Our tour
Memorial first
Our combined day
- Length11 hours
- Auschwitz I2 hours
- Birkenau1 hour
- Salt mine2.5 hours
Cost for your party
An Auschwitz and salt mine tour in one day, without regrets
Auschwitz-Birkenau and the salt mine, guided from Krakow
★ 4.7 · 9,949 ratings
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- Our combined day11 hours · for each guest from €42
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View - Salt mine first11 hours · for each guest from €41
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View - Full-day trip11 hours · for each guest from €23
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View - Guaranteed day11 hours · for each guest from €103
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Doing an Auschwitz and salt mine tour in one day is possible for travellers short of time. Here is how the long day runs, what it asks of you and when to split it.
Editorial team, auschwitzandsaltminetour.com · Updated November 9, 2026 · Takes 7 min
Main facts
- LengthOur combined day lasts 11 hours from Krakow and back.
- OrderUsually the Memorial first, the salt mine after; it can be reversed.
- LunchA lunch break is planned; bringing snacks is recommended.
- StairsThe salt mine route includes about 800 steps.1
- FinishThe day ends in the evening, around 8:00 PM.
Is the combined day too much?
Nobody should pretend this is a short day. Our combined tour lasts 11 hours from Krakow and back. Pickups run anywhere from 5:00 AM up to 10:00 AM, and the tour wraps up in the evening around 8:00 PM. In between you spend the most serious hours of your trip at the Memorial and then walk several kilometres underground.
The weight of the day is emotional before it is physical. Auschwitz-Birkenau asks for your full attention, and you may leave it quiet and tired. The salt mine in Wieliczka is a different world: carved chapels, saline lakes and centuries of miners' work.2 The change can feel welcome or far too abrupt. Think honestly about how it will feel for you.
Physically, the mine route suits people of all ages and needs no above-average fitness, though it includes more than 800 steps.3 If you walk easily for several hours and can sleep on a coach, the combined day works. If you are recovering from illness, travelling with small children or simply want time to reflect, two separate days are kinder.
Combined tours compared
Auschwitz and salt mine days from Krakow
| Tour | From | Length | Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our combined day | €46 | 11 hours | Memorial first |
| Full-day guided tour | €46 | 11 to 11.5 hours | Memorial first |
| Salt mine first | €46 | 11 hours | Salt mine first |
| Full-day trip | €26 | 11 hours | See the listing |
| Guaranteed day | €115 | 11 hours | Memorial first |
Starting prices on GetYourGuide; the order can change on the day with guide availability.
The order of the day
Our tour usually starts at the Memorial. The listing gives a transfer of 1.5 hours, Auschwitz I for 2 hours, a break of 10 minutes and Auschwitz II-Birkenau for 1 hour. After another transfer of 1.5 hours comes 1 hour of free time, then 2.5 hours in the salt mine, and finally 45 minutes back to Krakow.
The order can change. If the guides' schedule requires it, Wieliczka can move to the morning slot. Another combined tour plans it that way from the start: a van ride of 40 minutes to Wieliczka, 2.5 hours in the mine, 75 minutes to Oswiecim, then 1 hour for a break and lunch before a guided Memorial visit of 3.5 hours.
Each order has its logic. Starting at the Memorial means you arrive fresh and in daylight, and the Museum runs its guided-only hours from 7.30 AM.4 Starting underground gives you an easier morning and leaves the Memorial for the afternoon, with the ride back to Krakow for reflection. Neither is wrong; know which you will get before you book.
Where the hours go
Our combined day, stage by stage, in hours
- To the Memorial1.5
- Auschwitz I2
- Birkenau1
- To Wieliczka1.5
- Free time1
- Salt mine2.5
Stage lengths from the listing; on the day the Memorial's visitor service controls the timing, and the drive back takes 45 minutes.
The drive between the two places
Oswiecim and Wieliczka lie on opposite sides of Krakow, so the combined day includes a good deal of road time. Our listing counts 1.5 hours from Krakow to the Memorial, 1.5 hours from the Memorial to the salt mine and 45 minutes from the mine back to the city. That is a long time seated, and it is also your time to rest.
Use the drive well. On the way out, read a little about the history, or simply sleep: the start is early. On the transfer between the two places, eat, drink water and talk if you want to. You may find you need that stretch of road between the Memorial and the mine before you can take in anything else.
If you go by car yourself, the distances do not change, but the stops do. The Memorial has a large car park directly in front of its main entrance.6 Build in time for parking and the security check, since the Museum wants you at its entrance at least 30 minutes ahead of your slot.7 Driving yourself also means one person cannot rest on the way back, so share the wheel if you can.
One day or two
Should you combine Auschwitz and the salt mine
Match your trip to a line below and see the plan it points to.
If I have one free day in Krakow
Our combined day
Both places, transfers and guides in 11 hours.
If I want the Memorial in the afternoon
The mine-first tour
It visits the salt mine first and the Memorial for 3.5 hours after.
If I struggle with stairs
The Memorial on its own
The salt mine route includes about 800 steps.1
If I want time to reflect afterwards
Two separate days
A salt mine tour alone takes 2.5 to 4.5 hours on another day.
If I am travelling with a child under 14
Rethink the Memorial
The Memorial is not advised for anyone younger than 14; the mine on its own welcomes every age.5,3
Ways to plan it
One long day, mine first, or two days
Reversed order
Salt mine first
Memorial in the afternoon
- Length11 hours
- Salt mine2.5 hours
- Memorial3.5 hours
Split it
Salt mine alone
For a second day
- Length2.5 to 4.5 hours
- TicketFast-track
- Cancel24 hours before
Lunch on the combined day
Whether an Auschwitz and salt mine tour with lunch really includes a meal depends on the listing. Ours plans a break for lunch during the full day and recommends bringing snacks. The 1 hour of free time before the salt mine is the natural moment for a proper meal. Treat the lunch as yours to choose and pay for, unless your option says otherwise.
The combined tour that visits the mine first gives 1 hour in Oswiecim for a break, coffee, tea, lunch and free time. Underground, the mine has its own places to eat and rest. A short rest is planned in the Drozdowice Chamber, where drinks and snacks are sold, and a longer one at the Karczma Górnicza restaurant.12 That restaurant sits 125 metres below the surface and serves Polish food.13
At the Memorial itself, eat before or after, never during the visit. Bring a light breakfast for the coach, a bottle of water and something you can eat quickly. A heavy lunch before the mine's stairs is not a good idea; a small one and a warm drink afterwards suit the day far better. Keep something sweet for the ride home, when the long day catches up with you.
The day hour by hour
Our combined day from start to drop-off
Early morning
Pickup or meeting point
Pickup comes at some point from 5:00 AM up to 10:00 AM.
First transfer
To Oswiecim
A transfer of 1.5 hours to the Memorial.
At the Memorial
Auschwitz I, then Birkenau
Auschwitz I takes 2 hours, Birkenau another 1 hour.
Midday
Transfer and free time
1.5 hours on the road, then 1 hour of free time.
Afternoon
The salt mine
2.5 hours underground with a local guide.
Evening
Back in Krakow
45 minutes to the city; the day ends around 8:00 PM.
Stamina, stairs and the cool underground
The salt mine is the physical part of the day. The descent alone is about 380 steps, down to level I at a depth of 64 m.14 That is where the mine begins for visitors. The full route includes about 800 steps and takes about 2 to 3 hours.1 It is about 3.5 kilometres long, and a lift carries everyone back up from level III, 135 m below the surface.15,16
Dress for two climates. Underground the temperature stays around 17-18°C, so a light layer helps after a hot day above ground.11 At Birkenau, by contrast, you are outside on open ground: the grounds cover nearly 200 hectares.17 Good walking shoes, a waterproof and a warm layer cover both parts in most seasons.
Be honest about health. Claustrophobia is listed by the mine itself as a possible reason to stay above ground.18 If stairs are hard for you, the Memorial part alone may be enough for one day. The combined tour cannot skip the stairs for one person, so settle the question at home, not at the head of the shaft.
Video
Beyond Krakow: the salt mine, Auschwitz and Poland's past
Ride To Discover on YouTube · The clip loads only after you tap play.
The tour is available for people of all ages and does not require above-average physical condition, but it is worth bearing in mind that there are more than 800 steps to climb.
Pack for both
What to bring on the combined day
Must have3
- Your ID, matching the name on the booking
- Your booking confirmation on your phone
- Snacks and water for the day
Bag rules3
What to carry for both places
Pack for the stricter of the two sets of rules. The Memorial lets you bring a backpack or handbag no larger than 35x25x15 cm.8 Underground, the limit for hand luggage is 35cm x 20cm x 20cm at most.9 A small daypack that fits both limits avoids lockers and queues, and anything bigger stays on the coach. Check the size of your bag at home with a tape measure rather than guessing at the gate.
Your ID is the most important item. Every visitor must carry a personalised entry pass and ID at the Memorial.19 The listing for our tour warns that the Memorial can turn you away when the booked name and the name in your document differ. Keep the document in a pocket, not at the bottom of a bag, and make sure every person in your party has their own.
Leave a few things behind. Open flames, torches and smoking, including e-cigarettes, are not allowed in the mine.20 At the Memorial, dress quietly and respectfully, as the place calls for. Add water, a snack, tissues, a phone charger and some small change, and you are ready. Pack a thin waterproof whatever the month.
Splitting it over two days instead
The best way to visit Auschwitz and the salt mines depends on your time and on how you cope with long, intense days. With two free days, split them. An Auschwitz-only tour from Krakow runs 7 to 10 hours with transport. A salt mine tour from Krakow takes 2.5 to 4.5 hours and can fill a relaxed morning or afternoon.
Splitting also opens options the combined tours cannot offer. Visiting the Memorial on your own, without an educator, is possible only in the later hours; in the warmer half of the year, April to September, that means from 5:00 PM.21 The Museum still recommends a guide for a first visit.22 Two days let you choose an Auschwitz tour by its guide and time on site rather than by its link to Wieliczka.
If you have only one free day, the combined tour is a sound choice, and ours handles both places, the transfers and the guides for you. Sleep early the night before, eat well, and leave the evening after it free. You will not want a busy dinner reservation at the end of this day. A quiet meal near your hotel is the right ending.
FAQ
Brief questions, brief answers.
Can you do Auschwitz and the salt mine in one day?
Yes, on an 11-hour tour.
Our combined tour covers both with transfers from Krakow in 11 hours.
In what order are the two places visited?
Usually the Memorial.
Our tour starts at the Memorial, but the salt mine may come first depending on the guides.
Is lunch included on the combined tour?
A lunch break is planned.
A break for lunch is scheduled and snacks are advised; there is 1 hour of free time before the mine.
How many steps are in the salt mine?
What time does the combined day finish?
Around 8:00 PM.
The listing says the tour finishes in the evening around 8:00 PM.
Is it cold in the salt mine?
Cool, around 17-18°C.
The temperature underground is around 17-18°C, so bring a light layer.11
Sources
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Questions and answers: Tourist Route ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Tourist Route ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Tourist Route ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (auschwitz.org) · Individual Visitors ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (auschwitz.org) · Basic information ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (auschwitz.org) · visit.auschwitz.org: entry cards to the Memorial available only online from 1 March (news, 4 February 2026) ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, booking system (visit.auschwitz.org) · FAQ ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (auschwitz.org) · Basic information ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Questions and answers: Tourist Route ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (auschwitz.org) · Individual Visitors ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Questions and answers: Tourist Route ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Questions and answers: Tourist Route ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Tourist Route ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Tourist Route ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Questions and answers: Tourist Route ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Tourist Route ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (auschwitz.org) · Plan your visit ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Questions and answers: Tourist Route ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, booking system (visit.auschwitz.org) · Select the type of the visit ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Tourist Route ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (auschwitz.org) · Individual Visitors ↩
- Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum (auschwitz.org) · Basic information ↩
- The salt mine in Wieliczka, official site (wieliczka-saltmine.com) · Questions and answers: Tourist Route ↩
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