Overview

2 day Auschwitz guide at a glance!

Important: How Auschwitz Tickets Work

Before we dive in, here is the most critical planning advice:

Book Your Free Pass Online, Far in Advance. You must book your free entry pass online, as time slots can fill up weeks or even months ahead. This is the single most important step.

Understand the Entry Times for Self-Guided Visits. During peak season, individual (self-guided) entry to Auschwitz I is often only available in the late afternoon (around 4 PM), as mornings are reserved for guided tours. Entry to Birkenau is typically more flexible during its opening hours.

Bring Your ID & Print Your Pass on Arrival. You must bring a valid photo ID (Passport or National ID Card) that matches the name on your booking. When you arrive, you may need to print your physical entry pass from the ticket machines near the entrance of Auschwitz I.

Book a Separate Pass for Each Day. For a 2-day visit like this one, you will need to book a separate timed pass for each day you plan to enter (one for Auschwitz I, one for Birkenau).

Always check the official Memorial website for the latest rules and to secure your entry passes before you plan anything else.

Day 1: Understanding the History at Auschwitz I

We dedicated our first day to Auschwitz I, the original camp that now serves as the main museum. After arriving and collecting our tickets, we entered at our booked time slot. We immediately felt that choosing to explore independently was the right decision, as the guided tours we saw were very large, making it difficult to move through the exhibits.

Paid parking is available near the main entrance, and I recommend having some Polish Złoty (PLN) in cash, as I don’t recall the exact price.

A Walk Through the Barracks

The exhibitions at Auschwitz I are powerful and contain a wealth of information. By moving at our own pace, we could spend as long as we needed in certain areas, reading the stories and absorbing the weight of the history without the distraction of a large group.

The experience is incredibly difficult; the sights, the halls, and the streets feel heavy and sad. But at the same time, it is a reality from the not-so-distant past. It is a history that everyone should know so that we may learn from it and prevent it from ever happening again.

The museum displays everything with profound impact: photos of the victims and the perpetrators; the personal belongings of babies, children, men, and women—suitcases, shoes, glasses, and even human hair. You also see the horrific living conditions, the rooms where people were held, and the places where they were murdered.

Day 2: The Vastness of Birkenau

On the second day, we took the shuttle bus from Auschwitz I to Auschwitz II-Birkenau. The sheer scale of this camp is impossible to grasp until you are standing there.

A walk through The Infamous Railway Gate

You see plains of what look like horse stables stretching endlessly, filled with wooden bed frames. It’s horrifying to imagine people had to live and sleep in these conditions.

One side of the camp had only these wooden barracks—the worst ones—while the other side had barracks built from bricks. Many buildings were burned down or blown up by the perpetrators as they retreated, leaving only chimneys standing like skeletons. Here, the freedom of a self-guided visit was even more valuable. It allowed us to walk the vast grounds in quiet reflection, from the infamous railway tracks to the ruins of the crematoria.

For me, Birkenau was the more terrifying, but at the same time most interesting of the two camps because every building still standing was a place of immense suffering and evil. Some barracks were under reconstruction, so we couldn’t enter them.

We could see the toilet house, see children’s drawings preserved on the walls, and stand before the ruins of the gas chambers—all of which tell the horrifying story of that time.

A tip for your own visit: While we didn’t take an official tour, we found that by respectfully pausing for a moment when a guided group was nearby, we could often overhear a story or a significant detail from their guide. This added an extra layer to our understanding before we continued on our own path, combining personal reflection with expert insight.

A map of Auschwitz Guide

Essential Information for Your Visit

Planning a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau requires some preparation. Here are my key tips based on my own two-day experience.

Guided Tour vs. Individual Visit: Our Experience

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to take a guided tour or explore independently. In Auschwitz I, guided tours are mandatory for entry between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. To visit without a guide, you must book a time slot after 3 p.m. In Auschwitz II-Birkenau, you can enter without a guide at any time.

For a self-guided tour of Auschwitz I, you’ll need to select the “Visit for individuals” option when booking and choose one of the available afternoon time slots. 

We opted for an individual visit without a guide, and for us, this was the right choice. The main benefit was that, it allowed us to explore at our own pace, giving us time to read the extensive information provided throughout the exhibitions and to reflect without being rushed along in a large group. We observed that the guided tours were often very crowded. If you prefer a quiet, self-paced, and reflective experience, I highly recommend the individual visit.

Booking Your Timed Tickets

Whether you choose a guided or individual visit, you must book your tickets online in advance for a specific time slot, especially during peak season.

For our two-day visit, we booked two separate free tickets: one for Auschwitz I on the first day and another for Birkenau on the second. On our first day, our time slot was a bit later, so we picked up our ticket, went to a nearby café, and returned at our designated time. Be sure to check the official Auschwitz Memorial website for the latest ticket information and to book your entry.

Getting Between Auschwitz I and Birkenau

The two main sites are about 3km apart. The easiest way to travel between them is the free shuttle bus that runs regularly from outside the main entrance of Auschwitz I.

Where to stay?

For the most convenient stay, the best place is Oświęcim. It’s close to everything, including the nearby city of Katowice, and offers plenty of accommodation options. It’s also close to Energylandia(Poland’s biggest Theme Park) and some more attractions.

A Place for a Quiet Reflection After Your Visit to Auschwitz

Zbiornik Wydra

The Grodek Park Arboretum in Jaworzno encompasses 58.54 hectares of excavated dolomite from the former Szczakowa Cement Works (operated from approximately 1880 to 1990). Despite its post-industrial origins, this area is of exceptional natural value. It features a mosaic of natural habitats: thermophilic grasslands, meadows, rocky outcrops, wetlands, reservoirs, coniferous forests, and oak-hornbeam forests. Read more about it at Miasto Jaworzno.

Zbiornik Wydra is a great place to rest and relax after the emotional experience of visiting Auschwitz. Located just 30 km (about a 50-minute drive) from Oświęcim, it offers beautiful nature and stunning sunset views.

The area has its own unique charm and is sometimes called the “little Maldives.” When the water level is high, a wooden path becomes submerged, and you have to take off your shoes to walk across while fish swim by your feet. The terrain, featuring cliffs with numerous viewpoints, makes the landscape exceptionally attractive. There are also many hiking trails of various lengths throughout the area.