A full-day private trip from Budapest to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, with hotel pickup, reserved entry and a guided visit of up to 3.5 hours across both parts of the former camp.
Tour Details
- Duration: approx. 16 hours, including up to 3.5 hours at the Memorial
- Tour type: private tour in a car or minivan with an English-speaking driver
- Drive time: around 6 hours each way, with stops along the route
- Pickup: early morning from your hotel in Budapest; drop-off at your hotel at the end of the day
- Guide languages at the Memorial: English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish
- Price: from 160 EUR per person
Description
Six hours of driving in each direction set the rhythm of this day. The Auschwitz tour from Budapest starts before sunrise with a pickup at your hotel. It takes you north to Oświęcim in southern Poland for a guided visit to the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp, then returns you to Budapest late at night. The vehicle and driver are reserved only for your group from the first kilometre to the last.
At the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a local guide takes you through both preserved parts of the site. The visit starts with the brick blocks of Auschwitz I and continues to the vast grounds of Birkenau. Tickets are booked for you in advance. After the guided part, there is up to an hour to rest before the journey south.
Walking the site with a guide turns individual buildings into a connected history. You learn how the camp grew from 1940 onwards, how deportation transports arrived, and who the victims were. They were mostly Jews, as well as Poles, Roma and Sinti, Soviet prisoners of war and people of many other nationalities. The guide helps you understand what each place meant to the people held there.
Auschwitz Tour from Budapest Itinerary
- Early start in Budapest
The driver meets you at your hotel in the early morning. Your exact pickup time is confirmed by email before the tour, based on the length of the journey and the time of your guided visit. - The road north to Oświęcim
The drive from Budapest to Auschwitz takes around six hours in an air-conditioned car or minivan. Stops are made on the way for a rest and refreshments. With the vehicle to yourselves, you can also ask the driver for an extra stop. - Meeting your guide
At the Memorial, you collect your reserved entry and meet your guide. Each visitor receives headphones for the guided visit. Have your passport or ID card ready, since every ticket is issued in the visitor’s name. - Auschwitz I (around 2 hours)
The first part of the visit takes place in the main camp, established in 1940 in former Polish army barracks on the outskirts of Oświęcim. Beyond the gate with its “Arbeit macht frei” inscription, the brick blocks house exhibitions about the deportations and life in the camp. The route includes Block 11, which served as the camp prison, and the Death Wall beside it, where prisoners were shot. - Short transfer
The second part of the Memorial is about 3 km from the main camp. You move between the two sites as part of the guided visit. - Auschwitz II-Birkenau (around 1,5 hour)
Birkenau was the largest part of the Auschwitz complex and the place where most of the Jews deported there were murdered. You walk along the railway unloading ramp and past rows of wooden and brick barracks. At the far end lie the ruins of the gas chambers and crematoria, which the SS blew up before liberation, and the International Monument to the Victims. - Up to 1 hour of free time
Once the guided visit ends, you have up to an hour for a meal, a rest or some quiet time before the return drive. - Journey back to Budapest
The return trip takes around six hours, again with stops. The driver drops you at your hotel late in the evening, roughly 16 hours after the morning pickup.
Prices
Because the car and driver are booked for your group alone, the price per person falls as more people share the tour.
| Group size | Price per person |
|---|---|
| 1 person | 590 EUR |
| 2 persons | 320 EUR |
| 3 persons | 240 EUR |
| 4 persons | 220 EUR |
| 5 persons | 195 EUR |
| 6 persons | 170 EUR |
| 7 persons | 160 EUR |
| 8 persons or more | Price on request |
What is Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in Budapest
- Private car or minivan with an English-speaking driver
- High-quality, air-conditioned minivan or minibus for the whole journey
- Reserved entrance tickets to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau
- Guided visit at the Memorial of up to 3.5 hours in your chosen language
Before you go
- Reserve early: Guided visits at the Memorial often sell out weeks in advance, especially between spring and autumn. An early booking also makes it easier to get a guide in your preferred language.
- Carry identification: Every ticket is issued by name, so each traveller should bring a passport or ID card.
- Small bags only: The Museum allows bags of up to 30 x 20 x 10 cm. Anything larger can be left in the vehicle.
- Age guidance: The Museum does not recommend visits for children under 14.
- Weather and footwear: A large part of the visit, especially at Birkenau, takes place outdoors. Wear sturdy shoes and dress for the season.
- Prepare for the drive: With about 12 hours on the road in total, bring water, snacks and something comfortable to wear in the car.
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Budapest to Auschwitz takes around six hours each way in an air-conditioned vehicle. Stops are made along the route, and as the tour is private, you can ask the driver for additional breaks.
Yes. The tour is planned as one long day of about 16 hours, starting with an early morning hotel pickup and ending with a late evening drop-off. This leaves up to 3.5 hours for the guided visit and up to an hour of free time at the Memorial, with no overnight stay needed.
The driver collects you from your hotel in Budapest in the early morning and brings you back to the same hotel at the end of the day. Your exact pickup time is sent by email before the tour.
Yes. The driver makes stops on the way to Oświęcim and on the return to Budapest. Because the vehicle is reserved for your group only, extra stops can be arranged on request.
The tour is private. Your group travels in its own car or minivan with an English-speaking driver. At the Memorial, a licensed local guide leads the visit in the language you choose.
Yes. The price includes reserved entrance tickets to both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, together with the guided visit of up to 3.5 hours. Each traveller needs to bring a passport or ID card, as tickets are issued by name.
Bring your passport or ID card, comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing for a visit that is largely outdoors. Bags inside the Museum must not exceed 30 x 20 x 10 cm. Snacks and water are helpful for the long drive.
