23 Sep 2024
We booked through Mr Shuttle to do the Auschwitz and Birkenau tour. The transport to, from and between the sites was excellent. However the tours themselves were rushed and didn’t really do justice to the sites. Clearly the tour guide was working to a very strict time constraint and you are essentially whisked through without any time to look at exhibits, take things in or reflect. You would often get left behind if you dared not keep up with the pace of the tour guide. A number of key features at both sites were omitted from the tours. Birkenau came across as the most rushed; the tour guide marched us to the top of the site, and then quickly back to the bottom again and it wasn’t easy to keep up the pace he was setting on sometimes uneven ground. We finished the day feeling a bit bemused by it all, and just felt like we’d been hurtled through it for the sake of keeping to a set timetable. These two sites deserve far more time and respect, and this tour really only ticks the box for anyone who just wants to say ‘i’ve been there’.