Visiting Sachsenhausen and Dachau: A Respectful Guide to the Memorial Sites

Sachsenhausen, north of Berlin, and Dachau, north-west of Munich, are former Nazi concentration camps that are now memorial sites and museums. Both can be reached by public transport in under an hour from the city centre, entry to the grounds is free as of 2026, and a visit takes at least three to four hours. Go with time, quiet and some preparation: these are places of remembrance and evidence, not attractions.

Many travellers to Germany feel they should visit one of these sites and are unsure what it involves. This guide covers the history of each place in brief, the practical side of getting there, what you will actually see, and the questions people most often ask about behaviour, photography and children.

Why these two sites

Dachau was opened in March 1933, weeks after Hitler came to power, and was the first regular concentration camp. It became the model for the camp system and a training ground for SS guards. More than 200,000 people from across Europe were imprisoned there; tens of thousands died.

Sachsenhausen, in the town of Oranienburg, was built in 1936 as a model camp close to the capital and housed the administrative headquarters of the entire camp system nearby. Political prisoners, Jews, Sinti and Roma, gay men, Jehovah's Witnesses and later huge numbers of prisoners of war and forced labourers were held there; tens of thousands died. After 1945 the Soviet secret police used it as a special camp, and that chapter is also documented at the site.

Neither was primarily an extermination camp like Auschwitz-Birkenau, but both were places of systematic murder, medical experiments, starvation and forced labour. Seeing them helps make sense of how the system began inside Germany itself.

Getting there

Check current routes and opening hours on each memorial's official website before you go. Grounds and exhibitions can have different hours, and some parts may close on certain days or in winter.

What you will see

Sachsenhausen

The camp was laid out as a triangle so that guards in the central tower could see the whole roll-call ground. You enter through Tower A, with the words "Arbeit macht frei" in the gate. Inside are reconstructed barracks with exhibitions on daily life and on the Jewish prisoners, the cell block, the infirmary and pathology buildings, and the site of "Station Z", where executions and murders took place. The grounds are large and exposed; much of the visit is outdoors.

Dachau

At Dachau you pass through the gatehouse with the same inscription and onto the vast former roll-call square. The main exhibition is in the former maintenance building and traces the camp from 1933 to liberation by US troops in April 1945. Two barracks have been reconstructed, the foundations of the others are marked in rows, and at the far end are religious memorials and the crematorium area. The bunker, the camp prison, is also open.

Etiquette and behaviour

• Keep your voice low and phones on silent. Many visitors are descendants of prisoners.
• Photography is generally permitted for personal use, but think about what you photograph. Selfies, posed group photos and smiling pictures at the gate or the crematorium are deeply inappropriate.
• Dress respectfully. There is no strict code, but beachwear and clothing with offensive slogans are out of place.
• Do not eat on the grounds except in designated areas near the visitor centre.
• Stay on paths and do not climb on memorials or touch exhibits.
• Displaying Nazi symbols or making the Hitler salute is a criminal offence in Germany.

Visiting with children

The memorials generally recommend visits for young people from around 12 years of age, and both contain graphic material. Younger children may still come with parents, but prepare them beforehand, skip the most explicit rooms and be ready to leave early. For teenagers, a guided visit is often better than wandering alone, because a guide can answer questions and frame what they see.

Guided or alone?

The audio guides at both sites are good, and the exhibitions are bilingual in German and English. Even so, many visitors find a guide makes the visit more meaningful: a person can explain the layout, answer questions and give the day a structure, which matters at sites this large and heavy.

From Berlin, our guided visit to the Sachsenhausen Memorial by public transport takes you there and back with a guide who explains the history on site. From Munich, the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site tour does the same, with time to see the main exhibition. Both are paced to leave room for reflection.

How to prepare

• Plan a lighter afternoon. Most people do not want a busy programme after a memorial visit.
• Wear good shoes and weather clothing. You will be outside for long stretches, with little shade or shelter.
• Bring water. Food and drink options are limited to the visitor centres.
• Read a little first. Even a short overview of the camp system makes the exhibitions far easier to follow.

Should you visit both?

Most travellers visit one, depending on whether they are in Berlin or Munich. If you have a particular family connection or a strong interest in the history, both are worth seeing because they tell different parts of the story: Dachau the beginning and the model, Sachsenhausen the system's administration and its post-war Soviet chapter.

Other places of remembrance

If the visit leaves you wanting to understand more, both cities have further sites close to the centre. In Berlin, the Topography of Terror documentation centre stands on the site of the former Gestapo and SS headquarters, and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is next to the Brandenburg Gate. In Munich, the NS Documentation Centre occupies the site of the former Nazi Party headquarters. All of them work well on a separate, quieter day.

FAQ

Is entry free?

Yes, as of 2026 entry to the grounds of both memorials is free. Audio guides and guided tours may carry a charge.

How long should I allow?

At least three to four hours on site, plus travel. A half-day is the minimum; many visitors spend most of a day.

Can I take photos?

Generally yes, for personal use and with discretion. Avoid posed or cheerful photos, and respect any signs that prohibit photography in specific rooms.

Are the sites suitable for children?

The memorials recommend visits from around age 12. Younger children can attend with careful preparation, but some exhibits are graphic.

Which is easier to reach?

Both are under an hour by public transport. Dachau is slightly quicker from central Munich; Sachsenhausen needs a short bus ride or walk from Oranienburg station.