hkchemsir

Hello All,

My family will visit Krakow in the coming August. We want to go to the concentration camp by train. Can you show me how to go there (and back to Krakow) ??

Do you think travelling by bus is better than train?

Hope to hear your advices.

Thanks.

Gavin

Alec

Yes, bus is much better. The train station at Auschwitz (Oświęcim) is on the opposite side of town from the memorials, and while there are buses and taxis, train travel has no advantage over bus. The minibuses depart regularly from the bus station next to the main Krakow station and deposit you right outside the entrance to Auschwitz 1.

kja

Another option is to join a day tour from Krakow. I was glad to have done it that way, even though I don't normally like to join tours. The guides for my tour were excellent -- informative and VERY sensitive. At the time of year when you will be there, certain parts of the camps are (I believe) open only to those with a guide anyways, although you should be able to get one on site; it might be an advantage to have made arrangements in advance and to work with the same tour group and guides throughout the day. Too, I found the experience extremely powerful, and was glad I didn't need to have my wits fully about me afterwards. It was nice to just board the tour bus -- where everyone was quite subdued -- for the quiet ride back to Krakow.

THAT SAID, visiting the camps is a deeply moving experience, so my best advice is to think about these things and then make a plan that best suits your family's style for coping with extremely powerful emotions.

hkchemsir

Thanks your advices.

lauren_s_kahn

For the record, I took a day tour to reduce the stress and walking because Auschwitz involves a lot of walking. Be sure to get a tour that goes to both Auschwitz I & II. You need to visit II to get a feel for the scale of what the Nazis were doing.