Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Entry Card, Guide Choice, and Visitor-Rule Guide

If you plan to visit the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial in Poland, the single most important thing to get right is your entry card. Admission is free, but you cannot just show up — every visitor needs a personalized entry pass reserved online, and the museum no longer issues any entry cards at the gate. This guide covers how to book, whether to take a guided tour or go on your own, what you can and cannot bring inside, how to dress, and how to move between the two camp sites so you do not lose half your day to a mistake.

The museum is a memorial site, not a typical tourist attraction. Rules about bags, photography, dress, and behaviour are strict and enforced. A visit with a museum educator-guide takes about three and a half hours and covers both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. If you go without a guide, plan at least ninety minutes for each site and still reserve your free entry card ahead of time.

What to know first

• Entry is free, but a personalized entry card from visit.auschwitz.org is mandatory — since 1 March 2026, no entry cards are issued at the museum entrance.
• Individual visitors without a guide must reserve at least 7 days before the visit date.
• Entry cards are non-changeable and non-refundable. Pick your date and time carefully.
• Bring the same ID document you used for the reservation. Every entry pass is name-linked.
• The visit starts at Auschwitz I, 55 Więźniów Oświęcimia Street, Oświęcim. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your reserved time for security screening.
• The maximum bag size allowed inside is 35 × 25 × 15 cm (roughly a small handbag). Larger bags must stay in your vehicle or the paid luggage lockers near the Visitor Services Center.
• Children under 14 are not recommended by the museum.

Source: The main gate at the former Auschwitz I camp, Oświęcim, Poland. Wikimedia Commons / Michel Zacharz.

Reserve your entry card — free but mandatory

Every visitor must hold a personalized entry pass booked through visit.auschwitz.org, the only official reservation channel. Third-party sites that claim to sell or reserve tickets are not affiliated with the museum. If a date or time slot shows no availability, it means all passes for that slot have been taken — there is no walk-up queue or waiting list.

• For guided tours with a museum educator: reserve at least one month ahead during busy months, and no later than 5 days before your visit online. If you are within 2 to 5 days, call +48 33 844 81 00 or 80 99 (Monday to Friday, 7:00 to 15:00 CET) for a private guide — subject to availability.
• For individual self-guided visits: reserve a free entry card at least 7 days before. No cards are available at the entrance.
• Groups must always book a guide-educator. This is not optional.

The reservation system is at visit.auschwitz.org. Select "Visit for individuals" if you plan to join a group tour with a museum educator or visit without one, or "Visit for groups" if you are booking for an organized group.

Choose the right visit type: guided tour or self-guided

A standard guided tour with a museum educator lasts about 3.5 hours and covers the permanent exhibitions and key buildings at Auschwitz I plus the prisoner barracks, unloading ramp, and ruins of gas chamber and crematorium II or III at Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Guides are available in 20 languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, Polish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and others. A shorter 2.5-hour version is offered near closing times.

• General tour (3.5 h) — the most common choice.
• General tour, shorter version (2.5 h) — available only near the end of the day.
• Guided tour for individual visitors (3 h 45 min) — join a formed group on site.
• One-day study tour (6 h) — deeper specialist visit including selected national exhibitions, the Kanada area, and gas chamber/crematorium ruins IV and V.
• Two-day study tour (2 × 3 h) — same depth split across two days.
• Online guided tour (2 h) — live educator-led virtual visit in 7 languages.

Guide fees are listed on the official price list at the museum website. Prices can change without notice, so check the current PDF before booking. Group visitors must book a guide; individual visitors can choose to join a guided group or visit independently.

Plan your timing around the month-by-month entrance hours

The museum is open every day except 1 January, 25 December, and Easter Sunday. The hours below are the latest time you can enter; you may stay on the grounds up to 90 minutes after the last entrance.

| Month | Entrance hours (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 |

You must visit both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau to understand the site properly. Budget at minimum 90 minutes per site, or about 3.5 to 4 hours total if you move at a steady pace without a guide.

Bag rules, dress code, and what you cannot bring

The museum enforces a strict maximum bag size of 35 × 25 × 15 cm. Anything larger will be turned away at security. Leave suitcases, backpacks, and large handbags in your car, on your bus, or in the paid luggage lockers near the Visitor Services Center at the Auschwitz I entrance.

• Dress respectfully. The museum requires clothing "befitting a place of this nature." Avoid beachwear, clothing with offensive prints, and overly casual outfits.
• Photography is allowed for personal use in most outdoor areas and selected indoor exhibition spaces, but no flash or tripods. Some exhibition rooms prohibit photography entirely — follow the signs. Drone use is forbidden across the entire memorial site.
• Eating, smoking, and loud conversation are not permitted inside the buildings or on the grounds of the camps.
• The museum recommends that children under 14 do not visit due to the nature of the exhibitions.

Getting to Oświęcim and moving between the two camps

The museum is in the town of Oświęcim, about 50 km west of Kraków and 50 km east of Katowice. The nearest airports are Kraków-Balice (KRK) and Katowice-Pyrzowice (KTW).

• From Kraków: the Lajkonik bus runs directly to the museum car park. PKS buses and minibuses also serve the route from Kraków and Katowice. The train from Kraków Główny to Oświęcim station takes about 1.5 to 2 hours; the museum is roughly 1,500 metres from the station.
• From Katowice: PKS buses and minibuses run to stops near the museum. The train is also an option.

Once at the museum, the two camp sites are 3.5 km apart:

• Free museum shuttle bus: runs between Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. The bus has a wheelchair platform.
• Taxi: HALO TAXI (+48 32 19 194) has a rank in front of the museum entrance.
• Walking: about 3 km along Więźniów Oświęcimia, Jaracza, Leszczyńskiej, and Męczeństwa Narodów streets, passing through the former camp industrial zone.

The visit always begins at Auschwitz I (55 Więźniów Oświęcimia Street). Paid parking is available at both sites.

Rules and closures that change the visit

• Some parts of Auschwitz II-Birkenau are temporarily closed to visitors. The list changes; check the museum website before you go.
• The Russian exhibition in Block 14 is currently closed.
• The Dutch exhibition in Block 21 is closed from 29 June to 10 August 2026.
• The permanent exhibition in Block 5 at Auschwitz I and the Russian national exhibition are partially or fully closed — verify on the day.
• Drone flights are banned. The museum prosecutes violations.
• Commercial filming and photography require prior written museum approval.

Common mistakes visitors make

• Showing up without an entry card, assuming tickets are sold at the gate. Since March 2026, this means you will not get in.
• Booking through an unauthorized third-party website. Only visit.auschwitz.org issues valid entry cards. Some third-party sites cancel bookings without confirmation and blame the museum.
• Bringing a standard backpack or daypack. The 35 × 25 × 15 cm limit is smaller than most travel daypacks.
• Wearing shorts, tank tops, or flip-flops in summer. Dress code is enforced at security.
• Underestimating the time needed. A rushed visit to one site only misses the full reality of the camp system. Plan at least 3.5 hours total.
• Forgetting photo ID. Your entry pass is name-linked and checked against your document.
• Assuming the two sites are next to each other. They are 3.5 km apart; the free shuttle is essential if you are on foot.

What to check the day before

• Log into visit.auschwitz.org and confirm your reservation is still active.
• Check the official museum website for any same-day closure announcements or temporary exhibition changes at auschwitz.org/en/visiting/.
• Verify the opening hours for the current month — they change month to month.
• Set your bag to 35 × 25 × 15 cm or smaller, and pack your ID.
• Plan your Kraków/Oświęcim transport: check the Lajkonik timetable at lajkonikbus.pl or your train schedule.
• If you have a guided tour booked, confirm the meeting point is at the Auschwitz I Visitor Services Center.

Sources

• Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum — Visiting information: https://www.auschwitz.org/en/visiting/
• Official entry card reservation system: https://visit.auschwitz.org/?lang=en
• Guided tour options and prices: https://www.auschwitz.org/en/visiting/guides/
• Opening hours: https://www.auschwitz.org/en/visiting/opening-hours/
• Getting to the Museum (transport, shuttle bus, parking): https://www.auschwitz.org/en/visiting/getting-to-the-museum/
• Rules for visiting: https://visit.auschwitz.org/regulamin.html?lang=en
• Lajkonik bus Kraków–Oświęcim timetable: https://www.lajkonikbus.pl/
• Oświęcim tourist information: https://www.it.oswiecim.pl/