The Tailor-Made Guide to The Concentration Camps of The Holocaust - Auschwitz Birkenau
- Barry Pickard
- Jan 9
- 8 min read
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Regardless of this, please be advised that all opinions expressed in this blog post are genuine and authentically my own.
Author: Barry Pickard
Hi, I'm Barry, the owner of Tailor-Made Itineraries and I have been designing bespoke self-guided tours for adventurous and curious travellers since 2015. I am a history graduate with a passion for travel.
I created this blog to show, through my own adventures, how you can have an incredible travel experience as an independent traveller, giving you the information to navigate the world with confidence.
Contents
"Forever let this place be a cry of despair and a warning to humanity where the Nazis murdered about one and half million men, women, and children mainly Jews from various countries of Europe. Auschwitz-Birkenau 1940 – 1945" - English memorial tablet at the International Memorial in former Auschwitz II-Birkenau site
How do you prepare to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau? Standing beneath the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate, watching grey clouds drift across the Polish sky, I realised no amount of reading could have truly prepared me for the weight of walking ground where over 1.1 million people were murdered – but knowing what to expect practically made the experience more meaningful.
The smell of damp earth hits you first as you walk the paths between brick barracks at Auschwitz I. Railway tracks cut through Birkenau's 425 acres, rusting quietly under open sky, and when wind moves through the barbed wire fences, it creates a low whistle that seems to carry decades of grief. Inside the exhibits, the silence is absolute – broken only by footsteps on wooden floors as visitors move past displays of confiscated belongings: mountains of shoes, suitcases with names still visible, eyeglasses that once belonged to specific people with specific lives.
I'm Barry, a history graduate who's been designing self-guided tours since 2015, and I need to be honest with you – visiting Auschwitz was one of the most challenging experiences I've undertaken as a traveller. Not logistically challenging, but emotionally. As someone who researches and plans itineraries professionally, I approached this visit with extensive preparation, but there's a profound difference between understanding Holocaust history intellectually and standing in the actual gas chambers where families were murdered. That gap between knowledge and visceral experience is exactly why I'm writing this guide.
If you're planning to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau and you're trying to understand what the experience entails, how to book tickets, whether to take a guided tour or explore independently, and what you'll actually see at both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, you've found the right resource. I'll walk you through the practical logistics – from booking free admission online to understanding the layout of both camps – and help you prepare mentally for what's genuinely a life-changing visit. This isn't about ticking off a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's about bearing witness to one of humanity's darkest chapters and ensuring these atrocities are never forgotten. I spent hours walking these grounds, and I'll share everything you need to make your visit as meaningful and respectful as possible.
Don’t forget that Tailor-Made Itineraries delights in creating bespoke self-guided tours. So, if visiting Auschwitz is of interest to you, reach out to me by email. I would be more than happy to design a self-guided tour around your requirements incorporating Auschwitz, or indeed, a general tour of Poland.
Concentration Camps of The Holocaust - Auschwitz Birkenau
Historical Context
Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps in Poland during World War II. The complex includes Auschwitz I (the original camp) and Auschwitz II-Birkenau (the extermination camp), where over 1.1 million people perished, Auschwitz III–Monowitz (a labor camp to staff an IG Farben factory), and 45 satellite camps. Built by the Third Reich, Auschwitz represents one of the darkest chapters of human history.
Auschwitz I
At Auschwitz I, visitors can enter museum exhibits that vividly document the lives lost and horrors endured here. Admission is free, and I would highly recommend that you book your tickets online. Visitors can explore independently, but guided tours are available, although there is a charge for this. The exhibits are carefully signed in Polish and English, making them accessible to all, while the UNESCO designation underscores the importance of preserving the history of the concentration camps of the Holocaust.
Visitors walk beneath the haunting "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign, past displays of confiscated belongings that speak volumes about the people brought here. Key locations include the crematorium, gas chamber, punishment block, and Death Wall, each with powerful reminders of the past.
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A mile from the main camp lies Auschwitz II-Birkenau, the largest camp, covering approximately 425 acres. It was built primarily for mass extermination and could hold over 100,000 prisoners at its peak. This vast expanse includes rows of barracks, guard towers, and the infamous rail line that brought countless people to their deaths. Many structures were built by prisoners who were forced into labour, underscoring the brutal conditions that were an inherent part of camp life.
The design of Birkenau was meticulous and industrial. Most inmates were brought to Auschwitz by train. Railway tracks led directly to the gas chambers, intended to maximize the efficiency of transportation and extermination. Some gas chambers and crematoria, constructed in 1943, could incinerate thousands of bodies each day. Though most of these buildings were destroyed by the Nazis in an attempt to cover evidence, some ruins remain and have been carefully preserved as solemn reminders.
The barracks at Auschwitz II-Birkenau were initially designed as stables and were not fit for human habitation. The cramped quarters lacked proper ventilation, and hygiene was virtually non-existent, which resulted in rampant disease. Hundreds of people would be crammed into a single barrack, forced to share the few available facilities.
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The Ramp and Selection Process
One of the most heart-wrenching areas in Birkenau is the "selection ramp," where prisoners were separated by SS officers immediately upon arrival. Many families were separated permanently here, with some individuals sent directly to gas chambers and others forced into labour. Doctors stood at this ramp, conducting brutal "selections" in which they determined who was "fit" for labour and who would be sent to immediate death. Those deemed unfit included the elderly, sick, young children, and mothers with children, and they were sent to the gas chambers within hours of arrival.
The barracks and remnants of the selection ramp remind visitors of the human cost of the Nazi regime's systematic cruelty. Despite the camp's open spaces, it’s difficult to ignore the sense of confinement and dread that would have filled this place.
Preserving Authenticity
Today, the Auschwitz Birkenau museum is meticulously preserved to honour the memory of those who suffered. Various items recovered from the site—such as shoes, eyeglasses, suitcases, prosthetics, and household items—are preserved and displayed to illustrate the scale of devastation. Each object tells a personal story, reminding visitors of the humanity behind each life lost in the Nazi extermination camps.
The museum’s mission is to educate visitors on the Holocaust to ensure that the atrocities committed are neither forgotten nor repeated. Every January, on the anniversary of its liberation, the Auschwitz camp hosts commemorative events, and many educational programs are offered to visitors year-round, allowing younger generations to learn about the Holocaust and its impact.
Additional Resources for Visitors
For those planning a visit, it’s important to prepare for a deeply moving experience. Comfortable shoes are advisable due to the extensive walking required across large, uneven grounds, particularly in Birkenau. Additionally, it is recommended to book tickets online in advance, as the site has limited capacity to manage visitor numbers and preserve the peaceful atmosphere necessary for such a place of reflection.
Conclusion
Visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau demands something from you that typical travel experiences don't. Walking the selection ramp where families were separated forever, standing in barracks designed as stables but crammed with hundreds of prisoners, seeing mountains of personal belongings stripped from people before they were murdered – it transforms Holocaust history from abstract numbers into individual human tragedies.
The museum's meticulous preservation ensures every visitor confronts the industrial scale of Nazi genocide while never losing sight of the individual lives lost. Whether you explore independently or take a guided tour, wear comfortable shoes for extensive walking across both sites, and book tickets online in advance. Most importantly, come prepared to reflect deeply on what you're witnessing. Auschwitz isn't just a memorial to those who perished here; it's a stark reminder of what happens when hatred goes unchecked, and why we must never allow such atrocities to happen again.
Related Blog Posts
If you are interested in finding out more about Poland, please view the Tailor-Made Itineraries posts below:
If you would like more information on the dark history of the Nazis extermination camps and how to visit these sites, please view the Tailor-Made Itineraries posts below:
On a Monumental Scale – Holocaust memorials in Warsaw
Where to Stay
The Auschwitz death camp location is in the small town of Oświęcim. Most visitors to Auschwitz Birkenau choose to stay in the city of Krakow, which is a one hour drive away by car, or around one and a half hours by bus. Having stayed in Krakow a number of times, I can recommend the Hotel Saski Krakow Curio Collection by Hilton, which is almost on the stunning town square, or the Hotel Ibis Krakow Centrum, which is a stone's throw away from the castle.
If you are looking to stay in Oświęcim there are a handful of hotels to choose from, such as the Hotel Imperiale and the Hotel Galicja Wellness & SPA.
Share your reflections about visiting Auschwitz in the comments below – these conversations help ensure we never forget what happened here.
Don’t forget that Tailor-Made Itineraries delights in creating bespoke self-guided tours. So, if visiting Auschwitz is of interest to you, reach out to me by email. I would be more than happy to design a self-guided tour around your requirements incorporating Auschwitz, or indeed, a general tour of Poland.
Tailor-Made Itineraries posts every two weeks, and you can subscribe to the latest blog and newsletter here. Until then, happy reading and safe travels.
Barry
Contact Me: tailoritineraries@gmail.com
Tailor-Made Itineraries creates one-of-a-kind bespoke self-guided travel itineraries for adventurous and curious travellers.
These self-guided tours deliver a personalised and exciting holiday experience that takes the effort out of trip planning.
Map of Auschwitz-Birkenau
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