Guided Tour To Auschwitz-birkenau From Warsaw

I know and follow history so I had some idea what to expect. Actually being there is a whole different thing. You don't appreciate the horror of the place until you have seen it and mostly felt it in person.

Don’t take this tour. Everything about this tour was sketchy. First the pick up was not well communicated. On a different tour the driver would text if any delays, description of the vehicle etc. This tour did nothing. On the long drive to the destination there was total silence. The driver did not provide any background or commentary just total silence! . No bathroom breaks or offer to stop. Other tour groups said they watched informative videos on the way. In addition our group was combined at least two others to create this large group at Auswitz.. We talked among ourselves to discuss what the heck was going on and another couple said the driver did not even take the shortest route to avoid toll roads. No snacks, no stops, no bathroom breaks, no guide just the ones from the camp, This was our worst tour ever

The tour started late because the van was a couple of minutes late. We stood in the waiting meeting area for a while not knowing if we were gonna get picked up. It was informative but the tour was shortened due to the heatwave which was understandable. I heard the guide being a little rude to two guest and to myself because we asks a question. We just shook it off because one of the guest said “their men’s attitude is just like that”.

Very good guide. It is important to share this information and our guide was very respectful and knowledgable. Lots of walking and there was a lady struggling. Not sure how well that was addressed ahead of time.

The one star review is because unfortunately we ended up not connecting with our tour guide in Krakow after mistakenly getting on the wrong train from Warsaw and so we missed the whole Auschwitz component of the tour. Coming from Adelaide in Australia we are not used to catching trains. The tickets we were sent by Poland Travel read ‘Warsaw to Krakow’ so we looked for the train to Krakow leaving at the time on the ticket and we got on it. About 1/2 hour into the trip the conductor checked our tickets and told us we were on the wrong train. This train did go to Krakow, it ended its journey in Krakow, but it was not an express and it got into Krakow an hour after we should have started the Auschwitz component of the tour. We were only able to contact the tour company through Trip Adviser which we did to inform them we would be too late for the tour. The tour guide rang me to find out where we were but of course they weren’t able to delay the start of the tour. We ended up spending the day exploring some of Krakow ( unfortunately it was a Monday and a lot of tourist sites were closed) and catching the ticketed train back to Warsaw. We couldn’t work out where we had gone wrong with getting the incorrect train until we were at the Krakow station wanting to head back to Warsaw, and someone pointed out that the train we were meant to catch was going to Gdansk and Warsaw was one of the stops, and so we needed to look for that on the departure board, not for a train ending in Warsaw. It would have been very helpful for us if this had been pointed out in the directions about the tour from Poland Travel, for example, ‘while your train ticket may be to Krakow this may not be the train’s final destination. Please check the train number carefully before boarding the train.’ It would also have been useful to have a contact phone number for Poland Travel on the tour information so we were able to contact them directly rather than needing to go through TripAdviser. We know that the responsibility to get the correct train lay with us and that this expensive error was ours. However more explicit directions for international travellers may prevent others making this same mistake.

A very interesting tour to Auschwitz/ Birkenau and Krakow fron Warsaw. This is a good tour if you are based in Warsaw on limited time in Poland. It is a long day with a 05.30 train departure from Warsaw and returning approximately 23.00. You are required to make the train journeys yourself but easily done. The tour bus picks you up a short distance from the Krakow station entrance. The tour around Auschwitz/Birkenau is certainly a sobering experience well worth the visit. After the tour you head back to Krakow where you have time to view the Town Square area and enjoy a meal before heading back to the station for the train back to Warsaw.

Start to finish, this was a wonderful tour experience. Our guide was great! Friendly and attentive! The tour itself was very well organized and the guides are knowledgeable and personable. A very long day, but worth every minute!

It was a very moving museum and experience. I’m glad I made the day trip from Warsaw. I sincerely appreciated the communication and kindness from the driver who met me as communicated at the platform in Krakow. I also appreciated some of the time that was allotted before and after the museum visit to explore Krakow for a bit. The driver made it a smooth and easy process and for that, I’m grateful. Highly recommend!

I highly recommend this tour agent. We booked a day tour from Warsaw - Krakow - Auschwitz - Birkenau - Krakow - Warsaw. It was very well organised. Excellent communication from the agent who booked the train return tickets for us from Warsaw to Krakow. The highlight of the day was the English speaking lady who explained everything about life in the camp with lots of history information. She was happy to answer any questions as well. It was a long day but it was the best day we had.

This was truely an amazing but confronting experience. The whole day was very long and tiring. Auschwitz was brilliant but by the time we got to Birkenau, we were feeling a bit tired from the walking and standing. That doesn’t mean that Birkenau was not interesting because it was. Our guide, Barbara, was well informed and spoke with emotion that impacted our feelings. The only negative was waiting for 3 hours for our train back to Warsaw. If there was an earlier train, we would have preferred that option.

The tour was excellent. Just make sure the pickup in Krakow does not forget to fetch you at the station.

It was very well organized. The train tickets, transfer from krakow to Auschwitz and back were all included. Michael, the tour operator was very nice and also the tour guide was very knowledgeable and made the tour understandable for everyone. I’d definitely recommend it without any second thoughts.

It was a very moving tour. The guide did an excellent job conveying what life was like at the camp. The trip was very well organized, but it was a long day with a very early start in Warsaw. It was nice to have a few hours to explore Krakow at the end of the tour.

A great tour. Krakow is a beautiful city. The museums were authentic and moving. Some images will stay with me for ever. It is so important to learn about past events no matter how unpleasant. The tour from Warsaw made it a very long day, but one I will always remember. The tour organisation was amazing and travelling by train and bus worked seamlessly. Thank you!

We were left waiting at a random train station in Warsaw at midnight for a transfer that never showed. Be aware that the late night train does not drop you off at the same starting location and was significantly more inconvenient. Tour operator is poorly organised. We were left waiting on multiple occasions for the guide to show at designated locations. Eat a big breakfast! There is no time allowed to eat lunch. Cannot store belongings on bus as advised by the operator as they use the same bus to ferry multiple tour groups. Would not recommend Poland Travel.

Excellent tour with pick up and drop off service! Communication prior to was also well planned and had no trouble with contacting the operator. The tour is a great way to see two major landmarks in one day. It is a long day so definitely get lunch included otherwise you’ll be struggling to find something. Our driver was very friendly and helpful, along with our tour guides!

From the first communication after booking to being dropped back at the train station the trip was run like clockwork. All the staff were so helpful, friendly and professional making the whole experience fantastic. Thank you all for an unforgettable day.

Fascinating trip and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. The transport and arrangements was organised by Olga and she kept in contact via WhatsApp the whole time. The only thing I would suggest is to update the trip details to include the amount of walking and over rough ground for those with mobility issues it could be tricky.

The tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau was excellent, but the cost of the excursion was a rip-off. I paid $177 for a tour that started with a 5:30 train to Kraków. I was to be met at the station and transferred to the meeting point for the rest of the trip. I did not see my pickup at the station. When I checked my phone, he had called and so I called back and was told I could walk to the pickup point from the station. The departure for Auschwitz was not until 1045, 2.5 hrs after my arrival, with nothing planned. Then upon arriving back in Kraków, I had another 2.5 free hrs until the train back to Warsaw. The roundtrip train ticket was the equivalent of $40 and the tour (which was handled by Royal Tours Kraków) could have been booked for around $43 had they been booked separately. So what did I pay the extra $94 for is the question? Save yourself the extra cost and book the trips apart and be sure to include plans for the extra 5 hrs you'll spend in Kraków. Auschwitz/Birkenau is a must see, but not with this tour group.

Good tour. Loved the guide at Auschwitz. Don’t see the book with all the names. The return train brought me to a different station than the way there, so that was challenging to navigate late at night after an extremely long day in the rain. Pick up coodinator was kind and direct; although others had some challenges with those arrangements. You pay for restrooms at the car park, but not at Auschwitz 1..it would have been nice to know that! There was a communication error, and we stood in the rain waiting for the bus for about 15 min.

Guides were there from start to end. Made things very easy to navigate and was a well planned day. Train were easy to find - guides were there to pick from hotel and get you on trains and same for otw back.

I highly recommend Olga Domagala and Poland Travel for touring in Poland. We flew into Warsaw on November 5th and stayed for 5 nights. Olga provided us with tours of Auschwitz and then 2 days later of Krakow. Our driver picked us up at our hotel and dropped us off there at the conclusion of the tours. Olga on short notice changed our train departure from Krakow and at no additional charge! The personnel and service were great! I loved Poland and would love to visit there again. If that happens, I will be contacting Olga again for her assistance. 5 stars to Poland Travel. John Pringle, Austin, Texas

We had an excellent experience from beginning to end. The communication was great. Detailed information was provided from the start of the tour including the train e-tickets to and from Krakow. The driver was waiting for us to take us to the train station and walked us to our platform. When we arrived at the Krakow, a representative was waiting to welcome us and provide additional information regarding the day. The guided tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau was top notch. I am not sure if Martin is the regular guide or if we lucked out, but he was engaging and informative. When we arrived back in Warsaw our scheduled driver was waiting for us and returned us back to the hotel. Every thing that was promised by the provider was delivered without fail. If you are looking for a well organised tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau from Warsaw I would highly recommend booking.

We had a very pleasant experience in our day tour. Excellent service and communication. Everybody was very helpful, professional and friendly.

Whilst a visit to Auschwitz and Berkenau is not for the faint hearted, and is unbelievably sad, it is an unforgettable experience. The organisation of the logistics our tour was flawless - from the pick up from our air bnb -train from Warsaw to Krakow and back, bus to and from the concentration camps - guided English speaking tour - it all was so well organised. Thank you so much to the team

It was a long day from Warsaw, happy I did it. The train ride was outstanding. The tour was very good. I'm glad I did it. A once in a lifetime experience.

This tour was a bit complicated for travel arrangements. The company that took care of everything was great. They provided very clear and detailed information. Every driver and mode of transportation was on time and it was very easy to find where I needed to be. Very professional.

The concentration camp tours were rushed and my guide repeated herself numerous times and did not allow for questions but the experience was worth the trip. I only wish I could have toured the place on my own for reflection. The operator was amazing!!! Every connection and had off was seamless. And with hotel pick up at 0400 and return at 2200 and all the steps necessary, it was seamless and professional!

Both our tour lead and tour guide was exceptional. Transit was punctual and friendly. An exceptional all around experience, sans the harrowing look at hell itself created by man. Had a few hours to explore Cracow as well.

The guide in our group ( Peter and Marek) , really knowledgeable, helpful and polite . They took good care of everyone on the bus .

Very well organized from the first pick up till the last drop off. It was a great experience. Everyone was very professional

It was an amazing tour! Everything was prep for and even with the unexpected delays we still had someone waiting for us to pick us up. Everyone was really helpful and willing to make the experience better. You cannot go wrong with this tour!

It was our third tour with this company but the first one by train. I was surprised how smoothly the whole process went. We didn’t worry about anything, just enjoyed our trip, people and food. Also, I’d like to thank Olga for being so supportive and responsive during the whole trip.

I am extremely disappointed in the quality of this experience compared to when I did it six years ago and will no longer recommend it to my friends. It seems that this tour has tried to make bigger groups of visitors to maximize profits, which I can understand. The larger groups have been to the SEVERE detriment of the quality of the tour, though. We DID NOT NEED 1.5 hours to “explore” Krakow before the tour; it was OBVIOUS this was done to increase the number of people going to Auschwitz in one vehicle. It was much better when the driver was waiting for us on the Krakow platform and took us immediately to Auschwitz. The 20-passenger van was extremely crowded and uncomfortable - not anything like what I experienced when I did this tour in 2016. The air conditioning would be very strong and then very weak for the entire 1.5 hours we spent driving around to pick up other passengers (we didn’t do that last time). Our tour group was so large in Auschwitz that our guide would already be discussing the next exhibit before I could even walk up to the prior exhibit! We certainly did not need 3+ more hours of “exploring” time upon our return to Krakow, which seemed to be done so we would be taking the cheapest train back to Warsaw. If I had looked up train tickets myself sooner, I would have arranged my own transport back to Warsaw. At least then we could have arrived 3 hours earlier. I specifically emailed to request we be put on the earliest train back to Warsaw because we had an early flight the morning after, so I trusted 20:36 was the earliest train we could take since that was what was booked (after being picked up at 04:05). Imagine my surprise when I saw THREE! EARLIER! TRAINS! WITH AVAILABLE TICKETS leaving from Krakow to Warsaw. And THEN imagine my anger when it appears that the ONLY reason we were placed on the 20:36 train was because the price was half of the 17:51 or 19:30 train. Everyone was given a lunchbox except for us. We didn’t expect one, but it was certainly very strange and confusing when the drivers were looking for a lunchbox with our names on it because everyone else received one, only to realize that we did not have one. In 2016, we had two hours to explore Krakow, which is the perfect amount of time after a long day of transport and walking. We had a central meeting point, and a driver took us to the train station. This also would have been better - the entire reason I appreciated this tour in 2016 was because I didn’t have to plan at all about how to get to the proper transportation. Disappointed and would not recommend - book one of the many other tours available to Auschwitz from Warsaw.

This is a visit I would recommend everyone complete, no amount of words come close to going yourself. The tour was brilliant and really informative. It is such a somber and chilling place, but equally one which I think is a must when visiting Poland. The trip was really smooth and the travel company were amazing, very helpful in last minute booking and sorting the private transport from our hotel. Couldn’t have asked for a better service in an unfamiliar country! A* !

Well organised and very informative but of course the detail makes it even grimmer and leaves a distinct feeling of great sadness.

Our trip was excellent and the service was great. Natalia was who I communicated with to register for the trip and she was very nice and helpful. Our driver Bartek was very nice and friendly. He was a good driver and was very helpful. He arrived on time and he made sure we were on time to reach both camps. We definitely felt safe with him. The local tour guide was great too, very knowledgeable. We covered a lot at a good paste, she was patient and answered all of our questions. I definitely recommend this trip and this company!

Our driver insisted on talking on the phone and reading his phone messages while driving at high speed, in the rain, on two lane roads. I needed to tell him to put his phone away until we made a rest stop. Van had trash in it and windows were dirty. He never helped at all with entering or exiting the van.

Everything was fantastic. Couldn't thank the driver enough, he was brilliant as was the tour guide. I will definitely recommend your services if I know of anyone taking a trip to Poland in the future. 

Harrowing experience. Long journey with an excellent driver, Jared. Everybody should visit to truly understand the terrible atrocities that were committed. The trip was good value for money.

Fantastic driver . Told me so much from a polish perspective and we stopped had a great traditional dinner . I was the only one who booked so had the van to myself . Was great day out. You then link up up with a tour guide at aushwitz and camp one was filled with so much information camp 2 birkenau was very interesting but wish I had more time at camp one as I didn’t get to go into all the exhibitions Highly recommended tho.

Outstanding experience, highly recommended for anyone traveling to Warsaw! Tour operator was knowledgeable and provided enough breaks to make the journey better.

Once we arrived at the site, we were taken care of well. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and thorough. The problem I had with this experience with the lack of detail. We didn’t know if we needed to bring food, what kind of transportation we were taking, or any of the details of the day. When we arrived on location we were told that we would get food for lunch later on but did not get anything to eat until 5:30 PM. Because we met at 6:30 AM, it was a long day with no food and very little option to find something to eat. By the time we did get food everyone in the van was Very grouchy and hungry. Our drivers English was not good so we had to ask him several times to please take us for food.

I'd try to book early and go in the morning. We had a 1:15 ticket and the sun was setting on Birkenau. But, the guided tour through Auschwitz-Birkenau was very informative. Stirring.. sobering. Sorrowful.. and unbelievable.

Long trip from and back to Warsaw. The actual visit at the camp and museum is amazing. Everyone should experience this adventure. Well done just a shorter ride to and from.

An excellent tour to Auschwitz from Warsaw. Very good if you can only visit Warsaw when you come to Poland. We started at 6:30 AM and had a very smooth and professional ride to the historical site. There was one stop upon the way which was ample for food and restrooms. Once there we joined up with a few other English speaking groups to be brought through the camp. After a short break we went to Birkenau to rejoin the larger English group for the tour of that group. Then we got back with our driver to head back to Warsaw, with another brief stop en route, and we came back with plenty of time for dinner and evening activities. The guides and our driver were phenomenal and I would highly recommend this tour.

Tour guide was simply amazing. His English was superb and detailed description of every event, photo memorabilia was full of emotion and compassion. I had heard so much about the history is Auschwitz but it did not come close to experiencing it in real life.

Everything was excellent except the transportation. The vehicle was too tight for 9 persons. The guide in Auschwitz was super :-).

If you don't speak Polish and are not comfortable catching public transport, then this tour is highly recommended. Round trip from Warsaw in a comfortable mini-van with opportunities to stop for breaks. Friendly and well-educated driver. Auschwitz tour was not rushed. An important visit to make if you're in the area.