Krakow: Auschwitz-Birkenau & Salt Mine Day Trip with Pickup

4.61

(490 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We rolled out of Krakow before sunrise, the city still quiet except for our little group shuffling into the van. I’d barely finished my coffee when our guide, Kasia, started sharing bits about what we’d see at Auschwitz-Birkenau. I thought I was ready, but nothing really prepares you for that first moment stepping through the gate. The air felt heavy — not just because it was cold, but because of everything that happened there. Kasia spoke softly, sometimes pausing to let us catch up or just breathe. There were moments when all you could hear were footsteps on gravel and distant voices from other groups. I noticed a woman near me quietly tracing names on a wall; it stuck with me.

The drive to the Wieliczka Salt Mine after was oddly quiet — maybe everyone was just processing. When we got there, it was like entering another world entirely. The staircase down (700 steps!) made my knees wobble a bit, but our salt mine guide cracked jokes about his calves being “the strongest in Poland,” which helped. Underground, the air tasted different — kind of mineral and cool, almost metallic on your tongue if you licked your lips (I did, accidentally). We wandered past chapels carved out of salt and these weirdly beautiful salt lakes reflecting the lamps. At one point someone asked if people ever get lost down here and the guide just grinned: “Only those who don’t listen.”

I didn’t expect to feel so much in one day — grief, awe, even laughter underground. The lunchbox wasn’t fancy but after all that walking it tasted pretty good (even if I dropped half my apple). On the way back to Krakow, someone finally broke the silence with a joke about Polish pickles and we all laughed too hard. Sometimes you need that after a day like this. I still think about that view down in the mine — salt crystals catching light like tiny stars.