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KrakowCulture & history

Our most recommended Krakow Culture & history

From Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour

1. From Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour

Pay your respects at the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. Make use of transportation from Krakow, and take a guided tour of the historical landmark. Benefit from pick-up at your accommodation in Krakow, and journey by air-conditioned vehicle to Oświęcim. Enter the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum for a 3.5-hour guided tour of the former Nazi concentration camps.  Hear how 1.3 million Jews, along with prisoners from Poland, France and Italy were murdered there during World War II. See the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate and learn the origins of the camp and what life was like for the prisoners. Visit the original barracks and gas chambers, along with platforms and other sites, and take a poignant trip through history via period photos and personal artifacts that bring the past to life.

Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour Hotel Pickup & Lunch Options

2. Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour Hotel Pickup & Lunch Options

Visit Auschwitz on a day trip from Krakow. Learn about the history of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps during a guided tour with a certified historian and guide. Auschwitz-Birkenau was founded in 1940 by Nazi Germany and was the largest concentration camp operated by the Nazis. It became the final resting place for millions of people, mostly Jews and Poles, who were murdered in gas chambers. Pass through the gate with the inscription "Arbeit macht frei" to enter Auschwitz I, where your guide will show you around the preserved area and explain the history of the site.  Then, visit the second camp at Birkenau, where mass killings took place as part of the Nazi "Final Solution to the Jewish Question."

Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine Guided Tour

3. Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine Guided Tour

Discover the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Wieliczka Salt Mine with this entry ticket. Uncover the highlights of this massive salt mining complex on a guided tour. Reach a depth of 135 meters below the surface of the mine.  Choose from a tour with or without transportation from Krakow and have the option to pick a tour with a private transportation service. Breeze past long lines with a skip-the-line ticket to this popular attraction.  Discover the wonders of a salt mine on this guided visit. Starts with a descent down the stairs to a depth of 64 meters. Expereince the micro-climate of the mine which is thought to have a beneficial impact on visitors who suffer from asthma and allergies. Be led through a number of chambers and see underground lakes, shrines, and monuments carved from salt. Pass thorugh through numerous drifts and galleries where evidence of mining activity has been preserved. See examples of sacred art and themed compositions relating to the history of the mine and legends surrounding it. Wieliczka is also home to the world's largest mining heritage museum, with a collection of unique pieces of mining equipment from the Middle Ages. The tour ends at a level that’s 135 meters below the surface. Return to the surface by elevator.

Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau & Salt Mine Guided Tour in 1 Day!

4. Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau & Salt Mine Guided Tour in 1 Day!

Enjoy an exciting tour from Krakow that includes visits to the memorial sites of Auschwitz and Birkenau, then continue your excursion with a visit to the salt mines. This 11-hour tour starts in the morning from a meeting point or with a convenient pickup in Krakow. From here you will be transported by a comfortable bus. During the tour, you will be accompanied by your experienced tour leader. Upon arrival at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum, you will begin your tour with a professional guide who will introduce you to the history of the memorial sites. The next point of the trip will be the Wieliczka Salt Mine, where a local guide will tell you all about the history of the mine. You'll see amazing chambers, original sculptures, and authentic miners' workplaces. There will be a break for lunch on the full-day tour, but it is recommended that you bring snacks with you. The tour will finish in the evening around 8:00 PM.

Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour with Transportation

5. Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour with Transportation

Auschwitz Birkenau is one of the most important and recognizable places in the world. This place is proof of what one human being can do to another. With an English-speaking driver, get picked up from a chosen location and enjoy a comfortable bus to the city of Oświęcim, where the Auschwitz 1 death camp was located. When you arrive, you will first meet the activity provider's greeter, who will then introduce you to the place and give you the official museum guidebook. The entrance tickets to a visit without a guide are free - our host will help you get those tickets. They will also tell you about the rules of the tour and after you will go through security gates. The tour begins at the legendary gate "Arbeit Mach Frei". The place where murderous and destructive work was performed by prisoners. The sightseeing route leads through all the most important barracks, which are dedicated to specific topics, such as daily life, work, selection, and extermination. There is an original exhibition in each of the barracks. Original and stolen belongings of prisoners, such as suitcases, glasses, or children's toys, all this, combined with the story told in the guidebook, makes you think and does not allow you to pass by indifferently over this exhibition. The last, but also the most dramatic place on the Auschwitz 1 route is the gas chamber and the place where the corpses of prisoners were burnt. This place and its silence are just terrifying. After visiting the first part of the camp (Auschwitz 1), there will be a short break (about 10 minutes). Board the bus to the second part of the camp called Auschwitz II (Birkenau). The ride takes 10 minutes and you will continue visiting in the second site. Visiting the second part of the camp will take about 1 hour. Auschwitz II Birkenau is an open space and a place that shows in its vastness the scale of the crime that happened here. Gas and cremator chambers were located here, where thousands of people were murdered. You will see the place where the selection was made, the so-called ramp. It was here that the decision about life or death was made. In Birkenau, you have to walk about 1 km so you should wear comfortable shoes. After the sightseeing and a short break, you will return to the driver who will take you back to Krakow.

From Krakow: Auschwitz Birkenau Tour with Transportation

6. From Krakow: Auschwitz Birkenau Tour with Transportation

Visit Aushwitz Birkenau with a guidebook. Witness the largest camp built on Polish soil by the Nazis that served as a concentration camp and an extermination camp. Get picked up one of meeting points in Krakow and travel to Auschwitz Museum. Avoid the long queue with the benefit of entrance tickets. Then start your self-guided tour with guidebook. Take advantage of the freedom of the tour at your own pace and path of your choice After visiting the museum, continue to the second camp at Birkenau, where the mass killings took place. Benefit from the help of a tour assistant who will be at your disposal from pickup to drop off

From Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour

7. From Krakow: Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour

Explore the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine on a guided tour from Krakow or choose to meet in Wieliczka. Walk the labyrinthine passages, marvel at the chapels and chambers, and be wowed by the statues and art installations of the mine. Let your guide take you down winding corridors and into salt caves. Enjoy transportation from Krakow or choose to meet in Wieliczka, then descend 800 stairs to a depth of 135 meters to enter what feels like an underground salt city. Be awed by chambers of salt sculptures, art exhibitions, and old machinery from the days when it was a functioning salt mine. See how salt was extracted as you learn about the space's history from your guide. Pause to listen to the unique acoustic properties which come from the nature of the space. Hear how Chopin sounds in this environment, accompanied by spectacular underground lighting. Learn about the health properties of the salt mine as you tour its multiple chambers. At the conclusion of your experience, head back to the vehicle for transportation back to Krakow.

Krakow: Schindler's Factory Ticket and Optional Guided Tour

8. Krakow: Schindler's Factory Ticket and Optional Guided Tour

Immerse yourself in the troubled history of Poland on this guided tour of Schindler's Factory. See the fascinating "Krakow Under Nazi Occupation" exhibition and hear harrowing stories of life during World War II. Explore the exhibition, which is housed across 3 levels of the factory, learn what Krakow was like before the war, and experience the looming shadow cast on people's lives by big world events. See original weapons from the war, visit a replica of a real apartment in the Krakow Ghetto, and find out the comparative luxuries and privileges of Nazi life in the occupied city. Discover the locations where the movie "Schindler's List" was filmed and learn about the controversial life of Oskar Schindler himself. End the tour by finding out what happened to the people he helped.

Kraków: Auschwitz-Birkenau & Wieliczka Salt Mine with Pickup

9. Kraków: Auschwitz-Birkenau & Wieliczka Salt Mine with Pickup

You will start in the early morning around 08:00 a.m. (in the winter season the pick up might be slightly earlier). The tour begins in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum: first part lasts about 1,5 hours, you will visit Auschwitz I Museum with certified live guide provided by the museum. You will learn the tragic history of the largest concentration camp in Europe. After short break you will be driven to the Birkenau Museum when you will spend around 1 hour with the same guide. During the second half of your full-day program, you will travel to the Salt Mine in Wieliczka, which is one of the oldest working salt mines in the world. Before entering the Salt Mine you will have 1 hour lunch break. The English-speaking tour of the Mine will begin at 16:00 or 17:00 (depending on road conditions). Head 140 meters underground on a 2.5-hour journey along more than 2.5 kilometers of tourist routes and see chambers with amazing carvings and statues, with everything made of salt. You should arrive around 19:30 p.m. to Kraków.

Krakow: Wawel Castle & Cathedral Guided Tour

10. Krakow: Wawel Castle & Cathedral Guided Tour

See all that magnificent things with an expert local guide. Explore the residence of Polish kings at the Royal Wawel Castle, becoming one of the most important museums in Poland since 1930. See a vast collection of paintings, graphics, sculptures, fabrics, goldsmiths, military items, porcelain, and furniture, recreating the appearance of the rooms from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Visit the Royal chambers that display the famous tapestries of Zygmunt August and magnificent Renaissance Italian paintings from the Lanckoronski collection. See also the Wawel collections of Eastern art contain the most important, and largest collection of tents in Europe. Get entrance to the Wawel Cathedral and admire the Gothic structure that was once a sanctuary where Polish monarchs were crowned.

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What people are saying about Krakow

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 47,585 reviews

It was snowing heavy when we visited but in a way it made it nicer, Peter our driver picked us up at a nearby location and was very friendly. He brought us to the first camp and explained everything very clearly to us to where to go etc. You only get a 15min break before going to next camp, I'd suggest bringing snacks/water with you as the que gets long and you won't get time to rest/eat. It was emotional at times during the tour especially the gas chamber but its something everyone should do. "By standing on the fence you are siding with the oppressors"

The best exciursion, worth the whole trip, The museum is excellent, but we had an unforgettable time because of a brilliant tourguide named Thomas with the yellow umbrella. We were happily only 8 on the tour, and Thomas not only informed us of the history of Schindler’s Factory, but he brought to life for us emotionally, what it had been like to live in Krakow in the 30’s and 40’s. Thomas has a great talent for his job! What a future awaits him! He knows so much and our group was so grateful.

Brilliant driver with a good verbal history of Krakow and it's history and landmarks as we travelled out of the city. Comfortable and well organized and the Camp tour guide was outstanding. Highly recommended

Great service, picked up on time, the actual.guide at at Auschwitz was amazing, very knowledgeable and went at a good pace. Highlyly recommend

Fantastic day and experience! My partner and I had a brilliant time!