Zone of Interesta guided day among the subcamps of KL Auschwitz
Scheduled departures from Krakow · English, Spanish, Portuguese
From Krakow
7½ h
Auschwitz was not one place. It was a system of forty-five camps built into mines, steelworks and farms, and most of it lies outside the route walked every year by more than a million visitors. This is a full day in that landscape, with a guide who works on this subject and nothing else.
What you will see
1. The Judenrampe
The railway ramp between Auschwitz I and Birkenau, where most of the mass transports were unloaded from 1942 to mid-1944. A historic freight wagon stands on the track.
2. The food warehouses
The storage halls beside the ramp that supplied the whole complex. Auschwitz was also an enterprise, with deliveries, quotas and bookkeeping, and the prisoners’ rations were a line in those books.
3. The sauerkraut plant
Women prisoners worked here at concrete vats, in water and in the cold. In the camp paperwork this counted as light labour.
4. Bor and Budy
The women’s penal subcamp, where one of the worst crimes in the history of the camp took place in the autumn of 1942. The surviving building stands alone in a field, away from any tourist route.
5. Auschwitz III Monowitz exhibition, in Jawiszowice
The exhibition devoted to the camp built for IG Farben, in the buildings of the Brzeszcze-Jawiszowice mine, where prisoners were first sent underground in August 1942.
6. The SS canteen
Four hundred metres from the Arbeit macht frei gate, SS men drank beer and watched films. Beside it stands a deportation wagon.
7. Remembrance Museum of Land of Oświęcim Residents
A museum about what local people did while the camp operated next to them: the underground, smuggled food and medicine, almost two thousand documented names.
8. The house of Rudolf Hoss
The house where the commandant lived with his wife and five children. Behind the garden wall, a few dozen metres from the bedroom windows, the camp began.
What is included
- Air-conditioned vehicle from Krakow to Oświęcim and back
- A licensed guide for the whole day, in English, Spanish or Portuguese
- Entrance fees at the sites we visit
What is not included
- Entry to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. This tour does not go there.
- Food and drinks. There is a short break, so bring something with you.
- Hotel pick-up. The day starts at the meeting point in Krakow.
Practical information
Duration
7½ hours, including the drives between the sites
Departure
9:00, Straszewskiego 14 (Kiss&Ride) in Krakow, please arrive 15 minutes earlier
Return
To the same place in the centre of Krakow
Languages
English, Spanish or Portuguese, each with its own departure
Ground
Most of the sites are outdoors, on gravel and grass. Comfortable closed shoes.
Children
The State Museum does not recommend visits by children under 14. On this tour the decision rests with the parent or guardian.
Questions before booking
Is this a tour of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum?
No. This day goes around the Museum, to the places the system was built on. You can visit the Museum separately, on another day or the same day before our departure.
Where does the tour start?
At Straszewskiego 14 in Krakow, at the Kiss&Ride point, at 9:00. Please arrive 15 minutes earlier.
Is transport included?
Yes. An air-conditioned vehicle takes the group from Krakow to Oświęcim, between all the sites and back to Krakow.
In which languages is the tour run?
English, Spanish and Portuguese. Each language has its own departure, so the guide speaks to the whole group in one language.
How long does the whole day take?
Seven and a half hours from the meeting point back to it, including the drives, parking and the walk to each site.
Can we book this for a group of our own?
Yes, but as an educational programme priced for the whole group rather than per ticket. See the page for schools and groups.
Read about the places first
- The Judenrampe — Oświęcim, between Auschwitz I and Birkenau
- The food warehouses — Oświęcim, the food stores beside the Judenrampe
- The sauerkraut plant — Oświęcim, a processing plant for the camp
- The Bor / Budy women's subcamp — Budy, commune of Brzeszcze
- The Auschwitz III Monowitz exhibition — Jawiszowice
- The SS canteen — Oświęcim, 400 metres from the Arbeit macht frei gate
- Remembrance Museum of Land of Oświęcim Residents — Oświęcim
- The house of Rudolf Hoss — Oświęcim, on the boundary of Auschwitz I
Organised groups are handled differently, with an educational programme priced for the whole group. →
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