The Auschwitz-Birkenau complex was established in 1940 and in operation for five years. In that time, 1.5 million people perished here. On this Auschwitz tour from Krakow, you'll learn the facts as you tour the world's most famous concentration camp with a guide.
Walking through Auschwitz is a sobering experience and the weight of what occurred inside hangs on the air. Being this close to a dark chapter of history will leave you changed.
Board your air-conditioned bus in Krakow and watch a documentary en route. Once you're through the gate bearing the words Arbeit macht frei – "Work sets you free" – visit the somber memorial at Auschwitz-Birkenau and meet your guide for a tour.
You'll learn the harrowing facts of the Holocaust and everyday life of the prisoners as you tour Auschwitz I, the administrative center of Auschwitz death camp, and Auschwitz II, designed and built for the gruesome purpose of extermination.
You'll visit buildings in Auschwitz I that now house belongings of the millions of Jews who entered the camps, and pass by the ruins of cabins and crematoriums in Birkenau. Along the way you'll see original roads, fences, watchtowers, and railway ramps, and enter a former gas chamber – all of which paint an eye-opening picture of the industrialized genocide that took place here.
