Auschwitz Birkenau Self Guided Tour

Disappointing experience and poor handling

Our Auschwitz tour was cancelled at short notice. We were then offered a significantly more expensive and inferior tour on a different day, which we had to pay extra for. Viator acknowledged that the situation was not handled properly, but refused to offer any compensation. Although the original tickets were refunded, we are very disappointed with the overall experience and how the situation was handled.

via Tripadvisor

Great but harrowing experience

What an experience our collection was smooth with great transport. harrowing seeing everything 3 hours isn't enough time to get round it all we did the self guided tour

Response from the operator: Thank you very much for your positive feedback. We truly appreciate it! Thank you for your trust and we look forward to seeing you again.

via Viator

We booked for 12:30 but i...

We booked for 12:30 but i got a message from the driver the night before stating that pick up would be 13:50, obviously i was a bit peeved as why book a time, then change pick up?It Felt like time was wasted driving between Birkenau and Auschwitz, only to be dropped off at Auschwitz and needing to get a shuttle bus to Birkenhau!! Wasn't allowed in Birkenhau until 17:00 and Auschwitz 17:50, which closes for admissions at 18:00, luckily the museum was open until 19:30 so could still explore. A long day that could have been executed better, I’m guessing because we were self guided rather than a guided tour. Overall, still a must see experience

via Viator

Very disappointed.

Booked for 12.30pm pick up, they changed it to 1.40pm. Arrived at Birkenau around 3.45pm and given 10 minutes to look at an original railway carriage that had transported Jews. Then taken to Auschwitz but tickets were for 5.10pm, so had to hang around for nearly an hour before being able to enter. We were told about the busses that would take us to Birkenau and return us but with so little time left we did not even see all of Auschwitz before being picked up at 7.20pm for return journey to Krakow. very disappointed at not having the full experience.

Response from the operator: Thank you for your review. The pickup time in the offer is always approximate. I would like to explain how tours to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum work, because many guests do not realize how strictly this place is organized. This museum is visited by millions of people every year. Visitors enter buildings that are over 80 years old, so the museum strictly controls how many people can enter every hour for safety and preservation reasons. After your booking, our office has to work to secure your entrance tickets in the museum system according to the available entry times. Our company organizes the entire trip from start to finish — transportation, drivers, tickets, coordination, and support during the tour. Drivers pick guests up, bring them safely to the site, our tour leader explains the whole process, and then we bring everyone back to Kraków. Giving a one-star review ignores the work of many people who helped organize your visit so you could experience this important place. You also had a choice between different tour options. There are premium tours at much higher prices and there are budget tours at lower prices. You selected the cheaper option, which offers transportation and entry organization at an affordable price. We understand that you expected something different, but we believe your review does not fairly reflect the service that was provided. P.S. I honestly have to congratulate you on the creativity of some of these reviews. If you believe you could organize everything better yourselves, public transport is available — you are free to arrange your own transport and book museum tickets independently. Please understand that organizing visits to Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is not as simple as many people imagine. Reading comments like this after so much work from our team is genuinely disappointing and unfair to the people who work hard every day to make these tours possible. Best regards, Company Owner

via Viator

Didn't have full experience due to time restrictions

Had a lovely driver who was knowledgeable, Austwich was an experience never to forget and a solemn reminder of the atrocious treatment there. Unfortunately our time had to be changed later in the day which was out of the organisers control but this meant we didn't have enough time to go to Birkenhau. It would have been better to have picked us up earlier so we could have visited Birkenhau first and then Autzwich, so we didn't have the full experience offered.

Response from the operator: Good morning, Thank you for your feedback. First of all, we would like to clarify that the visiting time and schedule inside the museum are determined entirely by the museum administration. All tickets — including the time allocated for the visit — are issued directly under the museum’s rules and conditions. Every visitor receives the same type of ticket and the same visiting conditions. Unfortunately, our company has no influence over the duration of the visit or the museum schedule. Our company, VIP POLAND, is responsible for organizing the complete transportation and reservation service. Once a booking is confirmed, our office immediately begins securing personalized museum tickets, organizing pickup locations, coordinating logistics, and arranging transportation for all guests. Our drivers safely collect guests from the designated pickup points, transport them comfortably to the museum, provide assistance throughout the process, and ensure a safe and punctual return journey back to Kraków. Therefore, when reviewing our company, we kindly ask guests to evaluate the quality of the services we directly provide, including: - transportation organization, - punctuality, - communication and customer support, - professionalism of our drivers, - comfort and cleanliness of our vehicles, - overall trip organization and assistance. Thank you once again for your opinion and understanding. Kind regards, Manager VIP POLAND

via Viator