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Getting to Auschwitz from Krakow – options below
You probably wonder how to get to Auschwitz from Krakow. We can imagine your doubts. Auschwitz Birkenau Tour is treated as Krakow Tour but Oświęcim is actually a different city. You can choose several ways to get from Krakow to Auschwitz.
We will make it simple to you to arrange your trip and get essential information. In this article you will find out how to visit Auschwitz with different options of tour itself and transport. Find out what thrilling discoveries await you at the museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau and check the possibilities to travel to the concentration camp on your own.
How far is Auschwitz from Krakow?
The concentration camp of Auschwitz and Birkenau is located in the medieval city of Oswiecim, about 66 kilometres west of Krakow. Auschwitz is a German name of the city and also a component of the name of the infamous concentration camp that was established outside of then-obliging town boundaries in the 1940’s. Nowadays, the “Arbeit macht frei” entry gate is located about 2,5 kilometres from the city centre of Oswiecim.
Train to Auschwitz: the most reliable, yet not direct means of transport
Getting to Auschwitz from Krakow is not that hard after all. While in Krakow, you may go to the Main Railway Station for the most convenient means of transport to Oswiecim there operate: trains. There are direct railway connections to the city of Oswiecim that leave from Krakow once an hour or two, with a standard journey lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes.
- From: Main Train Station Krakow
- Price: 15,60 PLN for Adult one way ticket
- Travel time: 1:30-2:00h
- Distance to Museum after stop: 20-30 mins by foot, 5-10 mins with bus
Check Auschwitz Birkenau Train Timetable.
A normal one-way ticket costs PLN 15,60 and the railway agency that operates on this route requires having it purchased at a stationary ticket office or on the Internet only (such bought ticket may be printed or downloaded to a mobile device that displays PDF files). Once you get off, you will find yourself at the railway station of Oswiecim, about 1,9 kilometres away from the concentration camp of Auschwitz.
You may take a walk (with 25 minutes expected to cover the distance) or decide to use the transportation company of the town – an urban bus line which has its stop near the railway station and includes the “Muzeum” stop in its timetable (the price for a single ticket is PLN 2,7 and you will pay PLN 1,70 for a reduced one).
How to return: Walk back to Oswiecim railway station or take a return bus to Krakow. If you are also interested in exploring the town itself, check the local places that are worth a visit here.
Buses from Krakow to Auschwitz
Bus is a different option on how to get to Auschwitz. Stop in Auschwitz is closer to museum but it still may take up to 10 minutes to get there and depends on a line. The bus connections to Auschwitz/Oswiecim have their bus depots at Dworzec MDA (MDA Station), which is situated in Bosacka street and just behind the Main Railway Station of Krakow. Details in betting from Krakow to Auschwitz by bus presented below:
- From: MDA Bus Station Krakow
- Price: 10-12 PLN for one way ticket
- Travel time: 1:30-2:00h
- Distance to Museum after stop: 10 mins by foot
It is possible to purchase tickets to Oswiecim at the stationary ticket offices of Dworzec MDA on the day of departure, while the drivers of certain carriers also sell them directly if their buses are not crowded. The prices of one-way tickets vary from PLN 12 to 1o PLN 4 and there are four established private carriers that offer the transportation to Auschwitz from Krakow on their standard-sized and mini-buses: G.T. Trans, Lajkonik, Marek Lewański and Przewoz Osób JS, with their busses departing at 20-to 40-minute intervals. There may also be public transportation companies present in the timetable you will come across at MDA Station, while the connections they provide are less frequent.
After a journey lasting between one hour and thirty to forty minutes, you will get off at one of the three stops located in the vicinity of Auschwitz Concentration Camp: Muzeum Auschwitz (the closest one and only serving the route of Lajkonik company), Wiezniow Oswiecimia (Line 2 of Marek Lewanski and G.T Trans carriers, a few minutes of walk from the gate of the camp) or Oswiecim Lodowisko bus stop (5 kilometres away from the camp: it is the least recommended bus stop).
How to return: Get on a return bus or take a 2-kilometre walk to the railway station of Oswiecim to catch a train to Krakow.
Tour to Auschwitz with transport
If you find all those options too complicated, try consulting a local tour agent to book an organised trip with the transport from Krakow to Museum and back. This is the easiest way if you want to get to Auschwitz. Tours include door to door service which means that you will be picked up from your hotel and dropped off at the hotel on return. English speaking tour leader will help you throughout the whole trip assisting you and answering all the necessary questions. You can book such a tour to Auschwitz Birkenau online.
- From: Hotel Pickup
- Price: 150 PLN with ticket included
- Travel time: 1:00h-1:30h
- Distance to Museum after stop: Direct connection
When to visit Auschwitz?
After you found out a way to get from Krakow to Auschwitz, you need to be sure its open. The exhibitions of Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp are open to visitors daily, with the exceptions of January the 1st, the first day of Easter and the 25th of December, as well as on certain days or hours when official diplomatic delegations are to be hosted there (you may check these special dates when Auschwitz isn’t open). It is possible to visit the museum between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. (December), 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. (January, November), 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. (February), 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (March, October), 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (April, May, September) or 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (June, July, August). The closing hours mentioned above are when the last groups of visitors are admitted inside, having one and a half an hour to complete their visits.
What should I choose?
As a Local I would say “it depends”. But to may it easier for you to choose a way of transport from Krakow to Auschwitz:
- If you want to save money and do not mind medium travel conditions -> Choose Bus from Krakow to Auschwitz
- If you want to save money but travel with few people -> Take a train to Auschwitz so you can have more space and fun
- If you want comfort or travel with family -> Choose organised tour and don’t bother about anything
- If you hate buying tickets online, arranging transport etc. -> Choose organised tour
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Thank you for the info. We are travelling in June. If we struggle to find places are people generally helpful?