Auschwitz visit tips

[anonymous-user]

[redacted]

[Mercdriver]

We did a tour, picked up at hotel and bused to both sites. Guide very informative and we found the tour worth the money.

Very harrowing, but worth a visit. Hard to believe the things that went on there, the display of human hair will bring a lump to your throat.

If you are going now wrap up well it is a cold site to walk around

[paul.deitch]

I found the tour a bit too fast to take in the horror of it. In particular I felt that we were rushed through the surviving gas chamber with no time to pay my thoughtful respects to the countless victims. Certainly a very sobering visit.
My other impression was that is big business with thousands of visitors a day. Best to get there as early as possible.

[Mercdriver]

Agree Paul, we too felt rushed through the gas chamber and especially through the cremation chamber.

You need to stand and just look at this killing on an industrial scale

[dirky dirk]

I went last year
Join a fb group called krakow its so easy
Look on there a bloke called michael krupa does alot of trips
He picked us up in a vito bus takes you there, shows you a vid on the way,
Hands you to your english speaking guide
She took us round lecturing us via headsets
Then back to the bus for his packed lunch then the same guide shows your round birkenau

Back in the bus and home
To your hotel

Aushwitz has the gates and birkenau has the train line
They are two different sites

I expect your staying in krakow
If so please make sure you go to the plane museum thats a must
And go to the shooting gallery and fire some ww2 guns
Drink the dark beer its 10 percent

[dirky dirk]

Oh and its 30000 steps all in that day

[Jag_NE]

Maybe I was unlucky but you might also be slightly irritated by fellow tourists behaving insensitively e.g. taking “fun” selfies etc. Not an awful lot you can do about it, but just a heads up.

[poosemon]

Have been a couple of times.

We caught a mini bus out there from the city centre, there are quite a few offering the trip so easy to come by. Will get you right up to entrance so a bit easier then using other public transport.

Have done both a tour and making our way own accord. To be honest preferred the trip when we made it around at our own pace around rather then a "tour" so could take it in in our own time.

There was an official regular bus connecting Auschwitz I and II and is of course worth visiting both camps.

We did I then II.

Prepare for a pretty full on day, not just the 20-30k steps but the emotional heft that comes with it.

It is very open/exposed so prepare appropriately for the weather.

[Ryyy]

I can find out but whoever we booked through picked us up in a mini bus near the old town and took us to the 2 locations and dropped back off at pickup. We stayed a small walk from the old town so all good there.

Tips? Eat properly before going.

[Jag_NE]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Oh I wasn’t suggesting you would be!

The yoof and selfies know no bounds! Experienced similar as the Anne Frank house also.

[dirky dirk]

Don’t forget the waxworks.
It’s hilarious

[dunkind]

Jag_NE said:

Maybe I was unlucky but you might also be slightly irritated by fellow tourists behaving insensitively e.g. taking “fun” selfies etc. Not an awful lot you can do about it, but just a heads up.

There is plenty you can do about it, you can tell them to stop being disrespectful dicks, for example.

[Jordie Barretts sock]

dirky dirk said:

Don’t forget the waxworks.
It’s hilarious

Not sure anything at Auschwitz or Birkenau could be described as 'hilarious'.

[pavarotti1980]

Jag_NE said:

Maybe I was unlucky but you might also be slightly irritated by fellow tourists behaving insensitively e.g. taking “fun” selfies etc. Not an awful lot you can do about it, but just a heads up.

Yep our group had a couple of these idiots. they tried to do a selfie in Birkenhau at the memorial site at the far end and surprisingly in unison the rest of the group gathered to prevent them from doing it. They tried again in the wooden huts but people just kept photo bombing until they gave up.


OP - Do not book anything with get your guide or these 3rd party tour operator types. They seem to cancel a lot of trips last minute too. As suggested join some Facebook groups as they are helpful with loads of information not just on Auschwitz but Krakow.

Jordie Barretts sock said:

Not sure anything at Auschwitz or Birkenau could be described as 'hilarious'.

the waxworks are nothing to do with Auschwitz or Birkenhau. Its in Krakow city centre

Edited by pavarotti1980 on Tuesday 24th September 11:48

[toon10]

We did Auschwitz on our own. It's well signed and documented as to what happened and where, etc. You can really take your time on your own, read the horrors and have time to reflect and contemplate. We did a tour with Birkenhau though. It's less of a museum so you get much more information from a guide. It would be easy to skip over the place and just look at it as a site where bad things happened. The tour added another layer of information on just how brutal and horrific the place was for its victims.

[pidsy]

Went with thousand miles tours based in krakow.
Picked us up from whichever hotel you are at and it’s all taken care of.

Sobering day for sure. The quality of your assigned guide is absolutely key. Our group had a VERY over emotional lady who cried several times during our walk round and stopped the group outside every building to mention that “what you are about to see is one of the most horrific things you will ever witness”
Kinda took the edge off after the 5th time.

Go to the Schindler factory museum too.

[mark-3bw80]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I have been twice and both times I booked at the tourist information booth in Krakow centre. went the next day by bus directly to the camp gate. Like everyone else has said it was harrowing and incredibly sobering but well worth it. its a long day and very cold so wrap up. A radio and headset is supplied if you have the polish tour ( worth it)

[anonymous-user]

paul.deitch said:

I found the tour a bit too fast to take in the horror of it. In particular I felt that we were rushed through the surviving gas chamber with no time to pay my thoughtful respects to the countless victims. Certainly a very sobering visit.
My other impression was that is big business with thousands of visitors a day. Best to get there as early as possible.

We were there a week ago and I would 100% agree with this. I have also visited Sachsenhausen in the past and found that more sobering. As you say, it is big business and I felt like I was on a conveyor belt and they wanted us in and out as quickly as possible. I actually found Birkenau more sobering as it isn't as developed as Aushwitz, seeing the train tracks as you walk to the gate and knowing what they were used for is very disturbing.

We used KrakowDirect and they were great, they picked us up and dropped us off at our hotel and it cost 120 Euros for two. It is a long day, we got picked up at 12:30 and were back at our hotel at 20:30. It is about an hour and a half from the old town to Aushwitz.

There is nowhere no buy food there although there are a couple of vending machines.

I would also 100% recommend a walking tour to the Jewish Quarter as they will take you where the Ghetto was and some of the locations used in Schindlers list.

Also go to the Salt Mine, I had no idea what it was like and found it incredible. Personally I wouldn't book a tour for that, just get a Taxi there as it is less than 30 minutes from the old town.

Uber is dirt cheap there, a 30 minute journey from the airport to our hotel was the equivalent of £12. There are lots of Michelin star restaurants in Krakow and they are also surprisingly cheap.

Krakow is an amazing city, easily my favourite I have been to in Europe.

Definitely go to a shooting range, there are loads of them in the city and it was about £80 to fire seven different guns including an AK47 and AR15.

Go to the Wodka bar.

Edited by anonymous-user on Tuesday 24th September 14:06

[Mercdriver]

Don’t do the salt mine if you are claustrophobic, the ride up to the surface in the lift is very claustrophobic.

You walk down and down on many stairs, Lift back up to surface is small and they pack as many in as possible. Double stacked lifts probably original used by the miners.

Personally I found it boring, many underground religious items, not for me, I guess they were good for the miners.

[anonymous-user]

Mercdriver said:

Don’t do the salt mine if you are claustrophobic, the ride up to the surface in the lift is very claustrophobic.

You walk down and down on many stairs, Lift back up to surface is small and they pack as many in as possible. Double stacked lifts probably original used by the miners.

Personally I found it boring, many underground religious items, not for me, I guess they were good for the miners.

Also don't do it if you have any sort of disability. At the start there are 300 wooden steps you go down, one of the party was on crutches and they wouldn't let her continue as she was struggling. Another two people dropped out half way through as they found it too difficult to continue. It's really not that hard going though, and as a 51 year old couch potato I found if easy.

I find it incredible that you found it boring as the whole thing blew my mind considering you are down there for 3 hours and walk through less than 2% of the mine. Plus walking into a massive church carved into the salt and realising you are over 100 metres underground is incredible.

I envy how exciting your life must be if you found it boring!