Auschwitz vs Birkenau: What’s the Difference and Which to Visit

Auschwitz and Birkenau are not rival sites you pick between. They are two parts of one memorial, about 3.5 km apart, and the museum itself says you should see both. Auschwitz I is the original camp, a place of barracks, exhibitions and administration. Birkenau (Auschwitz II) is the vast, open site where most of the mass murder took place. Here is how they differ, what you will see at each, and how to plan the day.

Key Takeaways

• Auschwitz I was the first camp (1940) and the administrative centre. Birkenau (Auschwitz II) was built from 1942 as the main killing site.
• The museum advises seeing both parts to understand the place properly, with at least about 90 minutes at each.
• The two sites are 3.5 km apart. A free shuttle bus links them, and the museum’s standard tours cover both.
• Entry to the grounds is free, but you must reserve an entry card online, and groups must use a museum guide.
• From Kraków, a guided tour with transport and hotel pickup takes the logistics off your hands.

Table of Contents

• What the names actually mean
• Auschwitz I and Birkenau side by side
• Auschwitz I: the original camp
• Birkenau: the killing site
• Do you need to visit both?
• Getting between the two sites
• Booking and prices: what to expect
• Planning a respectful visit
• Our perspective
• Visit both with ComFort Tours
• FAQ
• Sources

What the names actually mean

The naming causes most of the confusion, so let us start there. According to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, Auschwitz is the German name for the town of Oświęcim, and Birkenau is the German name for the village of Brzezinka. The museum stands on the site of the former German concentration and extermination camp.

The wider complex had three main parts, as the USHMM Holocaust Encyclopedia explains:

• Auschwitz I, the main camp, established in 1940.
• Auschwitz II-Birkenau, where a killing centre was established in 1942.
• Auschwitz III-Monowitz, a forced-labour camp established in 1941, with more than 100 subcamps connected to it.

Today, the memorial covers two preserved parts: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Monowitz is not part of the museum site. The two parts total 191 hectares, of which 20 hectares are Auschwitz I and 171 are Birkenau. The site has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage list since 1979.

Auschwitz I and Birkenau side by side

Figures come from the museum’s pages on Auschwitz I and its camp history.

Auschwitz I: the original camp

The SS set up the camp in 1940 on the edge of Oświęcim. The first transport of Poles arrived from Tarnów prison on 14 June 1940. Until early 1942 it worked purely as a concentration camp, where prisoners died slowly through starvation and inhuman conditions.

It was also the nerve centre. The museum notes that the commandant’s office and most SS offices were here, along with the central jail in Block 11, the first experiments with Zyklon B, and most of the shootings. The main SS workshops and companies were here too, and working in them was the principal labour assignment for prisoners.

For visitors, this is the part with buildings to walk into. The museum’s guidebook describes the route through blocks 4, 5, 6, 7 and 11, the crematorium and gas chamber, the courtyard of Block 11 and the national exhibitions on the fate of people deported from across occupied Europe. It is personal and detailed, with prisoners’ belongings and photographs.

Birkenau: the killing site

Birkenau was founded in March 1942. The museum’s topography page describes prisoner barracks, gas chambers, four crematoria and a complex of 30 warehouses for victims’ belongings. From 1944 a three-track railway spur ran inside the camp, where selections of Jewish transports took place.

The museum states that Birkenau is where the Nazis built most of the machinery of mass extermination, in which they murdered approximately one million European Jews. It was also the largest camp, with nearly 300 barracks, most of them wooden. According to the USHMM, about 1.1 million people were killed across Auschwitz, including roughly 1,000,000 Jews, 70,000 Poles, 21,000 Roma and Sinti and 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war.

What you see now is very different from Auschwitz I. There are few rooms to enter. Instead there is scale: the ramp, rows of barracks and chimneys, the fence line stretching into the distance, and the ruins of gas chambers and crematoria II to V. Many visitors tell us this is the part that silences a group. We walk it slowly, with room for quiet.

Do you need to visit both?

Yes, if you can. The museum says it is essential to visit both parts to gain a proper sense of the place, and suggests a minimum of about 90 minutes at each. Auschwitz I tells you how the system began and ran. Birkenau shows you what it became. One without the other leaves out half of the story.

The museum’s own tour formats reflect this. The tour options page lists general tours of 2.5 and 3.5 hours, a 6-hour study tour, and longer study tours up to 8 hours, each covering both camps. The 3.5-hour general tour includes the permanent exhibitions at Auschwitz I, then the barracks, unloading platform and ruins of crematorium II or III at Birkenau. Longer tours add national exhibitions, the Sauna building, the area known as Kanada and crematoria IV and V.

Getting between the two sites

The distance is 3.5 km. You can walk it through Oświęcim’s streets, but most visitors use the museum’s free shuttle bus, which also carries wheelchair users on a special platform. The museum notes that Auschwitz I involves roughly 1,300 m of walking, and Birkenau more than 2,000 m on uneven historic surfaces. If mobility is a concern, our page on wheelchair access for UK visitors goes through the practicalities.

If you are staying in Kraków, our guide to the distance from Kraków and transfers explains the journey time of around 66 to 70 km each way.

Booking and prices: what to expect

Admission to the grounds is free, but the museum says you must reserve an entry card online at visit.auschwitz.org, as none are sold at the entrance. Groups must engage a museum guide, for a fee. Guides work in English and around twenty other languages.

The museum’s price list, valid from 2 January 2026, sets an individual guided tour of 3.5 hours with headphones at 150 PLN in languages other than Polish. The 6-hour study tour is 190 PLN. A group of ten pays 970 PLN for the 3.5-hour general tour. Check the museum’s page for current rates before you book.

Guides should be reserved at least a month ahead because of visitor numbers. If your date has sold out, our guide to what to do when Auschwitz tickets sell out lists other routes in.

Planning a respectful visit

A few practical points make the day easier:

1. Allow the full day. Even the shorter tour is around 3.5 hours, plus travel. Do not squeeze it between other plans.
2. Dress for the weather. Much of Birkenau is outdoors and exposed.
3. Go in with the right mindset. This is a cemetery and a memorial. Quiet voices and respectful behaviour matter.
4. Think about age. Our visiting guide helps you decide what suits your group.

Travelling in a larger party or with a company? Planning ahead with a trusted group travel organiser can help with transport and timing for the wider trip.

Our perspective

We have taken guests to Auschwitz-Birkenau for years, and the most common question we hear is whether they should see “Auschwitz” or “Birkenau”. Our answer is always both, in that order.

We keep our groups small because this is not a place for crowds. With fewer people, your guide can pause when you need to, answer quietly, and fit the pace to your group. We pick up from your hotel in Kraków and handle the transport, so your energy goes to the visit and not to timetables.

Our guides tell the story with care and historical detail, in multiple languages. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a family or travelling solo, we shape the day around you.

Damian Fort

Visit both with ComFort Tours

Our Auschwitz Birkenau live-guided tour with transportation and hotel pickup takes you to both sites from Kraków, with a small group and a licensed guide. We also run a private option, Auschwitz Birkenau Museum with private transport, for those who prefer their own pace. For help choosing, see our plan your visit page.

If you also want a Birkenau-focused overview, our Birkenau visit guide covers it in detail. Need a driver for the day? Look at our private driver service.

FAQ

Can you walk from Auschwitz to Birkenau?

Yes. The two sites are 3.5 km apart and the museum says the walk of about three kilometres is possible through the streets of Oświęcim. Most visitors take the free museum shuttle bus instead, which saves time and energy.

Is Birkenau part of Auschwitz?

Yes. Birkenau is Auschwitz II, one of the camps in the Auschwitz complex. Today the museum and memorial cover both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

Can I visit only Birkenau or only Auschwitz I?

You can, but the museum recommends visiting both to get a proper sense of the place. Auschwitz I has the exhibitions and Birkenau has the scale and the ruins of the gas chambers.

How long should I allow?

The museum suggests at least about 90 minutes at each site. Its general tour with a guide takes around 3.5 hours, and longer study tours run to 6 or 8 hours.

Sources

• General information about the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
• USHMM Holocaust Encyclopedia glossary
• Basic information on Auschwitz
• Memorial timeline
• KL Auschwitz-Birkenau history
• Auschwitz I history
• Plan your visit
• The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial: A Guidebook
• The Topography of the Camp
• USHMM Auschwitz article
• Visiting the Memorial
• Tours options
• Getting to the Museum
• Information for persons with mobility difficulties
• Entry pass price list, valid from 2 January 2026

Recommended

• Birkenau Visit Guide: What You Need to Know in 2026
• Plan yours visit to Auschwitz Birkenau Museum – ComFort Tours Cracow
• Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial – ComFort Tours Cracow
• Auschwitz Memorial Visiting Guide – ComFort Tours Cracow