camp, and entrance is free, I was glad I went with a tour company as the guide was so informative and I learned so much more than if I'd chosen to go it alone.

So yes, I think going with a tour company is a good idea. There are many tour companies operating, so your only problem will be choosing which one.

If you are on a budget, the tour company you are asking about charges 50 PLN more than the one I went with. The price for one person is 44 Euros, which is about 184 PLN. Cracowtours charges 135 PLN.

I'm sure whichever company you choose will be fine though, and many offer a reduction if you visit more than one place.
I opted to go to the Wieliczka salt mines with the same company. Definitely worth visiting if you have enough time.

Merged:

Auschwitz travel advice please

I'm visiting Krakow in early February and would like to take a trip to Auschwitz. Most of the packages offered seem to consist of transport, a guided tour of the camp/museum and a minimal amount of time to explore at one's own pace. I'd like a couple of hours for the last of these items. Can anyone recommend a company that provides this?

It's easy just to get a train there. The part of the complex that people visit (Auschwitz I, where the 'arbeit macht frei' sign and the harrowing exhibits are) is close to the station; you can't miss it. There are regular guided tours there in English (the exact same tour that you'd be on if you paid for a 'package'), and the official guides take you at the end of the tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau (where the famous train tracks/watchtower is and where the very large gas chambers were). Oświęcim is a small town and easy to get to and from.

If you want to explore at your own pace, this is the best way to do it.

I looked on Google Maps and for a journey starting at 9.30am it looks like a journey of about two hours on public transport, about half that by car. Does that sound about right?

As I recall, it's between one and a half and two hours on the train, and about an hour by car depending on traffic etc.

Wouldn't ya need at least a day or so to "recover" after visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau??
Talk about iron-cast constitutions! Hey, and then it's off to Krakow...on a shopping trip, no doubt.
Charming.

It certainly stays with you. A harrowing place.

I've not been privileged as yet to take the plunge, but if ever we do decide to make such a pilgrimage, I promised my wife to bring along plenty of smelling salts, perhaps a barf bag too wouldn't hurt either.

Most people break down at some point there.

I remember every minute vividly yet have no memory of the journey back.

That nearly happened to me during my one and only pilgrimage ("GRIM" indeed) to the Dachau Camp in the early '90's. Saw the sign "ZU DEN KREMATORIEN", turned tail and headed back to the hotel, luckily a bit of a distance away by U-Bahn in downtown Munich. The stones in front of the now sanitized barracks were plenty for me!

This company offers up to an hour of free time and appears to have good reviews:

escape2poland.co.uk/auschwitz-tour

An hour isn't much time I admit, maybe you could look into private tours with a guide if you don't want to go it alone.

Thanks everyone for the advice. Yes, I will spend an entire day there and want it to be at the end of my trip. Also I would rather not drive there and back as I may be distracted. Though not Jewish myself, I have some Jewish ancestors, who came to the UK from Russia in the late 19th century and one who came from Austria in the early 20th (some time before Hitler came to power) so for me this is not simply about seeing somewhere famous from TV...