Yes, you can walk around Auschwitz-Birkenau without a guided tour, but you must reserve a free, personalized entry pass online in advance, as numbers are limited, especially during peak seasons when self-guided visits are often restricted to the afternoon (after 4 PM). Entry is free, but guided tours have a fee. Booking early on the official website (visit.auschwitz.org) is crucial, as slots fill quickly.
Entrance to the Museum, to both Auschwitz I and Birkenau parts, is possible only with a personalized entry pass. Their number is limited. Individual visitors may tour the Memorial independently (without a guide) or in organised groups with a guide. Reservations can be made at visit.auschwitz.org.
Visiting Auschwitz is free. Anyone can show up, wait in line, go through the metal detectors, and walk around like you would a museum. But if you want a tour, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum offers them in a variety of languages.
No flash, no tripods inside the buildings. No photography or recording of security checkpoints. No public speaking that disrespects the memory of Auschwitz victims, negates Nazi crimes, defames the complex, or promotes hate in any form. No unattended luggage.
A cynical lie: the inscription above the main gate of Auschwitz I concentration camp: “ARBEIT MACHT FREI” (work makes you free). When the SS ordered them to make this sign, the prisoners placed their hidden message in the word “ARBEIT”: they turned the letter “B” upside down.
KNOW THIS before visiting AUSCHWITZ in POLAND (Planning Tips)
Who was the girl who escaped Auschwitz?
Mala Zimetbaum, the first woman and the first Jewish woman to escape from Auschwitz-Birkenau, was born on January 26, 1918, in Brzesko, Poland, the fifth and youngest daughter of Pinhas and Chaya Zimetbaum.
Material may be used only in undertakings and projects that do not violate the good name of the Victims of Auschwitz. Photography and filming on the Museum grounds for commercial purposes, at spaces closed to visitors or with a drone, require prior approval by the Museum.
How many Auschwitz survivors are still alive in 2025?
As of 2025, there are around 220,000 Holocaust survivors worldwide, though the specific number of Auschwitz survivors isn't detailed separately, with their median age being 87, and numbers rapidly declining as 70% are projected to pass within the next decade. Organizations like the Claims Conference https://www.claimscon.org/demographics2025/ track these demographics, highlighting the urgent need for testimony as these witnesses, many of whom were at Auschwitz (like the 99-year-old Leon Weintraub at the 2025 liberation anniversary), are the last generation to share their direct experiences.
There are no cafes or restaurants on the grounds of the Auschwitz Memorial site and you are not able to take in or eat any food or drink on the grounds either. However, there is a cafe in the car park and vending machines for you to grab a bite to eat either at the start or end of your visit.
A passport or other valid identity document is typically required to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. This is due to security procedures and access control to this historical site. Visitors should have identity documents that confirm their identity and nationality.
Auschwitz covers an area of about 12 square miles (30 square kilometers), and although shuttle buses run between the areas open to visitors, you will still do a lot of walking. Wear sturdy shoes suitable for uneven terrain and clothing that will keep you comfortable for the duration of the tour.
1. Light candles in places other than specifically designated areas, i.e., the Death Wall in Auschwitz I and the International Monument to the Victims of the Camp in Auschwitz II-Birkenau. 2. Carry and consume food or alcohol; smoke cigarettes and e-cigarettes on the visiting route.
Use mobile phones for telephone conversations in the exhibition buildings included in the tour and the silence zone in the courtyard of Block 11. j. Record and take photographs in buildings using flash and tripods. Recording and taking photographs is completely forbidden in Block 4 Room 5 and underground Block 11.
Why are pictures of the Eiffel Tower at night illegal?
The tower's copyright has expired, so daytime images can be used for any purpose. At night, it's a different story. The tower's light installation (1985) is still protected under copyright. So, if you take and share a nighttime picture of the Eiffel Tower, you could be subject to copyright violations.
The ground, especially at Auschwitz-Birkenau, is very uneven. We strongly advise against wearing any form of heeled shoe or light trainers such as converse. Waterproofs / umbrella.
So the bombing of Auschwitz was not a practical proposal in the eyes of British air commanders, because, firstly, the RAF had to concentrate their forces on bombing the military and industrial installations, which were vital for the German war economy, and, secondly, he said that their experience showed that a sporadic ...
Oskar Schindler saved approximately 1,200 Jewish people during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunition factories in Poland and Czechoslovakia, giving them protected status as essential workers and preventing their deportation to death camps, a group known as Schindlerjuden or "Schindler's Jews". He used his personal fortune to bribe Nazi officials and provide for his workers, ultimately saving them from the genocide.
