Eastern Europe Discussion Forum

Discussions regarding holidays in Eastern Europe
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Hi Helen

Krakow Tours seem to be the main / most popular tour operator in Krakow. Here's their website: http://www.krakow-tours.pl/

We actually caught the train there from Krakow City Centre, which was really easy and very cheap. It's not too far to walk from the train station to Auschwitz - from memory about 20 minutes - and then you can jump on the shuttle bus (or get a taxi) up to Birkenhau. You can join a tour when you get there or buy a book and do the tour yourself, which is what we did.

Alternavitely, you could catch the bus or hire a taxi (most hotels hire out taxis which will take you up there and wait for you whilst you're inside. I can't remember how much these were, but they weren't too expensive. We hired a taxi to take us up to Zakapone for the day.)

Regarding whether you're inside or outside. It's a mixture of both at Auschwitz and virtually all outside at Birkenhau, which is massive, so you'd want to go when the weather is decent if you can and put on good walking shoes.

Also, be prepared to feel VERY emotional.

Hope this helps a bit. U2fan
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Thanks for that. As we're going in December I think we'll wait and pick a decent day when we get there.
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We got the public bus from Krakow bus station. I think it leaves every 1/2 hour. Drops you right outside AuschwitzI, & picks up at the same place.

I think the cost was about £3 each for the return trip.

As stated above, prepare to be emotionally shocked, & this is from someone that's visited 2 other Concentration Camps! :shock: :(
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I think the trains run every hour to Oswiecim
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Thinking of doing this trip in November but is it suitable for disabled and wheelchair??
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Hi . You may find some info here http://www.auschwitz.org.pl/new/index.php?language=EN&tryb=stale&id=445

but from what I can remember I dont think either camp is very wheelchair friendly as they are more or less as they originally were but you may find a guide would help you .

Auschwitz in particular has many original huts/buildings that are on 2 levels with a double set of stone steps . Birkenhau is a much bigger camp and in the open with rough pathways . I dont think it would be a particularly smooth ride around but it is do-able and I also dont think you would need to go in every building to take in the atmosphere and general feeling .

lyn
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Personally I think it would be very difficult to do the tour in a wheelchair. Like Lyn says you can get the general atmosphere from watching the film at the beginning. At Auschwitz however, the site is full of cobbled pathways, and most buildings have a number of steps to enter them. Birkenhau would be the better site to visit, as it more open. However there isn't so much to see there.
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I agree with Helen that there arnt as many buidlings and displays at birkenau but we found you get much more of "a feel " for what happened there especially if you take a stroll around the more off the beaten track areas over the back .There are paths around that area but the tour guides dont go there . We didnt do a tour and walked around at our own pace ,we took a private taxi who waited for us and dropped us over the back end of the birkenau camp . did you go to that part helen ?? . you have to remember that birkenau was where executions on a much larger scale took place. there is a large buiding over the back that is one level and is more user friendly that contains what was the only way I can describe like a factory conveyor belt of rooms where undressing , delousing , shaving of hair , shower blocks and many other inhumane and degrading acts took place along with the area where outside pits were dug and bodies and people thrown in to burn . These are no longer recognisable as to what they were but there are many information boards and memorials to those that died in these areas giving details of what happened there.Before we went I read a very horrific book and account of what happened at both camps so I was pre-armed with a fairly good knowledge . http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eyewitness-Auschwitz-Three-Years-Chamber/dp/1566632714/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212225816&sr=1-1

if you do decide to go I recommend reading it first and then everything will make sense when you visit.

I cant pretend it will be easy with a wheelchair but it is worth investigating more and maybe email the camp to ask if there is any help available. if you could get a chance to at least see some of what is there and the feel for it I dont think you will regret it . The experience will live with me forever

If you are staying in Krakow there are many mini bus/taxi companies who Im sure will have adapted transport to take you there and if possible will do everything they can to help with information. We paid around £50 for the transport and driver for the whole day. let me know if you need any recommendations I have a few of them .

lyn
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Yes Lyn - our taxi driver dropped us off at the back end, and just the sight of that train track was enough to send shivers sown my spine. I've still got the guide book, and unfortunately there isn't an e mail address in it.
Chrisrhy - I can give you a phone or fax no, if you'd like to make further enquiries. PM me if you want them.
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We did the tour with Krakow Tours and there was a wheelchair user in the group. Although it isn't particularly wheelchair friendly the guide and other members of the group made it possible for this man to see most of what an ablebodied person would by carrying the wheelchair up and down stairs and helping his wife push over the more difficult underfoot areas. I only recall one area that was totally inaccessable due to the corridor being very narrow. That couple had obviously done a few tours with Krakow Tours as the guide already knew them when we picked them up and they were asking him about further tours so it might be worth contacting Krakow Tours.
There was something very poignant about touring Auschwitz and Birkenau with someone in a wheelchair. Everyone else in the group fell over backwards to help that man - a complete stranger - and to make as much as possible accessable for him, and yet it was people like him whom the Nazis viewed as not being worth anything.
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Thinking of going with escape to poland. Its my partners birthday so want to surprise him with this trip but want to get it right. I imagine wheelchairs are difficult as there wouldn't have been much use for one in Auschwitz. Makes your blood run cold dosent it. But he can walk a few steps if its flat. Also is Ryanair best bet from Glasgow. See they have flights from Prestwick. Any e-mail address or ph numbers for tour company would be most appreciated.
Thanks Chris
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Christy - As you are going in November , I wouldn't book ahead anyway. You certainly need a dry day to do this tour. Why not e mail your hotel and explain the situation. They'd probably be able to advise you as to the best tour guides, then you could contact them to see what they suggest. Tours are easy to book once you're there, and you can see what sort of weather you're likely to have. If you look further back in these posts U2fan has listed one tour website.
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Hi chris

We used http://www.krakowadvisor.com whom I cannot recommend highly enough . I also had good recommendations from the TA site for http://www.privateguidesineurope.com/poland_marta.html and
http://www.bobtaxi.com.pl

You will find some companies offer you the taxi type service , others a tour or I believe bobtaxi does a private tour with lunch. It will probably be worth some emails in advance to find out if their transport is adapted for wheelchairs and to get some prices and a general feel for who would be right for what you want but one thing i can say is you will find the polish very accomodating and eager to help. Lovely people. :)

lyn
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I would advice to use public transport. I have used very convenient rail link from Krakow to Osciecim. The camp is not too far from the train staton.
I also think a guide is not needed. It is special place. I think it should be experienced alone, in silence. Everything is shown, everything is written...
Yes, be prepared for emotional experience.
Michal
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Ive just booked to go to Poland for the first time, am going in April next year. Staying in the IBIS which I believe is 10 mins from the city centre (anyone stayed here?). INteresting reading about the way people get here, one question - do the taxi drivers really wait around all day for you when you are in the museum or do they go and then come back later? Just I would feel a bit pressured if I knew someone was waiting hours for me! How long does it take to walk around both sites? Also, stupid question, but are there public toilets etc on these sites?
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Im pretty sure they do at Auschwitz Gary .It is a fairly long drive (from what i can remember about an hour :think ) so i cant see that they would get any benefit from disappearing . They are covered for their days money in the fare . All the taxi drivers congregate in the carpark and have a chat . We found the Polish lovely and nothing was too much trouble . We honestly didnt feel at all pressured , in fact the complete opposite ;)

lyn
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sorry forgot to say . probably a couple of hours for the auschwitz camp which is more compact . Many people dont spend as long at birkenhau but I would say we spent slightly longer there . we walked the whole camp which is huge at our own pace but tour guides tend to skip much of the area towards the back where i would recommend you go

Yes there are public toilets at both camps . Make sure you have some small change to pay the attendant .

You can find my report in this topic http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=17643&p=1152545&hilit=krakow#p1152545
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Gary - yes the taxi drivers do wait for you. They chat amongst each other and drink coffee. We paid £40 for the whole day, so we visited both camps and then the driver asked if we wanted to go shopping. He dropped us off at the shopping mall and said he'd wait for us again, but we told him to go. Our driver was fantastic - got us the tickets and in to see the film without us having to queue. We booked him again for the following day to go to the salt mines - a fantastic experience - and again to take us to the airport. He told us that because we'd booked him for those three trips, it didn't matter if he didn't have fares for the rest of the week, as he'd taken made enough to live on. There was no pressure to rush at all - in fact the complete opposite.
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Is it the Ibis Centrum you're staying at? We were there 2 years ago and found it very well placed. It's close to Wavel and easily 10 minutes from the Market Square.
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