10. From Krakow: Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mine Full-Day Tour
Auschwitz Birkenau Museum is for sure one of the most recognizable places in Europe if not in the World. The former Nazi camp is real proof of human cruelty. It’s going to be a full-day excursion (7-8 hours), visiting well maintained Auschwitz camp which became a memorial museum with intriguing expositions. Our English-speaking driver will pick you up from the chosen meeting place in the city center of Krakow. With a comfortable air-conditioned bus, you will drive to the city of Oswiecim. The ride will take about 1,5 hours. The first steps begin at the well-known gate with “Arbeit Macht Frei” writing. The place was a work camp in the past and the prisoners were forced to do a destructive job. The route leads through important places which show the daily life of prisoners, work, selection, and extermination. Each barrack is an original exhibition made up of belongings left by prisoners The combination of these items with the guide’s appalling stories helps you see through your own eyes what really happened here, and why we can’t remain indifferent to this place. After visiting the first museum, you will get a quick break. The next place is Auschwitz II Birkenau, a vast open-space camp that shows the size of the murder committed there. You will see the field with many barracks, gas chambers, and crematoriums fenced with barbed wire. Thousands of people were murdered in this place. Wear comfortable shoes as you will walk around 1km around the camp. After finishing the tour, our driver will wait for you in the parking, the same place where you arrived. You’ll have a short break and then depart to Krakow city center. You will have approximately 1 hour of free time in between the trips. Ideal for having a decent meal or a coffee cup. Your driver will pick you up from the meeting point in front of the Maltanski hotel (Straszewskiego 14 Street) and you will travel to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. The Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the UNESCO monuments and has been gathering salt for over 700 years. It’s one of the most beautiful facilities of this type in the world. The whole sightseeing should take about 2,5 hours. After arrival at the parking, you will meet our guide, and that is how the adventure begins. Time to go deep! We will have to walk down the wooden stairs to a depth of 65 meters. Our guide will explain the rules of a salt mine as well as various legends and stories about the mine’s past. The tour takes place in the underground corridors and chambers, well prepared for the visiting tourists. Certain points on your way are dedicated to famous people who decided to visit Salt Mine in the past, for example, Chopin or Goethe. There will be many stories about mining and the progress of the works over the years. After the trip, you should return to the parking lot where the driver will be waiting to take you to Krakow.