In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The combined tours take 11 to 12 hours, with an early pick-up (one operator gives 06:00 to 07:30) and a return to Kraków between 17:00 and 20:00. They include the entry ticket and guided tour at both sites, the coach and a tour leader. Two trips on your own cost PLN 367 (£71.50), with the bus timetable to Oświęcim and a fixed mine slot, and do not fit comfortably into one day. Or book a tour: GetYourGuide’s Auschwitz-Birkenau and salt mine guided tourad is rated 4.7 from 10,236 reviews and runs 11 hours; its itinerary gives 3 hours at the Memorial and 2.5 hours in the mine (GetYourGuide). Prices vary by option and date; the checkout shows the total.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial, and a combined tour puts it in the same day as a salt mine. The Auschwitz-Birkenau tickets page has the Memorial’s booking rules; the combined tours buy the pass for you.
Two trips on your own, costed
Do the trips separately if you can. The sums, for an adult in English:
| Item | PLN | Pounds |
|---|---|---|
| Lajkonik bus to the Museum and back | 54 | £10.50 |
| Guided pass at the Memorial, English | 150 | £29 |
| Train to Wieliczka and back, two 70-minute tickets | 20 | £4 |
| Tourist Route, English | 143 | £28 |
| Total | 367 | £71.50 |
The Memorial pass is booked at visit.auschwitz.org; the mine’s English slot is booked at bilety.kopalnia.pl. The 14:00 bus from the Museum reaches the MDA station at about 15:25, so the mine would start late afternoon. For each trip alone, see Auschwitz-Birkenau tickets and the Wieliczka Salt Mine.
The combined tours
All start in Kraków with pick-up from a meeting point or your hotel, depending on the option. The pass at the Memorial is personal, so give your name as it appears on your ID, and at least 24 hours ahead.
Auschwitz-Birkenau and Salt Mine guided tour
4.7 stars from 10,236 reviews · 11 hours · Super Cracow
The tourad includes both entry tickets, guided tours of both sites, headsets, an air-conditioned bus and a tour leader. Its itinerary: 1.5 hours’ transfer, 2 hours at Auschwitz I, a 10-minute break, 1 hour at Birkenau, 1.5 hours’ transfer, an hour of free time, 2.5 hours in the Wieliczka Salt Mine and a 45-minute transfer back. The tour finishes in Kraków at around 20:00. The guide speaks English. It is not suitable for wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments or babies under 1, and the listing advises bringing snacks and packed lunch.
Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mine guided day tour
4.7 stars from 2,933 reviews · 11 hours · Krakowdirect
The day tourad goes to Wieliczka first: a 40-minute drive, a 2.5-hour guided tour of the mine, a 75-minute drive to Oświęcim and a stop of an hour for lunch and free time, then about 3.5 hours at Auschwitz-Birkenau and the 75-minute drive back. It includes the skip-the-line tickets, a documentary film on the way, headsets and the guides’ tours at both sites, with pick-up from your hotel or a meeting point. Food and drinks are not included.
Auschwitz-Birkenau and Salt Mine, “100% guaranteed”
4.8 stars from 2,134 reviews · 11 hours · Mr.Shuttle
The tourad runs a 2.5-hour English tour of Auschwitz I with the Memorial’s guide, about an hour at Birkenau and a 2.5-hour tour of the mine that starts at around 13:00 to 14:00. Pick-ups run between 06:00 and 07:30, and the return to your hotel is expected by about 17:00 to 17:30, and not later than 19:30. A lunch box is included in one of the options only. The listing’s passes are personalised and need your full name as on your ID at least 24 hours ahead, or you may be refused entry.
Full-day Auschwitz-Birkenau and salt mine tour
4.7 stars from 1,002 reviews · 12 hours
The full-day tourad runs an hour longer than the others.
What to see
- Auschwitz-Birkenau, about 3 to 3.5 hours. The guided visit starts at Auschwitz I and moves to Birkenau, with the Memorial’s guide. The rules for bags, photographs and behaviour are the Memorial’s own, and are on the tickets page.
- Wieliczka, about 2.5 hours underground. The mine’s Tourist Route is guided, 135 metres down, with about 800 steps, at 17 to 18 °C.
- The order. Most of these tours visit the Memorial first and the mine in the afternoon; the Krakowdirect tour reverses it.
- Food. Eating is prohibited inside the Memorial. The Krakowdirect tour stops for lunch in Oświęcim, and the mine has the Bistro Posolone on the surface.
The Staszic Chamber in the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Photo: Falk2, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Practical information
- Pick-up. One operator gives 06:00 to 07:30, with the exact time confirmed the day before. Meeting points on these listings include Wielopole 2, Starowiślna 65 and Pawia 18a.
- Return. Between 17:00 and 20:00 depending on the tour.
- Closed days. The Memorial is closed on 25 December 2026, 1 January 2027 and Easter Sunday, and the mine on 1 November, 24 December and 25 December 2026. A combined tour cannot run on those days.
- ID. Carry the passport or ID card whose name you gave at booking.
- Not suitable. Wheelchair users, and people with mobility impairments on some listings; children under 12 on others.
Both sites are among the day trips from Kraków, and Auschwitz tours from Kraków compares the Memorial-only coach tours. Zakopane is the other full-day trip. Kraków public transport covers the way to the MDA bus station and the station, 3 days in Kraków shows where a day away fits, and where to stay in Kraków has the areas for the nights either side.
Common questions
Can you see Auschwitz and Wieliczka in one day from Kraków?
Yes, on a combined coach tour of 11 to 12 hours, with an early-morning pick-up and a return to Kraków in the late afternoon or evening. Two separate trips on your own do not fit comfortably into one day.
What does a combined Auschwitz and Wieliczka tour include?
The entry ticket and guided tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the entry ticket and guided tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the coach, headsets and a tour leader. Lunch is not included except in one option of one listing, so bring food.
How much does it cost to do Auschwitz and Wieliczka on your own?
PLN 367 (£71.50) for an adult: the Lajkonik bus (PLN 54), the guided pass in English (PLN 150), the train to Wieliczka (PLN 20) and the Tourist Route in English (PLN 143). The tours' prices vary by option and date.
Which comes first on a combined tour, Auschwitz or the salt mine?
On most of the tours Auschwitz-Birkenau comes first, then the mine in the afternoon. One tour, rated 4.7 from 2,933 reviews, visits Wieliczka first and Auschwitz-Birkenau afterwards.
