Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site

The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site (KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau), just northwest of Munich, preserves the grounds of the first long-running concentration camp set up by the Nazis. Between 1933 and 1945, more than 160,000 people were imprisoned here and about 41,500 died. Admission is free, no reservation is needed, and a visit is one of the most important day trips from Munich for anyone wanting to understand the Holocaust and Nazi terror.

How to get there from Munich

Dachau is an easy half-day trip by public transport:

• Take the S2 suburban train (toward Dachau/Petershausen) or a regional train from Munich Hauptbahnhof to Dachau station, about 25 minutes.
• At Dachau station, change to bus 726 toward "Saubachsiedlung"; the memorial is about 10 minutes away.
• A single or partner day ticket "München M-1" covers both the train and the bus. The Deutschlandticket is also valid on these local services.

If you drive, the small visitor parking lot costs €3 per car and accepts cash only; it often fills up.

History

Heinrich Himmler opened the camp on March 22, 1933, just weeks after the Reichstag fire, initially for political opponents. The SS took over in 1934 and used Dachau as a model camp and a training ground for guards who later served in extermination camps. From 1938, Jewish prisoners were increasingly sent here, and after 1939 people from across occupied Europe.

Dachau was not an extermination camp, but more political murders were committed here than in any other camp, and prisoners were subjected to medical experiments. US Seventh Army troops liberated the camp on April 29, 1945. The memorial site opened in 1965; in 2019 it drew about 900,000 visitors.

What you will see

• The Jourhaus gatehouse with its iron gate reading "Arbeit macht frei."
• The roll-call square, a vast open space where prisoners had to stand for hours.
• Reconstructed barracks showing prisoners' living conditions.
• The main exhibition on the history of the camp and its prisoners.
• Watchtowers, the perimeter ditch and fence.
• The crematorium area (last entry 4:30 pm) and the memorials of different faiths, plus the International Memorial sculpture.

Opening hours, tickets and tours

As of October 2026, the memorial is open daily from 9 am to 5 pm, closed only on December 24. Entry is free.

Guided tours in English run daily at 11 am and 1 pm (German at noon), last about 2.5 hours, and cost €4. Tickets are sold on the day at the visitor center information desk, at least 45 minutes before the start; reservations are not possible and each tour is limited to 30 people. An audioguide costs €5 (reduced €4) and is available in 18 languages, including English, Japanese, Mandarin and Hebrew.

Tips for your visit

• Allow about half a day.
• The memorial advises against bringing children under 13; tours and audioguides are designed for ages 13 and up.
• Leave bags at your hotel or in lockers at Munich Hauptbahnhof, as storage on site is very limited.
• Dogs are not allowed (assistance dogs excepted). Private photos are allowed outdoors and in the exhibitions, but not in the former crematorium or of tour groups.
• A bistro in the visitor center serves coffee, snacks and hot meals daily from 9 am to 5 pm.