Visiting Auschwitz/Birkinau was top of the list for me when visiting Krakow. I visited Dachau over…read more10+ years ago which was the very first concentration camp but Auschwitz-Birkenau was a scale larger and meant for extermination. It certainly was eye opening, upsetting at times and unimaginable in horrors. Booking online ahead was important to secure an English tour on a date/time that worked for my schedule. Note there were two tours available: (1) normal took 3.5 hours or (2) 6 hour educational. I booked mine about one month ahead of time (March visit for me) but tours could sell out sooner depending on the season. After booking, recommendation was to arrive min. 30 minutes prior to allow time to clear security. No large backpacks were allowed (though inconsistent in applying the rule) and had to be checked in across the street. I suggest taking the Lajkonik bus from Krakow (22zl each way) which dropped us off right in front of the main museum entrance. It was a better option in my opinion versus taking the train and then having to walk (20+ minutes) or taxi. Return buses can quickly fill up so book a seat online for a time slot at least 1/2 hour after your tour ends (to give you enough time to get back from Birkenau). However, if you miss your scheduled bus or want to leave earlier then the online ticket cannot be reapplied. Tours left every fifteen minutes which seemed a bit rushed initially as some tours started backing up or speaking over each other. However, after the first half hour the spacing finally improved and it was a better experience. Our guide was an excellent source of information and really helped us understand the importance of every stop along the way. Photos without flash were allowed but the guide will inform when it's not allowed. The total tour was 3 hours, 30 minutes across both camps. ~2 hours to complete Auschwitz, a break and bus ride in between, and ~1 hour to complete Birkenau. I could say more but it's a must to experience for yourself.

All the stories you know come to life when you visit this site. Be prepared for things you couldn't…read moreimagine and things you didn't know. One of the reasons I wanted to goto Poland. I'm so glad I made it here. Our tour guide was awesome . You could feel her passion on all the events of this time and she left us with many thoughts to dwell on. The one that sticks in my head is that even though this was called a concentration camp, it actually was an extermination site. This is a all to real part of history. The largest mass killing in the history of mankind. This site is basically a memorial to those who died. A must see site if your ever close. Truly humbling .

This morning a tour guide from the Auschwitz Jewish Center (which includes the synagogue/museum)…read moretook us on a tour of the synagogue (which was the last remaining one in the town and it comprises part of the Auschwitz Jewish Center), and he also took us to the (small) Jewish cemetery. We had arranged all of this in advance, including a private tour guide for Auschwitz & Birkenau - in addition to our driver, who picked us up at our hotel in Krakow early this morning and brought us back early this evening - via the Auschwitz Jewish Center employee at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC (the AJC in NYC doesn't charge for making the arrangements, but they gratefully accept donations). She also arranged for us to have lunch after the tour, at Cafe Bergson (which is immediately adjacent to the AJC, and it's inside what was formerly the house of the last remaining Jewish resident of the town. His family donated the house to the AJC after his death, and a fundraising campaign enabled extensive renovations). Our tour guide from the AJC was a very well-informed and very enthusiastic young man (he's spending a year doing this in lieu of military service) and the cost was only 10 PLN per person (afterwards we met the director of the AJC [a very nice man] and we asked what was an appropriate amount to tip the guide [20 PLN]). We paid only 25 PLN/each for a *delicious* lunch (vegetarian sandwiches, cheesecake, mineral water and coffee). The young woman working at the café was very friendly, too.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Auschwitz Jewish Center and synagogue. The exhibits in the museum…read moretell a fascinating story of Jews in Oswiecim from past to present. The synagogue is beautifully preserved and serves as an educational center for locals and visitors. I would recommend pairing any visit to the Auschwitz Memorial Museum with the Auschwitz Jewish Center and synagogue in order to get the full picture of what Jewish life what like in Poland, and Oswiecim specifically.

As a young Catholic with a prepared ticket for my trip to Poland for World Youth Day, I wasn't sure…read morewhat to expect and wasn't too excited about going, especially at 8am in the morning. However that is when there's no line! (Later on in the day it seemed like the line was out the window but this was also during World Youth Day so that's a hue influx of people) The museum was surprisingly really captivating and interesting- modernly designed and beautifully put together throughout four floors. No pictures or videos though so I can't share. They have various artifacts and ways of displaying media although after awhile the amount of reading was rather overwhelming. Also loved how every room had a different feel. I was definitely impressed and would recommend this to anyone traveling to Wadowice!

From the owner: Naše regionální muzeum vzniklo v roce 1997 po transformaci z původního Technického muzea Tatra…read more Spravujeme různorodé sbírky, které jsou vystaveny v několika expozicích a pobočkách. V současné době nabízíme čtyři různé expozice - Technické muzeum Tatra, Lašské muzeum, Muzeum Fojtství a Expozici Emila a Dany Zátopkových. Technické muzeum TATRA spravuje celosvětově unikátní sbírku, která typologicky mapuje 120 let tovární výroby automobilů v Kopřivnici. K vidění je kolekce výjimečných tatrovek spjaté s řadou osobností, událostí, konstrukčních a technologických inovací, včetně expozice závodnické činnosti olympioniků Emila a Dany Zátopkových. V pobočce Muzea Fojtství jsou vystaveny zejména regionální sbírky z dějin Kopřivnice a přilehlého okolí, kočárů a řady významných osobností kulturního a společenského života. V pobočce Lašského muzea se nachází expozice výroby kopřivnické keramiky a majoliky, a také umělecká tvorba rodáka a akademického malíře, Zdeňka Buriana. Na všech pobočkách pravidelně probíhají krátkodobé výstavy, které se tematicky vztahují se k dějinám regionu, osobností a automobilky TATRA. Těšíme se na Vaši návštěvu.