Duration of the Auschwitz Tours and Visits

Unfortunately, when we travel, time is not infinite and your days in Krakow will surely fly by. To organize your schedule well and not to lose time, you should know that the visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp you will have to spend between half a day and a full day.

Take note, I explain how long the visits last, how much time you will need if you want to visit it at your own pace and how long the trip from Krakow takes.

If you choose to book an all-inclusive tour to Auschwitz from Krakow, calculate that the total duration (including transfers and guided tour) will be about 7 hours, so you will have spent more than half a day on this tour.

Depending on the language in which you choose to do the tour, you can leave at one time or another. The good thing? In Hellotickets you will find availability to do it in Spanish at different times of the day, so the flexibility you will have to organize your day is maximum.

The duration of the trip is just over an hour and the guided tour lasts about three hours, so we have a day of about 7 hours ahead of us. The first excursion departs from Krakow at 6:30 in the morning, to be in Auschwitz during the opening of the camp (this option is only suitable for the most impatient or early risers). From this time, departures are available every 30 minutes, with the last departure at noon. You can expect to be back in Krakow seven hours after departure.

There is no time limit to stay inside the camp. When you buy the tickets for the Auschwitz tour you will have to choose the date and time slot when you want to enter the camp, as all entrances are registered.

Once inside, you can expect to spend about three hours visiting the two Auschwitz-Birkenau camps. The idea is that you watch the initial documentary of the visitor's center (15 minutes) and from there you will discover the first camp with the exhibition rooms of objects and belongings of the victims and you can stop to appreciate the details.

With the purchase of the tickets you will have free access to an audio guide that will explain everything you see through headphones as you go through the different areas of the camp. When you finish the visit, remember that you must add the time to return to Krakow, so you will have needed a total of more than 7 hours(add the waiting time at the ticket office if you have not purchased tickets online in advance).

Auschwitz is located in the Polish town of Oświęcim, about 70 kilometers from the capital. In total and if you go by road, you should not take much more than an hour and a quarter, always depending on traffic. In my article on how to get to Auschwitz from Krakow I tell you in detail.

By bus

If you travel with a reservation of an organized tour to Auschwitz from Krakow, the trip will be direct and without intermediate stops. The journey will be a little longer if you decide to use the public transport bus. With departures from 6:00 a.m. and 20:00 a.m., you will have the whole day to get to and from Auschwitz without any problems.

By train

If you travel by train, you will have to change tracks, so the journey will take almost two hours. Add to that the two kilometers from the train station to the concentration camp entrance (walking can take an additional half hour ).

A popular option for travelers to Krakow is to book the Auschwitz and Salt Mines tour as the aim is to make the most of your time by doing both visits in one day.

First you will visit the concentration camp and then the bus will take you to the entrance to the Salt Mines, where you can take a guided tour inside.

The total duration of this excursion is about 11 hours, so don't plan to do anything else that day. Of course, the rest of your trip you will have free time to organize your day in Krakow at your leisure.