What Is the Dachau Memorial Site?

Dachau was one of the first concentration camps built by Nazi Germany, opened in March 1933 on the grounds of a former munitions factory and operated continuously until American forces liberated it in April 1945. It served as a model for the later camp system and, over twelve years, imprisoned and killed political prisoners, Jews, Roma, clergy, and people from across occupied Europe.

Former prisoners themselves pushed for the site to be preserved, and a memorial was established on the grounds between 1945 and 1948. Today the memorial (KZ-Gedenkstätte Dachau) occupies the original camp grounds and includes the reconstructed gatehouse, barracks foundations, the crematorium area, and a permanent exhibition inside the former maintenance building, reworked in 2003 to walk visitors chronologically through the camp's history. It sits in the town of Dachau, roughly 16 kilometers northwest of central Munich.

Tickets & Prices 2026

General admission to the memorial grounds and the permanent exhibition is free — there is no entry ticket to buy and no need to book ahead. The official paid option is the guided tour for individual visitors, run by the memorial site itself: €4 per person for a 2.5-hour tour, with English-language tours daily at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM and a German-language tour at 12:00 PM. Tickets are sold only at the Visitors' Center information desk, must be purchased at least 45 minutes before the tour starts, and are not available by advance reservation — group size is capped at 30, so arriving early matters if you want the 11:00 AM slot.

An audio guide covering the site's history is also available to borrow from the Visitors' Center in 14 languages; third-party visitor guides put the rental around €4.50 plus a refundable deposit (cash or ID), though the memorial's own site doesn't publish a fixed price online — confirm the current rate at the desk when you arrive. If you'd rather not manage the train-and-bus connection yourself, several Munich-based operators (including tour companies bookable through Viator and GetYourGuide) run half-day guided trips from the city center that bundle transport with a guide, at a higher price than the memorial's own €4 tour.

Opening Hours & Best Time to Go

The memorial is open daily, including weekends and most public holidays, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The former crematorium area, a short walk from the main grounds, closes earlier at 4:30 PM, so save it for the middle of your visit rather than the end. The site closes entirely on December 24 each year — it's otherwise open year-round.

Because entry is free and unticketed, there's no need to time a booking, but crowd flow is still worth planning around. Coach tour groups tend to cluster through the late morning, so arriving right at opening or after about 2:30 PM generally means a quieter walk through the exhibition. Winter months see fewer visitors overall than summer, though the outdoor sections are exposed with little shelter, so dress for the weather either way.

How Long to Plan

Budget around 4 hours on-site for a proper visit to the permanent exhibition, the barracks area, and the crematorium — this is not a stop you can rush through in under an hour and take much away from. Add roughly an hour each way for the train-and-bus journey from central Munich, which makes it a realistic half-day-to-full-day trip depending on your starting point. If you're joining the official 2.5-hour guided tour, that alone accounts for most of the on-site time; independent visitors covering the exhibition at their own pace should still allow at least 3 hours.

The site recommends its education programs and guided tours for visitors aged 13 and up, and the documentary film shown in the visitor center is intended for those 14 and older. Families with younger children may want to weigh whether the subject matter and pace suit a general visit rather than the full guided program.

How to Get There

From central Munich, take the S2 suburban train (direction Dachau/Petershausen) from Munich Hauptbahnhof or any central S-Bahn stop — the ride to Dachau station takes about 25 minutes. From Dachau station, board bus 726 (direction Saubachsiedlung) to the memorial entrance; a Munich XXL day ticket from the MVV covers both the train and bus legs on one fare. The Visitors' Center and main entrance are at Pater-Roth-Str. 2a, 85221 Dachau.

Driving from Munich, take the A9 toward Nuremberg, then the A99 to the Feldmoching interchange, then the A92 toward Stuttgart, exiting at Oberschleißheim/Dachau and following the B471 toward Dachau-Ost. Parking is €3 per car and €5 per bus at the on-site lot (Alte Römerstraße 73); the payment machines don't accept cards, so bring cash. Given limited parking capacity, the memorial itself recommends public transport over driving whenever possible.

Visit Tips: Queues, Booking & Common Mistakes

If you want the official English guided tour, go straight to the Visitors' Center information desk on arrival and buy your ticket at least 45 minutes ahead — there's no online reservation, tours cap at 30 people, and the 11:00 AM slot is the one most likely to sell out. Most of the grounds are gravel paths rather than paved walkways, so wear sturdy, comfortable shoes rather than anything you'd wear around central Munich.

The most common mistake is treating this as a quick stop between other Munich sights — the memorial's own recommendation of around 4 hours reflects how much ground and exhibition content there is, and rushing it undercuts the point of the visit. Outside food isn't permitted on the grounds; the on-site cafeteria is the option for a meal or snack. And because this is a memorial rather than a tourist attraction in the usual sense, posed photos and selfies at the camp buildings and crematorium are considered disrespectful and best avoided — bring a camera for documentation, not souvenir shots.

Nearby Attractions

There isn't much to see in Dachau town itself beyond the memorial, so most visitors treat this as a dedicated half-day trip and pair it with central Munich sightseeing the same morning or the following day. Back in the city, Marienplatz and the Neues Rathaus make an easy first or last stop given how central the S-Bahn connections are, and the Munich Residenz offers a very different, lighter half-day if you want contrast after the memorial. For open-air time, the English Garden is a good place to decompress on the same afternoon. If you're mapping out which day to slot this into a longer trip, our guide to day trips from Munich covers how it compares to the city's other out-of-town options, and our 2-day Munich itinerary shows where a Dachau morning fits into a short visit.

Frequently Asked Questions