Price of Visiting Auschwitz: Cost of Tickets and Guided Tours

A trip to Poland on a budget is possible, and a visit to Auschwitz won't make your stay too expensive.

Here's what to expect from the costs of this excursion, the prices of tours, entrance fees and transport to Auschwitz, and how to save if you want to keep costs to a minimum.

If you want to avoid headaches when visiting Auschwitz, you can always buy a skip-the-line ticket tour to Auschwitz which includes a guided tour and return transfer from Krakow by minibus. The price is about 39 euros, slightly more than the general admission tickets but well worth it to get to the concentration camp in the most comfortable way possible.

The rates if you buy general admission tickets are updated, but approximately, this is the cost of the individual tickets without visit and transfer:

• Standard adult rate: 23€.
• Standard rate for children under 21: 17€.
• Senior rate: €18
• Group visits (more than ten people): around €15. These visits must be scheduled in advance and accredited as a group by registering on the official website.

How to buy tickets

You can get them at the ticket office or you can buy them online, but you will have to choose the date and time slot when you are going to visit, as all access to Auschwitz is scheduled.

One option to consider if you are concerned about arranging transport between Krakow and Auschwitz but prefer to visit on your own and not join a guided tour is to book an unguided tour.

For the small difference in price, in my opinion it is 100% advisable to choose the tour that includes the guided tour, but if you think you will see the concentration camp better on your own, this is a good option.

A guided tour to Auschwitz from Krakow with everything included has a price of about 39€ if you book it with Hellotickets. With this tour you will be accompanied by an expert guide and you will arrive at the gate of the concentration camp in just over an hour, without unnecessary waiting and without queuing at the Auschwitz ticket office. In addition, in the event of unforeseen circumstances, you can cancel the tour free of charge.

What does this tour include?

• Expertprofessional guide, usually in several languages
• skip-the-line entrance to the entire Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp complex
• Transport by private bus from Krakow (you can be picked up at your hotel)
• Return to the centre of Krakow or to your hotel in the same private bus

Why do I recommend this option?

This is without a doubt the best value for money option you will find for visiting Auschwitz. Doing the tour with an expert guide (and especially in your own language) will help you get a deeper understanding of the history and the visit and will also allow you to forget about the logistics of getting there and back on your own.

As the two most popular tours in and around Krakow, there is an opportunity to get a combined guided tour of both attractions for around €37. With this option you save time (as you don't have to queue at the ticket office) and money (as you don't have to buy them separately).

The tour is done on the same day and a private bus will take you from the centre of Krakow to Auschwitz and then to the Salt Mines. At the end of both visits, you will return to the point of return.

For more detailed information on how to organise this tour, please see my article on tours to Auschwitz and the Salt Mines.

If you rule out the option of joining a guided tour with transport included, you will have to use public transport. The best options for this are bus and train. A return bus ticket to Auschwitz from Kraków costs about €5 at the exchange rate (about €2.5 each way).

If you choose the train instead, the price is a bit higher: €8 each way, about €16 round trip. In general, I recommend using the bus, as it takes you closer to the concentration camp (the train station is 2km from the entrance to Auschwitz).

For more details on timetables, duration and cost of transport, I recommend my article on how to get to Auschwitz from Krakow.

It is not possible to enter for free. If you want to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp you will have to buy a ticket or book a tour (see above for prices) but there is no way to enter the camp for free.

If you want, you can visit the Auschwitz Museum for free (without a guide and before 10am) or take a virtual tour on their website, but to go to the death camp in person, you will have to pay the cost of the ticket or guided tour.

There are also no special discounts or discount codes as such, but there are reduced rates for groups, senior citizens and young people under 21 years old .