Krakow to Auschwitz
 

I'll be in Krakow at the end of this month and would like to know the best way to get from the city to Auschwitz. What would it cost to take a taxi? Any other suggestions?

Transporting tourists to Auschwitz is a cottage industry in Krakow. You will have a number of options, most significantly cheaper than taking a taxi.
The centers of activity are the train and bus station.
They are both next to each other in Krakow.

Trains to Oswiecim (the town where Auschwitz is located) leave every couple of hours. From there the camp is within walking distance. Buses also leave every hour or two for the trip. It will take approximately one and one-half to two hours to reach the camp.

Additionally, there are a number of independent buses (airport shuttle bus-type) that make the trip. They tend to collect tourists in the parking lot in front of the bus terminal in Krakow.

Make sure you give yourself enough time. There are actually two camps at Auschwitz, separated by about two miles. There is a free shuttle bus that runs between the two camps. The first camp that you will see is the one with the infamous "Work will set you free" sign on the entrance. Many of the housing units have been converted into museums, and it will take you a while to visit.

I found the second camp Birkenau far more emotional. It is very large, and will take you some time to walk around.

Yup,
Not only that but also more buses by the main post office.
Not sure what the loads are, but from how many tourists I saw last few days here in Krakow (place is packed), wouldn't hurt calling/emailing up the hotel for some recommended "better" tour companies and prebooking a trip. Seems going rate is about 120PLN for transport + English tour per person.

I never been there, so I can't really comment on any tour companies but here are a few links I pulled up
http://www.auschwitztour.com/auschwitz_tours.html
http://www.krakow-tours.pl/tour.php?tour_id=23
http://www.auschwitz-tours.com/auschwitz_tour.html

Also, it is a full day, so don't plan really anything to early in the evening. They all say back about 4pm. I'd say 5pm at least from what friends mentioned.

When will you be arriving? A few other FTers will be in Krakow this month also.

be prepared to get very upset. i was at the second site for no more than 5 mins, the scale of the place is harrowing..

also be prepared for idiotic tourists, and slip away from the tour groups as fast as you can, some of the dumb questions people ask are just so offensive..

I would also add, if you can, avoid going on weekends, a lot of the Ryanair English stag party folks are in town on weekends, and some make the trip, not exactly the crowd you want in a place like Auschwitz.

Start practicing saying Oswiecim (osh-vien-chim), the public buses from the bus station are plentiful, look for Oswiecim Muzeum

You can go with a tour, but since its so easy to get to/from, you may not want to be on anyone's schedule for the visit.

would anyone recommend renting a car and driving as a good option?

Have the same question about driving yourself out there. I will be in Krakow mid July and get there on a Saturday - but will have our rental car until Monday. So was thinking of driving out myself instead of hiring a tour company.

It's about 60-70km depending on the route you choose.

You can take the toll A4 for part of the way, or you can just go through the country side (single lane road) like the bus does. Havent been on that road for a couple years now, so cant comment on the condition of it, but it wasn't memorable in a bad way.

The part that will probably take the longest will be getting out of Krakow proper, although on a Sunday shouldn't be so bad.

Oswiecim itself is a small town and you will have no problems,

With a good map or GPS, driving is a good option :)

Lock your car and do not leave anything tempting visible, that goes for all of Poland

If you've already got the car, driving may be a viable option. Altho I generally don't like travelling wiht groups, it seemed (unlike stag partiers) everyone on our bus was already getting emotionally prepared for the visit, so no boisterous and obnoxious behavior.

A visit to any of the concentration camps is an emotionally-draining day.

Never again!

Agree with the cottage industry. I hired a chap who drove me and who arranged my housing (spare room in an elderly woman's apartment).

Also agree about staying away from the crowds at both Auschwitz camps - some of their behavior makes you cringe.

Car should be good.
Driving in/out of Krakow will take a while no matter what time of the day it is. Weekends are better.
I would recommend taking A4. Toll is very small (6.50PLN for each booth and there are 2) and it saves some time including if you take the country road and get stuck behind a line of buses/cars going 40km/hr

I was so devastated by being there that I would not have wanted to drive afterwards, but you may feel differently.

Try to go in a group with a Survivor
 

I don't know how feasible it is to arrange when you get there and suspect it's something you need to sort out well in advance. However, some of the tour groups are led/accompanied by survivors.

From personal experience, it makes a huge difference to tour the two camps (Auschwitz and Birkenau) with such a survivor. You can only imagine the difference it makes to your visit to be listening to a survivor stand by the railway lines in Birkenau and describe "when we were forced off the trains" and "we stood in line" and "my mother was told to go in a separate line" and "I never saw her again"......

Well worth doing if you can.

I did the train years ago, worked out fine. It was a deeply sad but enriching (not sure if that's the right word) experience. Would not want to do it again, but for those who have not done it and who are in Poland (or nearby), it should be mandatory.

I feel it should be mandatory for everyone on Earth to visit, as a lesson on "Pay attention what's happening in your home country, don't let this happen again."

Do allow more time than you think. I took an early morning train out and late afternoon train back. The inmates were taken there by train. It is so comforting to know that, unlike them, you have a train ticket to leave.

Start at the small camp, there is a movie, pick up a guidebook with a map. Tour the barracks, the exhibits inside will move you. The one that got me was the shoes. . .

But Birkenau. . .none of my pre-trip reading really explained the one thing you have to experience: the size of the place.