”Auschwitz" Best way to look around in one day

"I would like to visit Auschwitz at least once before I die!"

"I would like to know how to get to Auschwitz."

Yes!

I went to the "Auschwitz" on December 27, 2022, as I had longed to do. Based on the information I received at that time, this article is a comprehensive compilation of basic information on how to get to Auschwitz, what to see and what to do.

I have been to about 20 different countries and seen many different places, but this is only one place that I thought everyone must come. I was speechless.

The opening hours seem to be changing because of Covid, so be sure to take in as much new information as possible.

Also, the city of "Krakow" has a Jewish quarter and the ruins of the Krakow camp, and there are many negative legacies like Auschwitz left behind, so please try to visit there as well.

Two facilities in Auschwitz

Auscwitz

"Auschwitz" has two actual facilities.

The first is "Auschwitz I: Museum" where actual rooms and explanatory notes show what was done here, including Jewish suitcases, shoes, glasses, etc. at the time.

The second is "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp," located about 3 km away from "Birkenau I," where the vast camp grounds remain intact, including the station, railroad tracks, gas chambers, incinerators, and graves.

※”Birkenau" is the name of the village where the camp is located.

Free shuttle buses run between "Auschwitz I: Museum" and "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp," and visitors can enter both facilities for free.

However, since each facility has different admission restrictions, etc., this next section summarizes how to enter each, what to watch out for when entering, and recommended routes.

【Auschwitz Ⅰ : Museum】Tour or Individual

Many of you will recognize the picture of the gate above from the "Auschwitz I" museum.

This is where the death gate is located, and once you enter, you will never come out again.

The buildings that originally stood in this area were used as they were, and most of them were used as residences for Jews and other captives, but there are also other facilities such as medical offices, warehouses, administrative offices, and prisons, which preserve the interior of the buildings as they were in those days.

All buildings have each number

Each building inmates' bedrooms, human experiment rooms, and medical offices remain, textiles made from women's hair are kept, and a large amount of glasses, shoes, suitcases, artificial legs, and hardware confiscated from the Jews are kept.

Between the buildings, there are pillars with grappling hooks for the hanging penalty and the "Wall of Death" where the firing squad used to shoot to death.

There is also a mass hanging place, a treatment room where poison was injected into the heart, a gas chamber, and an incinerator.

When people think of Auschwitz, "Jews" come to mind, but Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, French, and Dutch were also brought to this camp from various places, and photos and scenes from those times are displayed in each building.

Gus

shoes

glasses

Buy book before entering（6$）

It would take 3-4 hours to enter all the buildings and see all the exhibits from corner to corner.

Before entering "Auschwitz I: The Museum," you can buy a pamphlet in each language at the store. This pamphlet describes in detail the history of Auschwitz and what is exhibited in each building and what it means, so I recommend purchasing this pamphlet.

Information on "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp" is also included in this brochure.

*It cannot be purchased after entering "Auschwitz I: Museum" or at "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp".

Have your ticket → Check your baggage → Enter

To enter "Auschwitz I: The Museum," you must first be issued a "ticket."

*When purchasing the ticket, you are asked "Where are you from?" and sign it. There is no admission fee. You can also make a reservation in advance through the official website.

After getting a ticket, you will go straight to the baggage and body inspection lanes.

It is exactly the same as at the airport, with one lane for large luggage and another for humans, and you must remove your belt when passing through.

Also, large luggage (such as carry-on bags, up to 30 x 20 x 10 are allowed) and dangerous items are not allowed, so leave them in the lockers provided in advance and then line up in the luggage inspection lane.

*There are no lockers in the "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp".

OFFICIAL HP

Make no mistake, it closes at 2:00 p.m., especially in December.

Now that we have pretty much summed up "Auschwitz I: The Museum," let me tell you the "most complicated part" at the end.

You cannot enter "Auschwitz I: The Museum" whenever you want.

The time is depending on whether you enter by "tour" or "individual".

As mentioned above, the opening hours are different depending on whether you go by "tour" or by "individual".

If you go without knowing, you may think, "I went all the way there, but there were only tours, so I couldn't go around freely. I don't even understand the language. or "I wanted to go on a tour, but the tour is already over.

Basically, "only tours are available in the morning" and "individual  is available after that. Check the HP.

Prior to the time on the right of the table, individual admission to the "Auschwitz I: Museum" is not allowed. Before that time, all visits are by tour only.

If you want to visit at your own pace, choose a bus departing from Krakow according to the time available for individual admission.

【Auschwitz II: The Birkenau camp】 has no admission limit. However, it is too big

Next, let's talk about "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp".

Located about 3 km away from "Auschwitz I: Museum," this is a vast area with a train station, railroad tracks, incinerators, and gas chambers.

This was "the largest extermination facility for Jews" and "the largest concentration camp in Nazi Germany. In 1994, when the highest number of detainees was recorded, there were about 90,000 people here.

bed room

First of all, you will be amazed at the size of the place.

It is indescribable to see the rows and rows of beds and toilets for sleeping in the warehouse-like buildings arranged at equal intervals on the spacious land.

There are also other places to cut the hair of those who have arrived, places to store metal objects, memorials, etc. No amount of time will be enough.

If you want to know more in advance, you can find a detailed explanation in the "Education" section of the official website.

No ticket or admission restrictions: You can come at any time and look around as much as you like.

No tickets are required to enter "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp" and there are no time limits for tours or individuals.

You can come whenever you want and look around as much as you want (brochures can only be purchased at "Auschwitz I: The Museum").

I entered before 9:00 and walked around from corner to corner until around 12:30. I entered the museum before 9:00 a.m. and walked around from corner to corner until around 12:30 p.m. Even so, I walked a bit fast at the end because it was time for "Auschwitz I: The Museum".

If you really want to see each one properly, it would take 4~5 hours.

【Museum ⇄ Birkenau Camp】 by free shuttle bus.

Auschwitz I: Museum" to "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp" can be reached by a "free shuttle bus".

The distance is about 3 km, so it is possible to walk there.

I walked and arrived in about 40 minutes.

There is nothing in particular along the way, but it goes by pretty quickly when you are thinking, "I wonder if the roads and buildings in this area have been preserved from that time.

Now, before I explain the recommended route to Auschwitz, I will first briefly explain how to get to Auschwitz.

From "Krakow" to "Auschwitz" is one bus ride, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Auschwitz can be reached by a single bus from the city of Krakow.

• fee：apx 5$
• time：1hour20minutes

Bus tickets can be paid directly to the driver or booked in advance through this website. (You can also check the time schedule here)

Depending on the driver, if there were many customers waiting for the bus, priority was given to those who had tickets online, and the rest of us could sit in the available seats.

I paid the driver on the spot, but I think it is safer to buy the ticket in advance to avoid strange irregularities.

The destination of the bus is "OSWIECIM. Auschwitz" is the English translation of "Ossifientim," so use "OSWIECIM" when asking staff about anything or looking at the bus destination signs.

Best way is: "First bus in the morning" → "Birkenau I" → "Birkenau II"

I actually spent a day touring "Auschwitz I: Museum" and "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp" and thought that it would be best to tour them in this order.

• Board the first bus of the morning (6:20) from Krakow
• Purchase tickets and brochures at "Auschwitz I: Museum
• Walk to "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp" and look around.
• Take shuttle bus to "Auschwitz I: Museum
• Tour "Auschwitz I: Museum
• Return to "Krakow" at the end of the tour

The most important point is that by leaving first thing in the morning, you can take your time to look around "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp" with no one else around.

Even if it is the same "Auschwitz II: Birkenau Camp," the "value of your time" will be several times greater if you see it alone and in silence than if you see it surrounded by a large number of tourists.

Auschwitz I: Museum" has a restaurant. There are also a few restaurants around the bus stop from Krakow. (There is also a shopping mall a little further back, but it is a tough walk.)

You can spend some time there until the entrance time of "Auschwitz I: Museum" and return to "Krakow" after seeing all the exhibits.

I think you will get a better sense of Auschwitz if you do this.

Before you go...

Before you go to Auschwitz, you can do a little research on the Internet or, of course, buy a last minute pamphlet, but the view you will get will be completely different if you have some information beforehand.

I will introduce the movies I saw and the books I read before going to "Auschwitz", so please take a look at them before you go. You should definitely see the movie in particular.

１　『Schindler's list』

Schindler's List is the first movie to hit the headlines when it comes to movies related to "Auschwitz."

Steven Spielberg made this movie in 1993.

German businessman Oskar Schindler begins operating a factory in Poland and expands his business with Jewish labor. However, the persecution of Jews by the Nazis soon escalated. Witnessing the reality of the situation, he secretly decides to save the Jews.

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This is the actual story of Schindler, a German businessman who saved 1,100 Jews without regard for himself.

A scene that appears in the story in which he dutifully lists the names of the Jews he saved and compiles them on a piece of paper. You can also see a piece of paper with a similar list in "Auschwitz I: The Museum".

Even if you don't know much about it, I recommend that you go and see "Schindler's List" right before you go.

The "value of your time" will change depending on whether or not you go and see this as well.

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End...

Thank you for reading this far.

This time, based on my "Auschwitz" experience, I have compiled a list of how to get there, things to keep in mind, and recommended movies.

I was thankfully able to travel to about 10 countries in the last year, but honestly, it is number one in terms of the weight it leaves on my mind.

These are the places where I truly felt "I'm glad I went" and "I'm glad I didn't die before going.