By Lena Bauer · Last updated: October 2026 · 12 min read

In This Guide

To visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial from Kraków, reserve a free, personalised entry pass at visit.auschwitz.org before you travel: none are issued at the entrance. Then go by road, coach or train to Oświęcim, about 69 km by road west of the city centre. Kraków Airport is nearer, about 57 km and 50 minutes by car. Without a guide, entry opens only late in the day, and bags larger than 35 x 25 x 15 cm stay outside.

This guide covers the Memorial's own rules on passes, hours, visit length, bags and the shuttle between the two sites, then the three timings that decide an airport day: reaching a booked entry slot after landing, the last coach back to Kraków, and leaving in time for a flight. Every visiting rule here comes from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum itself.

Quick Facts: Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau from Kraków (2026)

Question Short Answer
Entry pass Free and personalised, online only at visit.auschwitz.org; free passes no later than 7 days before the visit
Guided visit About 3.5 hours; PLN 150 per person in English (reduced PLN 140)
Unguided entry From 13:00 in December to 17:00 from April to September
Closed 1 January, 25 December and Easter Sunday
Bag limit 35 x 25 x 15 cm; paid lockers at PLN 5, card only
From Kraków Airport About 57 km and 50 minutes by car; no direct bus or train
From central Kraków About 69 km by road; coach from Kraków MDA in about 1h 25min
Last coach back 18:30 April to October, 17:30 November to March, on the timetable the Memorial links

Sources: Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum visitor pages, regulations and price list; Kraków Airport; coach timetable linked by the Memorial; road distances routed from the airport's driver point and the Main Square, 2026.

How do you get from Kraków to Auschwitz-Birkenau?

By road, by coach or by train to Oświęcim.

The Memorial sits on the outskirts of Oświęcim, on provincial road 933. From the Main Square in Kraków the drive is about 69 km. The car stops at the main car park and entrance, at Więźniów Oświęcimia 55, where every visit begins at the former Auschwitz I camp. No vehicle may enter the Museum grounds.

The coach the Memorial links from its getting-there page leaves from the Kraków MDA bus station at Bosacka 18 and stops in the Museum car park about 1 hour 25 minutes later. It runs eight times a day in either season. Other buses and minibuses stop near the Museum, from Kraków and from Katowice.

By rail, the Museum is about 1,500 metres from Oświęcim station. We have not used a sampled rail timetable here, so check the train for your day.

Kraków Airport changes the geometry. It sits west of the city, on the side facing Oświęcim, so the drive from the terminal is about 57 km and 50 minutes: about 12 km and 17 minutes shorter than from the centre. No bus or train runs from the airport to the Memorial. By public transport you ride the airport train into Kraków Główny, about 20 minutes, then take the coach or a train out again, back past the airport. The Kraków Airport transfer hub covers the other drives from the terminal.

Katowice Airport is sometimes presented as the nearer airport. By road it is not: about 63 km and an hour to Auschwitz I, so Kraków Airport is about 10 minutes quicker.

Do you need to book an Auschwitz entry pass in advance?

Yes. Entry to both Auschwitz I and Birkenau needs a personalised entry pass, and the Memorial issues them only online.

Admission is free. Passes are limited in number and reserved at visit.auschwitz.org, where booking opens every day at 12:00 noon, 90 days ahead. Since 1 March 2026 the Memorial has issued entry cards only online, and it states plainly that none are available at the entrance. Forum advice to book the next English tour on the spot should not be relied on.

The deadline that catches people is the free pass. A pass for a visit without an educator must be reserved no later than 7 days before the visit, or until the places run out. Guided passes stay on sale until they are sold out, and online sales for a language tour close 15 minutes before it starts.

Three more rules matter for anyone on a flight:

  • The pass carries your name. The Memorial checks it against an identity document at the entrance, so the passport stays with you, not in a suitcase.
  • A booked pass cannot be changed. If the flight moves, the slot does not move with it.
  • One account books up to six free passes for a day. A family or a small group books together.

The Museum's terms allow one narrow exception: where it chooses to organise same-day sale on site, a visitor may buy one guided pass for that day, or three with named companions, and the Museum may suspend that sale. It is not a plan.

Can you visit Auschwitz-Birkenau without a guide?

Yes, but only late in the day.

From 7:30 each morning entry is for visitors with a guide-educator. The free unguided window opens at 13:00 in December, 14:00 in January and November, 15:00 in February, 16:00 in March and October, and 17:00 from April to September. Last entry follows one hour later in most months and two hours later from June to August, so the window for walking in is short. The table in the next section sets it out month by month.

A guided visit costs PLN 150 per person in English or another foreign language, PLN 140 reduced, and includes the educator, a headset and the Museum's transfer between the two sites. It lasts about 3.5 hours and starts at Auschwitz I. In English, tours start from 8:30 all year, and the Memorial's tour page lists the start times for each month.

The choice is less about money than about the clock.

What are the Auschwitz-Birkenau opening hours in 2026?

The Memorial opens at 7:30 every day except three.

It is closed on 1 January, 25 December and Easter Sunday, and it can close at short notice for state visits and ceremonies, which it announces on its opening-hours page. The hours it publishes are entry hours. Visitors may stay 90 minutes after the last entry, and the regulations give the time the grounds close.

Month Unguided entry from Last entry Grounds close
December 13:00 14:00 15:30
January, November 14:00 15:00 16:30
February 15:00 16:00 17:30
March, October 16:00 17:00 18:30
April, May, September 17:00 18:00 19:30
June, July, August 17:00 19:00 20:30

Read across a row, not down a column. The right-hand time is when you must be out of the gate, and on an unguided visit it is also, roughly, when your ride back has to be waiting.

Parts of Birkenau are temporarily closed to visitors, and in winter visitors must keep to the designated paths. The Memorial asks for dress and conduct befitting the place, allows no food, alcohol or smoking on the grounds, and does not recommend a visit for children under 14.

How long does a visit to Auschwitz I and Birkenau take?

About 3.5 hours with a guide, and 2 to 3 hours or more without one.

The Memorial's tour-options page lists its guided tour for individual visitors at 3 hours 45 minutes, so allow for the longer figure when a car or a flight is waiting.

The Memorial's visitor page asks for a minimum of about an hour at Auschwitz I and the same at Birkenau, and says it is essential to visit both. Its education pages suggest about 1.5 hours at each. The "90 minutes per site" that circulates widely as the Memorial's figure is the longer of the two; the visitor page's minimum is an hour.

Add the arrival. The Memorial asks visitors to be there at least 30 minutes before the start, because of the security check, and that half hour belongs to the visit, not the drive. From Kraków, one widely read guide puts the whole day at seven to eight hours.

Do not plan a visit around the minimum.

How do you get between Auschwitz I and Birkenau?

On a guided visit, the Museum's shuttle takes you.

The two sites are 3.5 km apart, about 3 km on foot by the streets. The Memorial's getting-there page says its free shuttle "transfers visitors" between the two, and many guides stop there. Its guided-tour page is narrower: "The shuttle bus is intended for individual visitors in guided tours." Plan on that reading. The bus has a platform for wheelchair users.

Without a guide, plan the second leg yourself: the walk, or a vehicle. There are paid car parks near both sites, so a driver who waits can move from the Auschwitz I car park to the one at Birkenau while you are inside. On an unguided visit in the one-hour window, that saved walk is time on the grounds.

What size bag is allowed, and where does a suitcase go?

Nothing larger than 35 x 25 x 15 cm goes onto the Museum grounds.

That is the limit in the regulations in force since 1 July 2026, and bags may be inspected, including by X-ray. The 30 x 20 x 10 cm figure still repeated online is the 2016 rule.

For anything bigger, the Memorial gives its own answer: "Larger luggage should be left in vehicles in the car park." Its booking site says the same about bulky luggage. The fallback is the Museum's paid luggage storage near the visitor centre: 96 lockers at PLN 5 each, paid by card only, up to 30 kg, open from 30 minutes before the Museum opens until 2 hours after it closes. Nothing may stay in them overnight.

Advice to leave suitcases at the airport or in the city before you go circulates widely. It is not needed. The Memorial has its own lockers and asks for cases to stay in the vehicle.

Can you visit Auschwitz on the day you land at Kraków Airport?

Yes, if the pass you booked leaves room for the flight to run late.

The terminal is open 24 hours, and the Memorial is about 57 km and 50 minutes away by car, not the 60 to 75 minutes or 1.5 hours often quoted. The arithmetic is the drive, the 30 minutes the Memorial asks for at security, and whatever arrivals takes on the day.

Land at 10:00 in May with a 13:00 English guided pass and the day works. You need to be at the gate by 12:30, so leave the terminal by about 11:40 at the latest, with the suitcases in the car for the whole visit. The Kraków Airport to Auschwitz-Birkenau route sets out that drive.

Land at 12:00 instead, on a delayed flight, with the same pass, and the car reaches the Memorial at about 12:50 at the earliest, after the 12:30 security time.

The Memorial's rule for that case is blunt. A late guided visitor enters at the first available hour, which may mean a shorter visit or no entry at all, with no refund, and the pass cannot be changed. A late unguided visitor enters at the first free slot within the unguided hours. On an arrival day, book the later slot. A free unguided pass also has to be reserved at least 7 days ahead, so it needs deciding when the flight is booked.

Some visitors choose not to come straight off a flight. That is a judgement about the day, not a rule.

What time is the last bus from Auschwitz back to Kraków?

18:30 from April to October and 17:30 from November to March, on the timetable the Memorial links.

That coach runs from the Museum car park to Kraków MDA in about 1 hour 25 minutes, every day except 1 January, Easter Sunday and 25 December. Last-bus times from 17:20 to 20:15 circulate widely, and the same operator's booking site also lists a 19:30 departure, without saying on which dates. Check the date you are travelling on, and do not build the day on a time you have not seen on the operator's own timetable for that day.

The catch is the evening visit from March to September. In March the unguided window opens at 16:00 and the winter timetable's last coach leaves at 17:30; from April to September the window opens at 17:00 and the last coach leaves at 18:30. Either way that is 90 minutes, less than the 2 to 3 hours the Memorial's own guidance gives for both sites, and from June to August the grounds stay open until 20:30, two hours after that coach has gone. From October to February the grounds close no later than the last coach leaves.

From March to September, a free evening visit and the last coach do not belong in the same plan.

How long before a flight should you leave Auschwitz?

About 3 hours before departure with checked bags.

The drive to the terminal is about 50 minutes, and Kraków Airport says airlines usually open check-in two hours before departure; together that is 2 hours 50 minutes. With hand luggage only, in free-flowing traffic, the bare minimum is 1 hour 35 minutes, which reaches the departure hall 45 minutes before the flight, the airport's own suggestion. The "at least 2 hours" sometimes quoted as the airport's advice is when check-in opens, not a rule.

A guided visit that starts at 10:00 ends about 13:30, or a quarter of an hour later on the longer tour. A car collected at 13:30 reaches the terminal at about 14:20. The first linked coach after 13:30 leaves at 14:00 and reaches Kraków MDA at 15:25, and the airport train, about 20 minutes, is still ahead of you. The car arrives about an hour before the coach even reaches the city.

Same visit, different afternoon. The Auschwitz-Birkenau to Kraków Airport route covers the pickup at either car park.

Arranging a car from Kraków Airport

A car is the answer on three points only: the suitcases, the entry slot and the flight.

It keeps the luggage where the Memorial asks for it, in the vehicle. It is not tied to the last coach. And it takes the 50-minute road to the terminal instead of a coach and a train through Kraków. On TransferBnB you post the flight, the time on your entry pass, how long the driver should wait and where you go afterwards, and verified carriers who drive the route send offers for your date. There is no fixed price on this route: every trip is quoted on request, per vehicle.

Start from the Kraków Airport to Auschwitz-Birkenau route on an arrival day, or the Auschwitz-Birkenau to Kraków Airport route on a departure day. The entry pass is always yours to book, at visit.auschwitz.org.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to book tickets for Auschwitz in advance?

Yes. Entry to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial is free but needs a personalised entry pass, reserved only online at visit.auschwitz.org. None are available at the entrance. Booking opens daily at 12:00 noon, 90 days ahead, and a free pass for a visit without an educator must be reserved no later than 7 days before the visit.

Can you visit Auschwitz without a guide?

Yes, with a free pass, but only late in the day. Unguided entry opens at 13:00 in December, 14:00 in January and November, 15:00 in February, 16:00 in March and October, and 17:00 from April to September. Before those times, entry is with a guide-educator.

How long should you spend at Auschwitz-Birkenau?

A guided visit of both sites lasts about 3.5 hours. Unguided, the Memorial's visitor page asks for a minimum of about an hour at Auschwitz I and the same at Birkenau, and its education pages suggest about 1.5 hours at each. Arrive at least 30 minutes early for the security check.

Can anyone use the free shuttle between Auschwitz I and Birkenau?

Plan on no. The Memorial's guided-tour page says the free shuttle is intended for individual visitors in guided tours. The sites are 3.5 km apart, about 3 km on foot by the streets. Visitors without a guide walk or use a vehicle; there are paid car parks near both sites.

What size bag can you take into Auschwitz?

Nothing larger than 35 x 25 x 15 cm, under the regulations in force since 1 July 2026. Bags may be X-rayed. The Memorial asks visitors to leave larger luggage in their vehicles; otherwise paid lockers near the visitor centre cost PLN 5 each, card only, and nothing may stay in them overnight.

How far is Auschwitz from Kraków Airport?

About 57 km and 50 minutes by car, via the A4 and road 933. That is about 12 km and 17 minutes shorter than the drive from central Kraków, because the airport lies west of the city. No bus or train runs direct from the airport; public transport goes through Kraków.

What time is the last bus from Auschwitz to Kraków?

On the coach timetable the Memorial links, the last departure from the Museum car park is 18:30 from April to October and 17:30 from November to March, reaching Kraków MDA about 1 hour 25 minutes later. The operator's booking site also lists a 19:30 run without dates, so check the day. On a free evening visit, a car that waits is not bound by that departure.

How long before a flight should I leave Auschwitz for Kraków Airport?

About 3 hours with checked bags: the drive is about 50 minutes and check-in usually opens two hours before departure. With hand luggage only and clear roads, the minimum is 1 hour 35 minutes, reaching the departure hall 45 minutes before the flight, as the airport suggests. By coach and train through Kraków, allow far longer.

Sources and Data