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The złoty, not the euro, and the memorial you now have to book before you arrive
Poland is in the European Union but not the euro, so the price you see is in złoty and the euros in your wallet are not spending money here. The country's most-visited site has also changed how it works: from 2026 the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial is entry-by-online-booking only, with nothing sold at the gate. This guide covers that booking rule, the currency, the tax in every price, the entry system at the border, the trains between the big cities, and what data is for on a Polish trip.
Auschwitz-Birkenau is free, but you must book ahead
Admission to the grounds of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial is free of charge, but from 1 March 2026 all entry cards are available online only, at visit.auschwitz.org, and none are sold at the entrance. A fee applies only if you engage a Museum guide-educator; the grounds themselves cost nothing to enter.1
Book early and arrive early
Free entry passes are limited and released ahead of time, so popular dates fill well in advance, and the Memorial asks visitors to arrive about 30 minutes before their slot for security checks. In the May-to-September peak, free-pass holders are admitted from the late afternoon while earlier hours run on guided tours. The Museum flags October as its busiest month and Saturdays its busiest day, with November, December and Thursdays the quietest, which is worth weighing if your dates are flexible.1
Our take: reserve the moment your dates are fixed, and treat the visit as a half-day, not a stop between two others. Birkenau is a 15-minute shuttle from Auschwitz I and needs its own time.
Trains are fast between the big cities, and fares move
PKP Intercity is the national rail operator, and its Express InterCity Premium (EIP) Pendolino trains link Warsaw and Kraków in a little over two hours. Fares are dynamic, so the cheapest seats are the first released for a given date and prices rise as the train fills.7
Book ahead to lock the low fare
Because pricing works like an airline's, buying a few weeks out through the operator's own channel is markedly cheaper than turning up on the day, especially on the premium Warsaw-Kraków and Warsaw-Gdańsk services.7
Our take: for the classic Kraków-and-Warsaw trip, book the EIP the moment your dates are set. It is faster than flying city-centre to city-centre once you count airport time, and far cheaper booked early.
The currency is the złoty, not the euro
Poland is in the EU but not yet in the euro area, and it has no target date to join, so the official currency is the Polish złoty (PLN). Euros are not general tender, and prices, tickets and menus are quoted in złoty.2
VAT is 23% and already in the price
Poland's standard VAT rate is 23%, with reduced rates of 8% and 5% on things like certain foods, books and medical products. It is included in displayed prices, so the shelf or menu figure is what you pay.3
EES applies at Polish borders
Poland is in the Schengen area, so since 10 April 2026 non-EU arrivals are registered biometrically under the Entry/Exit System rather than getting a passport stamp, with short-stay limits tracked automatically.4
ETIAS is not yet running
The travel authorisation is not being collected yet; the EU will announce the start date in advance, so no application is required for a Polish trip today.5
Only one website sells Auschwitz entry cards
The single official platform for Auschwitz-Birkenau entry cards is visit.auschwitz.org; reservations cannot be made at the entrance. Third-party resellers repackage the free entry at a markup, so booking direct is both cheaper and the way to be sure your slot is real.1
112 reaches emergency services
The pan-European emergency number 112 works from any phone in Poland and connects you to police, ambulance and fire, free and even without credit on the line.6
Poland is an EU country, so an EU SIM roams here under Roam Like At Home at no extra cost, and coverage is strong in the cities and on the intercity trains that link Warsaw, Kraków, Gdańsk and Wrocław. The reason you will still want reliable data is planning rather than signal: the Auschwitz-Birkenau booking is online-only and time-slotted, so you need to hold and show a reservation, and because the country runs on złoty rather than euros you may lean on a banking or currency app to keep track of what you are spending. In the cities, contactless cards and phones are widely accepted, but a working data connection is what makes them, and your transit apps, dependable. Coverage stays good across most of the country; in the Tatra mountains near Zakopane and in the Białowieża forest in the east, expect it to thin, so download tickets and maps before you head out rather than relying on signal at the trailhead.
Not as everyday money. Poland is in the EU but has not adopted the euro and has no target date to do so, so the currency is the złoty (PLN). A few tourist-facing places may take euros at a poor rate, but prices, tickets and most tills are in złoty, so plan to pay in the local currency by card or cash.2
Yes. Entry to the grounds is free, but from 1 March 2026 all entry cards are issued online only through visit.auschwitz.org, with nothing sold at the gate. Passes for busy dates go early, and you are asked to arrive about 30 minutes before your slot for security. A charge applies only if you add a Museum guide-educator.1
Yes. visit.auschwitz.org is the only official site for entry cards, and reservations cannot be made at the entrance. Reseller sites add a markup to what is otherwise a free entry, so booking direct is the safer and cheaper route.1
Yes. Poland is in the EU, so an EU plan roams here under Roam Like At Home with no surcharge, and coverage in the cities and on the trains is reliable enough to hold your Auschwitz reservation and run your transit apps. A non-EU visitor whose home plan charges to roam is the case where a local eSIM keeps data at a predictable price rather than an unknown daily or per-megabyte rate.
Every price, date and rule above is taken from the operator, museum, city or ministry that sets it, and was checked against that source on September 5, 2026. Lines marked "Our take" are our own recommendation, not a sourced fact. Fares, fees and opening hours change — confirm anything your trip depends on before you book.