Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum Tour

Every year, millions of visitors from around the world walk through the gate bearing the inscription ‘Arbeit macht frei’ – Work Sets One Free, and enter Auschwitz, one of the best-known concentration camps in the world and a living monument to those that died in the Holocaust.

Auschwitz is a haunting site of genocide where approximately 1.5 million people were killed during WWII’s Holocaust. Today, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it poignantly commemorates the lives of those who died within its walls and fences and is a must-visit for all.

Established in 1940, the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex is a network of German Nazi concentration camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Poland and throughout its five years of operation, was a place of systematic extermination with the majority of victims being Jews, along with Poles, Gypsies, Russian POWs and members of other nationalities.

The Martyrdom Museum was founded in 1947 covering the area of KL Auschwitz (Auschwitz I) in OÅwiÄcim and the Birkenau camp (Auschwitz II) in Brzezinka. It comprises approximately 150 buildings and 300 ruins and the original roads, fences, watchtowers and railway ramps have all been preserved. What’s more, the buildings house the collection of original exhibits and documents.

Your tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau includes a visit to Auschwitz I – the administrative centre of Auschwitz death camp – and Auschwitz II, designed and constructed quite simply as an execution facility.

As you explore the gas chambers, crematoriums and exhibition halls inside the old prison blocks, listen closely as your guide sensitively explains the who, how, where, when and why of this haunting place and the key events in its history.

Time slots may change due to guide availability, seasonal variations, road conditions etc. It is advisable to book this tour earlier on in your trip in case of last-minute amendments made locally.