Kraków morning, then Auschwitz

The plan

• Morning — A slow Kraków morning near the hotel: breakfast on or around the Rynek Główny, a loop of the Planty gardens, or a walk up Wawel Hill for the courtyard and the river views. Nothing ambitious — we leave for Oświęcim late morning.
• Midday & afternoon — Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial & Museum. Our guided tour (in English) is booked for midday: about 3½ hours covering both sites, Auschwitz I and Birkenau, with a shuttle between them. The transfer from Kraków runs about 1.5 hours each way. Bring your passport — the entry passes are name-personalized and checked against ID at the gate. A heavy but important visit. The Memorial does not recommend attendance for children under 14; older teens should expect a difficult, sober experience.
• Late afternoon — Back to Kraków with time to rest at the hotel before dinner.
• Evening — Last-night dinner somewhere memorable in Old Town. Pierogi, anywhere. Kraków's Old Town at night is wonderful.

Pace note

The middle of the day is emotionally heavy. Keep the morning gentle, take a quiet hour at the hotel once we're back, and let dinner be the warm note the trip ends on.