After roughly 2.5 hours on the road join a guided tour of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau sites. Enter the Auschwitz I compound through the gates inscribed with ‘Arbeit macht frei’ or ‘work sets one free'. Explore the main buildings — some still intact and some in ruins — and walk around the exhibitions that chart the fates of many of those detained here. View the dormitories and gas chambers, and see the factory areas where prisoners were forced to make munitions and other products for Germany’s war efforts. While the facts of what happened here are shocking and distressing, your guide will explain everything in the most sensitive way possible. After viewing Auschwitz I, take a short break to collect your thoughts and then visit nearby Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Here, see what remains of the watchtowers, fences and barracks as you hear about the appalling conditions endured by those held here. .