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    Categories: Krakow Guide

How to get to Auschwitz from Krakow (Updated 2018)

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

Bus timetable to Auschwitz

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

If you really enjoyed my guide. Please share it and gratitude my work. I will really appreciate it, thanks!

Izabela: I am romantic, I value emotions. I'm searching for new experiences and places that are breathtaking. They say discovery explores the mind. I agree with this and will gladly meet other perspectives on life. I love "non-tourist" places that are ordinary at first glance, but discover unusual everyday life. Of course, do not forget about food, always willing to eat exotic dishes.

View Comments

  • Thank you for the info. We are travelling in June. If we struggle to find places are people generally helpful?

    • Hello Colette,

      no, that should not be a problem :) People in Poland and helpful and welcoming. The only problem that can occur is the language barrier (but if you speak to any young person, they should know basic English since we are learning it in school).

      In case of any problems you can always call our Support Center (0048 1235 721 70) - they will try to help you with any issue.
      But the bottom line is that you should not worry - people in Poland are great :)

      Best regards,
      Karolina

    • Hi Josef,

      thank you so much!
      If you need any help with your stay - do not hesitate to contact us :)

      Best regards,
      Karolina

  • Very useful information on here, thank you. Just returned from 4 days in Krakow, we visited Auschwitz/Birkenau on a guided tour but found it all a bit of a rush, would like to return and go back to spend more time in both camps. Do you know if we can visit without a guide and take our time so we can see everything or do you have to be guided?

    • Hi Kev,

      thank you for your comment.
      I agree that sightseeing of Auschwitz can feel a little rushed sometimes, given that so many people want to visit this place. It gets crowded sometimes :( To answer your question: you can visit Auschwitz without a guide - you just need to book an Entry Ticket online: https://visit.auschwitz.org and you can do the sightseeing at your own pace.

      I hope that helps :)
      In case of any more questions - please contact me.

      Best regards,
      Karolina

  • Hello.

    With all the information I still can't make it out. I will travel to Krakow soon and ofcourse would like to visit Auschwitz. But I want to do it on my own. Just to wonder around the place with no guide. How can I do it? Do I still need a ticket to enter? How long can I be inside?

    Thank you.

    • Hi Renata,

      Thank you for your question.
      You should book your Entry Ticket online here: https://visit.auschwitz.org. You can book an entry for a particular hour. Usually, the sightseeing of Auschwitz takes 2 hours and Birkenau 1 hour, but you can extend your time if you want.

      In case of any more questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

      Best regards,
      Karolina

  • Hi Karolina I plan to visit in early May on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Do you think I still need to book a ticket or can I arrive without one? Thanks

    Pel

    • Hi Pel,

      I recommend you booking your ticket ahead of time. Auschwitz is a very popular spot amongst tourists and I can see how fast the tickets are selling. So just to have a peace of mind, I think you should book it.

      Best regards,
      Karolina

  • Hi. Your blog is excellent. I am planning tour in Warsaw and Krakow this July with my family and I plan everything through your blog. It is outstanding.
    A question. My brother came 5 years ago and had a trip to Auschwitz and Wieliszka in one day, by hiring a local car and driver. He just paid the transfer and bought all tickets himself. Is there such an option in Krakow today, or just organised tour?????

  • My boys and I are backpacking and want to visit. Do they have a place to store backpacks on site?

    Thank you!

    • Hi,

      yes, there is a storage room where you can leave your luggage in Auschwitz Museum.

      Best regards,
      Karolina

  • Hi Karolina

    Thanks for your blog, very useful!

    I found this website to purchase bus tickets from the carrier Lajkonik https://lajkonik.moj-bus.pl/.
    Does this mean that when I buy a ticket here, I have a reserved seat? Or do they sell more tickets than that there are seats?

  • Thank you for the detailed information that we used as we visited Auschwitz this month. Some observations from our 12 h trip.

    We took an IC train from Krakow heading to Prague. Ticket cost 21 zlotys and the travel time was 1 h 10 min. Train had three cars, one of them a restaraunt car. We didn't have seats reserved but we still had seats to sit on. There were many interrailers going to Prague.

    Once we arrived to Oswiecim we took a walk to Birkenau first. I bought the guide book from the shop near the parking lot. It cost 20 zlotys (found out it was 5 zl cheaper than in Auschwitz I). In Birkenau we were around 2,5 hours before taking the free shuttle bus to Auschwitz I. There we would have had an entrance slot at 17:40. We learned that you can get in half an hour before the time.

    Before our entrance time we walked to have a dinner in a nice and cheap restaraunt called A la Carte appr. 1,2 km away from Auschwitz I. Their pasta carbonara was delicious.

    You have to leave luggage bigger than A4 paper in dimensions before entering Auschwitz I. There is a cloakroom right next to the entrance that costs 4 zlotys per one item.

    Inside we didn't go to every barrack but we entered the ones that the guide book had some information about. Keeping also in mind that the last bus would leave at 19:45 we were in a bit over 1,5 hours.

    We took the Lajkonik bus leaving at 19:15 which cost 14 zlotys per one ticket. Travel time back to Krakow Glowny was 1 hour 10 minutes.

    • Thank you so much, Vesa! I am so sure our readers will find your comment super helpful!

      Best regards,
      Karolina