Krakow in 3 Days: Jewish Heritage, Auschwitz & Salt Mine

Experience Krakow through stories of faith, memory, and endurance. This 3-day guided journey leads you from the Jewish Quarter and wartime sites to the depths of the Wieliczka Salt Mine and the memorial landscape of Płaszów. Each stop reveals a new layer of Poland’s history — all carefully planned, so you can focus on discovery, not logistics.

Highlights:

• Walk through Kazimierz, Schindler’s Factory, and the former Ghetto

• Discover the memory and meaning behind historic places

• Visit Auschwitz-Birkenau with an official museum guide

• Uncover hidden wonders deep in the Wieliczka Salt Mine

• Reflect at the Płaszów Memorial Site

• Enjoy a traditional lunch on the third day of your tour

• A respectful journey through history and heritage

Designed for travelers who value authenticity and reflection, this 3-day tour connects culture, remembrance, and resilience. With everything arranged — guides, entries, and transfers — you’ll explore the region’s most meaningful sites at a thoughtful pace, gaining insight and inspiration along the way.

Itinerary:

Day 1 – Kazimierz & Schindler Museum & Ghetto

Kazimierz Jewish Quarter / 1h30min/ Admission Ticket Free

Begin your journey in Kazimierz, Kraków’s historic Jewish Quarter and one of the city’s most fascinating districts. For centuries, this area was the heart of Jewish life in Kraków — a vibrant center of faith, learning, and community. Walk along its narrow cobbled streets lined with centuries-old synagogues, prayer houses, and traditional townhouses. Hear stories of rabbis, merchants, and families who shaped the rhythm of daily life long before the war. Your guide will bring to life the sounds, colors, and traditions that once filled these streets — from bustling marketplaces to moments of quiet reflection in hidden courtyards.

Schindler Factory Museum / 1h30min / Admision Ticket Included

Step into one of Kraków’s most visited museums — Schindler’s Enamel Factory, where history comes alive through powerful exhibitions and expert storytelling. This is not a simple biographical museum, but a comprehensive journey through the years of Nazi occupation, showing how war transformed the city and the lives of its people.

With a licensed expert guide, you’ll skip the long ticket lines and explore the exhibition “Kraków under Nazi Occupation 1939–1945.” Housed in the former enamel factory of Oskar Schindler, the museum focuses not only on his story, but above all on the daily experiences of Kraków’s Jewish and non-Jewish residents during the war.

As you move through the galleries, you’ll encounter original artifacts, photographs, and immersive reconstructions. Much of the exhibition unfolds in a series of narrow, dimly lit rooms, deliberately designed to make visitors feel confined — echoing the fear, pressure, and uncertainty that dominated life under Nazi rule. The setting creates a visceral atmosphere that turns history into lived experience.

Within this broader narrative, you’ll also hear about Oskar Schindler and how his factory provided refuge to more than a thousand Jewish workers. His story is set against the wider backdrop of persecution, deportations, and the destruction of Kraków’s Jewish community, making clear both the scale of tragedy and the importance of individual acts of courage.

Kraków Jewish Ghetto / 1h  / Admission Ticket Free

Continue your journey through the Kraków Ghetto, where remnants of the original ghetto wall still stand as silent witnesses to the suffering endured there. Visit Ghetto Heroes Square, once the site of mass deportations, now home to the haunting Chair Memorial, each empty chair representing a life lost. Nearby, see the Under the Eagle Pharmacy, where the brave pharmacist Tadeusz Pankiewicz risked his life to provide medicine, shelter, and hope to ghetto residents.

This tour offers more than sightseeing — it’s a powerful encounter with Kraków’s past. Guided by local experts, you’ll walk through streets that once thrived with prewar Jewish life, then bore witness to tragedy, and leave with a deeper understanding of the city’s history, memory, and enduring spirit.

Day 2 – Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum

Transfer Krakow → Oświęcim / 1h30min / Included

Travel in a comfortable, air-conditioned group vehicle.

Auschwitz I Museum / 2h  / Admission Included

Visit the first part of the camp with a licensed museum guide. See original barracks, exhibits, and the remnants of daily life inside the camp.

Short Break / 15min / Facilities on Site

Auschwitz II–Birkenau / 1h15min/ Admission Included

Continue to Birkenau to see the remains of gas chambers, crematoria, and rail platforms. Your museum guide provides sensitive commentary throughout.

Return to Krakow / 1h30min / Included

Reflect quietly on the way back after a day of remembrance and understanding.

Day 3 – Wieliczka Salt Mine, Lunch & Plaszow Camp 

Transfer Krakow → Wieliczka / 30min / Included

Depart from Krakow for a short, comfortable drive to one of Poland’s most unique UNESCO sites.

Wieliczka Salt Mine / 2h30min / Admission Included

Descend 135 meters underground with an in-house guide and explore magnificent chambers, salt sculptures, and the breathtaking Chapel of St. Kinga.

Transfer Back to Krakow / 30min / Included

Return to the city after your underground adventure.

Lunch Break / 1–2h / Included

Enjoy a hearty meal at a local bistro near the city center — the perfect way to relax after the visit.

Płaszów Memorial Site / 2h / Admission Free

Conclude your journey at the former Płaszów concentration camp, now a peaceful memorial site. Walk through the grounds where thousands once suffered and learn about the victims, survivors, and the history preserved in silence.

Meeting point (on the first day): ul. Szeroka 24, 31-053 Krakow. Meet your guide on the steps of the Old Synagogue. They will hold an excursions.city sign  (click to go to the Google maps)  
Endpoint(on the last day): ul. Lipowa 4, Kraków  

ENG Contact Number: +48 727 001 040
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