Learn how to get to and visit Wolfโs Lair in Poland. Take a self-guided tour of Hitlerโs former headquarters with this guide. Wolfโs Lair (Polish: Wilczy Szaniec; German: Wolfsschanze) was constructed in anticipation of the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941. The massive compound was fabricated deep within the Masurian Lakes region of what is today northeastern Poland.
SELF-GUIDED TOUR OF HITLERโS HEADQUARTERS
Visiting the Wolfโs Lair
Itinerary
Where to Stay
How to Get to the Wolfโs Lair
Should You Hire a Guide?
How to Hire a Guide?
How Long Does it Take to Tour Wolfโs Lair?
Must-See Bunkers
Operation Valkyrie (#3)
Guestsโ Bunker (#6)
Hitlerโs Bunker (#13)
Gรถringโs Bunker (#16)
Officersโ Kasino (#18)
Accommodations at Wolfโs Lair
How Do You Depart Wolfโs Lair?
General Information
Conclusion
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Considered to be one of several secret Fรผhrerhauptquartiere (Fรผhrer Headquarters), it represents the precise location where Operation Valkyrie nearly killed Hitler with a suitcase bomb on July 20, 1944.
In Warsaw and want to visit the Wolfโs Lair? ๐
Wolfโs Lair Private Day Trip from Warsaw > Check Availability
Visiting the Wolfโs Lair
Up until November 20, 1944, Hitler spent about 800 days at the Wolfโs Lair over a 3ยฝ-year period. Thereโs a reason why Hitler felt so safe here. Itโs in the middle of nowhere.
Therefore, planning a trip here can feel overwhelming. After all, the location was carefully chosen to be away from all important transportation routes and towns. As you begin researching your visit, youโll probably discover the same difficulties that we did in figuring out how to get to the lair and where to stay.
After coming all this way to visit the Wolfโs Lair, youโll quickly realize that thereโs much more here to see then maybe you thought. The last thing you want to feel here is rushed so plan accordingly.
The second you see Hitlerโs bunker in person and begin to walk closer to it you feel like youโre walking in the devilโs footsteps. Unfortunately, with most travelersโ short holiday schedules, the majority of visitors may only be able to explore Wolfโs Lair on a day trip.
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This is usually done by hiring a tour agency to drive directly to the lair or by taking the express trains from Gdansk or Warsaw to Kฤtrzyn, which will usually take about four hours from both cities.ย Just the idea of sitting in a car for eight hours made us nauseous (not to mention the expensive price) so we decided to make visiting the historic location a priority during our โslow-travelโ tour of Poland.
Our Itinerary
Our itinerary started in Warsaw and then led us to BiaลowieลผaโEลkโGiลผycko. We used Giลผycko as our home base for visiting the Wolfโs Lair. Giลผycko is a beautiful, lakeside city with wonderful canals, the Boyen Fortress, and a large selection of nice Airbnb apartments.
Where to Stay When Visiting the Wolfโs Lair
We stayed three nights in an apartment in Giลผycko with a wonderful terrace and decided to dedicate one full day to visiting Wolfโs Lair, which is a short 25-minute train ride away. We were contemplating staying in Kฤtrzyn, but we couldnโt find a decent place to stay at a reasonable price. Also, Wolfโs Lair is about 5 minutes from the Kฤtrzyn train station by taxi.
Apartment Eve in Giลผycko > Check Availability
Both towns have their charm, however, if weโre going to recommend only one place to stay it would be Giลผycko, because of the wonderful Lake Niegocin. Another option is to visit the two towns separatelyโthis will depend on how much time you have built into your schedule.
If youโre able to find somewhere to stay in Kฤtrzyn it will make visiting the Wolfโs Lair much easier because itโs only a 5-minute taxi ride from the city center (and the train station). Weโll get into this a little later, but thereโs a small and reasonably priced hotel at the Wolfโs Lair where guests may stay.
Best Places to Stay
Regardless, below are the best places to stay in both Giลผycko and Kฤtrzyn.
Giลผycko
Budget: Apartment Studio (washing machine) or Apartamenty Turystyczne WillkasSen (numerous options)
Mid-Range: Hotel Giลผycko (spacious rooms) or Hotel Masovia (great food)
Luxury: Hotel St. Bruno (onsite spa, indoor pool with hot tubs)
Kฤtrzyn
Budget: Apartament โNad Jeziorkiemโ
Mid-Range: Hotelik Corner
How to Get to the Wolfโs Lair
We decided to take the train from Giลผycko to Kฤtrzyn as there are numerous departures every day. There are also buses available too, directly next door to the Giลผycko train station. Upon arriving in Kฤtrzyn, we departed the train station and took the bus to the Wolfโs Lair in Gierลoลผ.
Youโre going to need to read this book before visiting.
Departing the train station we turned left and walked about 100 feet to the #8 bus stop. This is where you can catch the #1 bus (Kฤtrzyn โ Wฤgorzewo) to the Wolfโs Lair. It will drop you off directly in front of the lair in Gierลoลผ. The ride will cost about USD 1.
There are only two #1 buses during the day that will take you to Gierลoลผ, they depart the train station at 14:15 and 16:15, and take about 20 minutes to arrive just outside the lair (54.078835, 21.493664).
Across the street from the Kฤtrzyn train station is a taxi stand. When we got off the train there were no taxis in the stand. At the time of our visit, there were billboards showing the telephone numbers of local taxi services. With the help of some locals, I would imagine it would be pretty easy to arrange a taxi directly from the train station to Gierลoลผ.
Simply tell the bus driver youโre going to Gierลoลผ, pronounced โgear-wersh,โ or Wilczy Szaniec, pronounced โvilcha sha-knee-yets.โ
We asked 10 people what their most memorable tour of Poland was. This is what they said.
Should You Hire a Guide?
From our experience, itโs not necessary to hire a guide to thoroughly tour the Wolfโs Lair. Guides will cost about USD 15 per person and are extremely hard to get a hold of through email. For example, we contacted four guides and only heard back from just one. At the end of the day, we couldnโt get our schedules to align with any of the guides, and therefore we were forced to tour the complex alone.
After much research, we found out that thereโs a gift shop near the entrance of the complex that sells amazing guidebooks for about USD 3. The guided tour is only about one hour long. The guidebook is pretty detailed (64 pages), so Iโd imagine that youโd get a lot more information solely from the book.
However, if you do feel like you want to receive as much information as possible, and if you have the time and the ability to set up a guided tour, I would suggest going on the tour and purchasing the book. It makes for a great souvenir too!
How to Hire a Guide?
From our personal experience, it was difficult to organize a guided tour of the Wolfโs Lair. But remember, there are two ways to hire a guide:
- Arrive at the lair and hope that thereโs a guide available at the entrance.
- Contact one of the local guides below and see if you can schedule a tour.
- Reserve a day-trip tour from the following cities: Warsaw Tour or Gdansk Tour.
A list of all tour guides is here. As previously stated, we contacted the four English-speaking guides below and only Korowaj Jadwiga responded to our inquiry:
Korowaj Jadwiga โ a guide with a license
tel. 601 677 202, email jagoda10@poczta.onet.pl
foreign language: English
work area: Warmia and Mazury
โ in particular: Wilczy Szaniec Accommodation in Gierลoลผ,
other permissions: tour guide, instructor
tel. 604 878 825, email michwal5@wp.pl
foreign language: English
work area: Warmia and Mazury,
in particular: Wilczy Szaniec Accommodation in Gierลoลผ
Puciato Czesลaw โ a guide with a license
tel 666 288 261, email cpuciato1@wp.pl
foreign language: English, Russian, German
area: Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship
Puciato Marcin โ a guide with a license
tel. 500 799 154, email mpuciato@wp.pl
foreign language: English
work area: Warmia and Mazury
Best Guided Excursions From Gdansk and Warsaw to Wolfโs Lair
The tours below are some of the best excursions to Wolfโs Lair from both Gdansk and Warsaw. All of the tours visit the Wolfโs Lair.
How Long Does it Take to Tour Wolfโs Lair?
The entire complex consists of about 80 buildings. About 50 of the buildings are well-camouflaged bunkers. Some of the more significant bunkers have walls that are up to 20 feet thick!
Please keep in mind that most of the buildings and bunkers were blown up by the Nazis before they departed the area. However, most likely in a hurry and also needing to save their explosives, they did a poor job blowing up the structures. Therefore much of the site has been preserved.
The entire lair is split between the north and south sectors. The old railroad tracks divide the complex in two.
Most people will only tour the north section of the lair, mainly because the most interesting sites are located there: Hitlerโs Bunker (#13), Gรถringโs Bunker (#16), Bormannโs Bunker (#16), Conference Barracks (the site of the assassination attempt #3), and the Guestsโ Bunker (#6). Also, please keep in mind that the guided tours only visit the north section too.
Touring the lair is a remarkable experience. It will go down for us as one of the most significant historical experiences of our lives.
With that in mind, it took us about 2ยฝ hours to tour just the north section. The guidebook recommends about 70 minutes for the north section and another 50 minutes for the south section. In our opinion, visitors looking to take their time should allocate about four hours for both the north and south sections.
Must-See Bunkers
When visiting Wolfโs Lair, the most important thing to remember is that the large bunkers were built as protection from a significant air raid or bombarding. Therefore, the Nazi leaders had a residence bunker next to their air raid bunker, and this is where they spent most of their time.
The must-see bunkers include the conference barracks #3, guestsโ bunker #6, Hitlerโs bunker #13, Gรถringโs Bunker #16, and the officersโ casino #18.
Operation Valkyrie (#3)
Building number three is the conference barracks and it was here on July 20, 1944, that Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler. A small commemorative plaque now acknowledges the actions and sacrifice of Colonel Stauffenberg.
Guestsโ Bunker (#6)
The bunker was supposed to be used primarily to host foreign guests. However, from July 16 to October 1, 1944, Hitler lived here while his bunker was being rebuilt.
Hitlerโs Bunker (#13)
The largest bunker in the complex, of course, belonged to Adolf Hitler. He spent very little time in this specific bunker. Instead, he spent most of his time in his residence bunker, which is located directly behind the massive structure. Please note there is no sign anywhere indicating the building is his residence structure.
Gรถringโs Bunker (#16)
Itโs easy to find many hiding spots within the remains of Gรถringโs massive bunker. Itโs probably one of the most interesting bunkers to walk around based on how the bunker was blown up.
Many visitors will climb a rusty iron ladder to get views from the top. Once there make sure to take note of the flak towers that once housed anti-aircraft machine guns.
Officersโ Casino (#18)
Now, just an old decrepit brick building, the officerโs kasino (building #18) would have been a place for Nazi officers to dine, imagine a lively cafeteria. As the main mess hall, the officersโ kasino is an eerie place to walk through because you know the Nazi officers were mainly eating, drinking, and swapping stories in this now empty space.
This is one of the few buildings visitors are allowed to walk through. To think that the genocide of millions of people was occurring, and people were starving to death across Europe while these Nazis were effortlessly dining in this building makes this site one of the most disgusting and abhorrent stops along the tour.
Accommodations at Wolfโs Lair
The old officersโ hotel (building #1) is now a small modern-day hotel and restaurant where visitors can stay and dine. Had we known about this hotel, we most likely would have stayed here based on its convenience. Rates run about USD 32 per night for a double room and include sightseeing and parking.
In terms of making a reservation, Iโd attempt to contact the Lair directly here. Thereโs also an on-site campsite. Rates currently run about (in USD):
- Camper/caravan $5
- Passenger car/bus $1
- Motorcycle $0.50
- Adult $4
- Children/students $2.50
How Do You Depart Wolfโs Lair?
To save as much money as possible, we arrived at Wolfโs Lair by taking the 13:13-13:43/train from Giลผycko to Kฤtrzyn. From the train station, we took the #1 bus from Kฤtrzyn to Gierลoลผ at 14:15-14:35. When we departed the lair we stopped at the front gate and asked the security guards to call us a taxi. We then took the 17:54-18:23/train from Kฤtrzyn back to Giลผycko.
General Information
- General admission is about USD 4 per person, all others here.
- Parking is about $7 per vehicle.
- Hours:
- April through September (daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
- October through March (daily 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
- The official website for the Lair is here.
- Bring a flashlight.
- The Wolfโs Lair guidebook is currently only available at the gift shop and n[checklist_in_post][/checklist_in_post]ot online.
- They recovered 55,000 land mines in the area surrounding the lair, so donโt plan on straying too far from the marked paths.
- Bus/Train Schedule, Local Taxi Phone Numbers:
Looking Back
If we were to do it all over again, we would have taken the 14:15 (#1) bus from Kฤtrzyn to Gierลoลผ and stayed overnight in the onsite hotel. That way we could have explored the site until 8 p.m. and not rushed through our tour of the lair.
Remember, the entire complex is an immense 32 acres. Depending on your passion for the subject at hand, spending 6-8 hours exploring the area is not unreasonable. The following morning we would have had some additional time for some early morning photography. Then we would have departed on the 10:21 a.m. bus back to Kฤtrzyn.
If considering a tour to the Wolfโs Lair, we hope this guide helps make your visit easy and enjoyable. Although the logistics may seem daunting at first, independently exploring the historic site is completely possible. Additionally, we were glad we took on the adventure because the Wolfโs Lair was one of the eeriest and most fascinating experiences during our tour of Poland.
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Hello,
Great story on our visit to Wolf Lair. We will be travelling there Spring 2021. Can you recommend any hotels which are close.
Thanks
Dan
In the post, there is a list of the best places to stay. Any of them will do based on your itinerary and budget.
I was in going to be in Warsaw so before leaving the USA I booked a private tour from Warsaw to Wolfโs Lair. The trip was 3 hours each way and the tour was 3 hours โฆworth the price $300 did the tour twice once in December 2016. No one was there and the second tour the tour guide arranged a private tour of the airstrip used by Hitler. It is closed to the public but felt lucky I got the tour
Thanks for the feedback, we appreciate it. Weโve updated the post to reflect your assessment. In regards to photos, we mainly focused on video (https://youtu.be/4hcyz2uG6YM) while touring the lair and therefore included any worthwhile photography in the post. Thanks again!
This is fantastic, and the photos are excellent! Great details. If I might be so impertinent as to suggest a small correction, a โCasinoโ (Kasino or Offizierkasino) was an officerโs mess, IE a dining hall, not a gambling den. Iโd be interested to know if you have other photos of the area.
Below are personal observations designed not to supplant but merely to update the extremely helpful and painstaking work carried out by the authors of this site.
I visited Wolfโs Lair, alone, on 16 Sept 2020.
It costs 15PLN to enter per person and 5 PLN to park.
As I arrived (at 9am) a lady in the car park offered to guide me for 120PLN, she said it would take 1h 20m
My view is you do not need a guide. The paths (paved) are very clearly laid out and it is very easy to find your way around. Each building now has an information board in front of it and it is easy to establish which building is which.Almost all the buildings are clearly numbered. A guide may have more information or stories to tell but, with great respect to the guides, as the whole place was so secretive many of the stories may be apocryphal rather than strictly factual.
There is a large information board near the entrance which has a comprehensive site plan. I simply took a photo of it on my phone and referred to it on my way round.
Building no 4 not far beyond the entrance towards the left has a shop. You can buy guide books or site plans in a variety of languages. There is also a small exhibition and a film theatre (when I was there a film was running in German).
There is also near the railway line (near building 22) a building that contains a static reconstruction of the assassination attempt with various other information boards and artefacts on display around the room which is very interesting.
In terms of time, I would say 2 hrs is easily enough to see everything on the north side.
There is very little to see in comparison in the south section, there is only one large bunker designated โgeneral purpose bunkerโ, fewer paths and some of the buildings are in quite dense woodland. You wouldnโt be missing much if you didnโt go. 30-40 minutes is enough to see it all.
There were over 300,000 visitors in 2019 so on the busier days probably around 2000 or so. Unquestionably it is better to be there without crowds. There are hotels quite close by including one on Booking.com that is less than 2 miles away.
I drove the night before in a hire car (about 225km or 3hrs from Modlin airport) and Iโm glad I did. I was there by 9am (it opens at 8am) and had the place pretty much to myself for a good hour. By the time I left at 11.45 there were several tour groups going round and 2 buses just coming into the car park, about 300 people in all (a quiet day almost certainly because of Covid19) but it is far more eerie and atmospheric without other people.
Enjoy! It is well worth a visit and although thereโs not a great deal to see beyond mountains of cracked concrete and twisted metal it is fascinating and has an important story to tell.
Thanks for this!!. Much appreciated. So much detail. This is exactely what I need.
I am going next year.
Thanks, we appreciate the feedback. We were trying to answer all of the questions we had when we began researching the trip. As WWII enthusiasts, visiting Wolfโs Lair was one of our travel highlights. Weโre sure youโll find it absolutely fascinating.
Wow! What a fantastic job with such detail. I hope to visit there someday. Thanks ever so much.
John, Are you planning on visiting the area?