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Off on a work visit to Poland next week for a couple of days and will have a day to myself so I'd like to get over to Auschwitz if I can.
I'm staying in Krakow but have a day in Kielce followed by a day off so will be travelling from Krakow to Auschwitz. As someone who is 101% useless with public transport in England let alone abroad is it worth doing one of the guided trips like this? http://www.auschwitz-tours.com/auschwitz_tour.html?gclid=CMGYzfjDsscCFcTItAodaEMELA
For £28 door to door it seems pretty good value, or is there a better way of doing it?
I'm not sure if it was the same company, but we did a similar tour for about the same price back in May.
My only criticism was that you only had time for the guided tour in each camp...it meant that you couldn't take your time wondering about contemplating, also you don't see all of it.
But it still pretty much filled the day.
The lunch was ok, pretty basic with a cold pasta salad, bottle of water and chocolate thing. There's a place to eat near Auschwitz which offers cooked food if you wish.
Make sure you've got a few 1 Zloty coins as you'll need that to go to the loo.
I like Krakow...it's a nice place and everything's cheap. Food is good, and I actually liked some of the vodka (Chopin Vodka). There seemed to be two main brands of beer...one I liked, one I didn't (that doesn't help much as I can't remember which was Zyweic and which was Tyskie).
We went in May and didn't bother with a tour, just got on one of the buses at the bus station, they're pretty regular and very easy. One thing we hadn't checked was the return bus timetables, be aware they stop for lunch but other than that they are regular. Think it cost a few euros each way.
If you have time I'd recommend the Wieliscka salt mines too
Krakow was great, Auschwitz was pretty harrowing, possible made worse by Israeli guys walking around with the Israeli flag on their backs like football fans.
Our Polish guide was a bit rubbish as well.
I think in context that's perfectly acceptable behaviour - indeed, possibly the only time it's okay to wear a flag like a superhero costume
you can also get the train, you just have to walk ten minutes to the main gate
make sure to see the Sinti/Roma pavilion - no-one else does 🙁
Top tip if you do it yourself on public transport:
Auschwitz in Polish is O?wi?cim
On my must-do list.
Is it wrong that I'm slightly eyebrows raised / inwardly a very slight smirk that someone's description of the lunch was 'basic' - given the context of the subject matter?
Am I going to hell?
We hired a car. Wasn't expensive and it allowed to leave a bit later than the tours. Meant we had a bit of time at Auschwitz without hoards of tourists and time walk around Birkenau and get to the far edges. Its a huge site. We also drove around the factory site. Hard to tell what's original if anything but I felt it added to the experience. Auschwitz is more than the gas chambers; huge numbers died from living and working conditions.
You may need to book in advance for Auschwitz 1 if you want a tour. I think it is not possible to get in without a tour at certain times though. Our guide was rubbish, but there is very little signage if you want to navigate round yourself.
Krakow is very nice. Easy city to walk around. The Jewish quarter is interesting with nice cafes. The transport museum is worth popping in for half an hour. Over the river the old ghetto is worth seeing but hard to tell what's what. The shindler museum helps a bit but is about the occupation in general.
Is it wrong that I'm slightly eyebrows raised / inwardly a very slight smirk that someone's description of the lunch was 'basic' - given the context of the subject matter?Am I going to hell?
Not sure what you mean...do you mean that people should be grateful for whatever they receive given the location/context?
I might have to go back to Krakow as its 25 years since I last went. Kazimierz was still derelict then (an old girlfriend wrote her doctoral Thesis on the area, and was involved in the bringing of it back to life), but I don't think I'd want to go back to Auschwitz again, or to Wieliczka either. Krinica was nice to visit for the spa, and of course the Tatra Mountains (once outside of Zakopane).
Thanks everyone, tour booked. It's only a group of 8 so hopefully it won't be too bad.
Found a shooting range not far from where I'm staying too, not shot a pistol since the mid 90s so along with the AK's, Uzis and MP5s it might get expensive!
Been to the holocaust museum in Israel, expect to suddenly start crying, and as you look round others will be doing the same, in israel there where armed guards with machine guns on the entrance and armed guards walking round, Poland appears a bit more liberal.