Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial Guided Tour from Krakow

Tour booked for 10:30am, one day before received a call that it was moved to 12:00. Due to a marathon taking place at that day, bus arrived late at pick-up point, around 12:30. Driver did not wear a mask at all and was continously checking / talking on his mobile during driving. Very poor organization of groups / guides at both locations. On the way back driver took 2 extra people to make some extra cash, which were then sitting on the floor of the bus next to him.

We joined the 10:30am departure from Krakow but the bus didn't arrive until later and we ended up leaving just after 11am. Arrived late to Auschwitz and were rushed into the Museum. Our tour guide was great! We didn't have any stops for food/lunch so definitely take food with you. The second part of the tour was very rushed as we had been running late so they had to get us back to the bus. The instructions for getting back to the bus were 'walk down there' which ended up being quite a long walk with no real idea if we were going in the right direction! There's lots of walking, especially around Birkenau so be prepared for that. Overall it's a must see museum but I wouldn't recommend using this tour provider unless their organisation improves.

Our tour guide in Auschwitz brought light to a very dark situation. She was clear and concise, while also being sympathetic.

The tour was poorly organised. There was one woman trying to organise 65 people and she appeared frazzled and the process was slow with poor communication. We waited over an hour (approximately 1hr 15 min) from when we arrived at Auschwitz to when we actually went in. The guide who spoke was very informative and very knowledgeable. The bus driver was also great

The time at Auschwitz was very moving and I am glad I visited this place to pay tribute to lives lost and survivors who went through so much. However, the tour itself was very unorganized and the operator guide did not do a good job at communicating what we were to expect from the day. When meeting for the bus there were three different operators at the same stop with no signs to signify which tour was which, the one way to find your bus was by trying to jockey to the front of the groups of people to get your name checked off one of the several bus’ lists. There was no documentary to watch on the way, no information until we arrived - glad I downloaded a podcast. I recommend bringing a spare battery pack for phones as there is no where to charge on bus and very limited time to do so throughout the day. The tour’s operator never introduced herself, was hard to find & never said where she was going when she ran off somewhere. When we arrived at Auschwitz site there was logistical chaos. No one from operator or museum to direct people around or show where to queue up. Half of the group went in earlier for the tour while half of the group stayed back but the operator guide didn’t convey landmarks or times for meeting, how long we were to wait, where we could go, what we were allowed to do in the 45 min wait besides standing and milling about. The guide herself was from the museum and did a nice job repeating the facts multiple times so they stuck but I wish we heard more human stories rather than history book facts. The operator guide needs to have better communication, visual signs, more accurate itinerary with times, etc. I also wish they enforced mask wearing on the bus like they did in enclosed spaces - the bus was pretty full and people were coughing throughout the hour + drive. I recommend the operator should have additional people to staff such big groups, give participants timetables of what to expect for the day, carry noticeable signs for meetup points, tell us when it’s alright to stray away for a bathroom, food, or coffee break and how long the break would be — we didn’t have any of this in my experience yesterday. It was a long and somewhat frustrating day of mostly standing and waiting around and trying to find the guide and not being sure what to do when.

The guided tour was really intense. Everyone should do it at one point, because we can never forget what happened. It was really important for us and we are very glad we did this tour.

The tour was very well run and the guide Thomas was excellent. I would highly recommend booking with viator.

Great Trip! In about 2 1/2 hours we went to Auschwitz 1 and Auschwitz 2(Birkenau), which is enough time to see everything and to take pictures from everything. I loved the guide, she seemed very experienced and excited about her job. She created a great atmosphere.

This tour should be on every one's list when visiting Kraków. It was an amazing experience, we were left speechless for hours after the guidance was over. Greatly organised by the sraff. Thanks a lot!

The experience was phenomenal and everything I had hoped it would be. The guide was immensely knowledgeable and the grounds were impeccable.