How long does a visit take?
The short answer
About four hours on site. Seven in total with travel from Krakow and back.
In practice that means the visit takes the day, and cannot sensibly be combined with anything else.
It is physically demanding
Covering both parts means four to five kilometres of walking — roughly ten thousand steps. Almost all of it standing or moving, for four hours, much of it on uneven ground and in the open.
There is nowhere to sit along the way and no way to slow down: the group moves together and the guide sets the pace.
Worth knowing before you book rather than halfway across Birkenau.
Hour by hour
- Thirty minutes before entry. Everyone passes through a security check similar to an airport. The Museum asks visitors to arrive half an hour early, and in season that is not a margin but the actual time it takes.
- Auschwitz I: one hour forty to two hours. It depends on your guide and on how many groups are on site. There is no fixed script.
- The break: fifteen to thirty minutes. The guide sets its length.
- Birkenau: one hour to one hour twenty. Open ground, and far larger than Auschwitz I.
About four hours in total, counted from the moment you arrive.
What not to plan for that day
A flight that evening. Dinner at a fixed time. Another visit anywhere.
And something that is rarely said: most people are not in the mood for anything for some hours afterwards. That includes adults who thought they were prepared. Leave the afternoon free.
Why you cannot simply choose a time
Entry times are allocated by the Museum from its own rota, not by the operator. The time you select when booking is a request.
We confirm the final time at least forty-eight hours before the visit. If it differs by more than two hours from the one you booked, you choose: another date, a full refund, or simply accept the new time.
Opening hours
The last entry changes month by month. You may stay on site for ninety minutes after the last entry.
| December | 7:30 – 14:00 |
|---|---|
| January, November | 7:30 – 15:00 |
| February | 7:30 – 16:00 |
| March, October | 7:30 – 17:00 |
| April, May, September | 7:30 – 18:00 |
| June, July, August | 7:30 – 19:00 |
The Museum is closed on 1 January, 25 December and Easter Sunday. Check before you travel — these hours do change.
If you are short of time
If two hours is all you have, do Auschwitz I only. It works: the exhibitions, the blocks, the gas chamber. That is a complete part of the visit, not a cut-down version of it.
What not to do is try to fit both parts into two hours. Birkenau seen at a run says nothing — its whole meaning lies in how long it takes to cross.
If you have one free day in Krakow, give it the whole day. If you do not, do Auschwitz I and come back another time.