How to book an Auschwitz tour from Krakow, and the pass behind it

You can reach the Memorial in two ways. You can book a tour from Krakow, and the operator arranges transport and the entry passes for you. Or you can book the entry pass yourself with the Museum and travel on your own. Admission to the grounds is free in both cases; the Museum charges only for a visit with an educator.⁶

The Museum is clear that its own booking site is the only official source of entry cards, that it does not work with outside companies on this, and that it is not liable for cancellations made through other websites.⁷ When a tour operator books for you, the operator is using that same system on your behalf. The quality of the operator decides whether that goes smoothly.

The tour sold on this site asks for every participant's full name and contact details at booking, because the Memorial requires them. You can reserve now and pay later, and you can cancel for a full refund up to 24 hours before. That makes booking early low-risk, which matters for a place where slots are limited.

Entry to both Auschwitz I and Birkenau is possible only with a personal entry pass, and the number of passes is limited.²³ The Museum sets a maximum number of people who may enter Auschwitz I in one hour.²⁴ If the booking system shows no passes for a date and type of visit, every pass for it has already been taken.²⁵

Free passes for a visit without an educator can be reserved from 90 to 7 days before the visit.¹⁵ Guided tour tickets stay on sale until they are sold out.¹⁷ For English-language tours the online sale closes 15 minutes before the tour begins.²⁶ In spring and early summer English tours start every 30 min from 8.30 to 15.30, so there are many times to choose from.²⁷

The busiest months fill first. In July and August the Museum adds English tours every 15 min between 9.30 and 15.30.²⁸ Even so, the moment your travel dates are fixed, reserve, and earlier still for a weekend or a school holiday. In busy periods the Museum may limit group tours for a while.²⁹ If your dates are flexible, a weekday outside the summer holidays gives you the widest choice of hours.

Arrive early. The Museum asks visitors to turn up at least 30 minutes ahead of their tour.⁸ The hour printed on your pass is the hour you are expected at the gate, not the hour you leave the car park. Plan the journey backwards from that time, with a margin for traffic. Security checks take time, and larger luggage has to be left in vehicles in the car park first.³⁰

If you are late anyway, the rules differ by pass. An individual visitor without an educator can enter at the first free slot within the hours for visits without an educator.³⁶ Visitors booked on a guided tour for individuals enter at the first available hour, which may mean a shorter visit or none at all.³⁷ Payment for a tour with an educator cannot currently be refunded if you are late.¹⁸

Reservations can be cancelled, but the cost of a visit with an educator is not returned.²² On a tour, the operator carries much of that risk for you: if a tour is cancelled for reasons beyond the operator's control, the listing for ours promises a full refund. Either way, plan the morning so that nothing depends on luck.