Guided visits at the memorial site
The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site can be visited on your own, without registration, and admission to the grounds and exhibitions is free. Many visitors still choose a guided visit. A guide places the former camp roads, buildings and foundations in their historical context and connects them with the people who were imprisoned and killed here.
There are three ways to visit with guidance. The memorial site runs public tours for individual visitors and overview tours for groups, and it offers an audio guide for hire. External providers also run visits from Munich. Only people licensed by the memorial site may guide on the grounds, so it helps to know the difference before you book anything.
This guide is independent and is not run by the memorial site or by the Bavarian Memorials Foundation. All details below reflect the information published by the memorial site as of October 2026. Please check the current details on the website of the memorial site before your visit.
Public tours for individual visitors
The regular tours of the memorial site are open to individual visitors and need no advance booking. They cannot be reserved.
| Detail | Public tour |
|---|---|
| English | Daily at 11 am and 1 pm |
| German | Daily at 12 noon |
| Length | 2.5 hours |
| Price | €4 per person |
| Minimum age | 13 years |
| Group size | Up to 30 people |
| Tickets | Same day, information desk in the visitor center, at least 45 minutes before the start |
Tickets are sold only on the day of the tour at the information desk in the visitor center. Buy yours at least 45 minutes before the tour begins. Because each tour is limited to 30 people, a place is not guaranteed, and there is no online booking for this tour. If you plan to join the 11 am tour in English, arriving in Dachau early gives you time to buy a ticket. The getting there page explains the train and bus connection from Munich.
Group overview tours
Groups book their own overview tour through the booking department of the memorial site, using the official request form on its website. The overview tour lasts about 2.5 hours and costs €100 per group. A group can have up to 30 participants, and every participant must be at least 13 years old. Tours are available in several languages.
The memorial site asks groups to plan several months ahead. In the summer half of the year, dates are often booked up early. A group booking is a separate process from the public tour: individual visitors cannot reserve a place on a public tour, and groups do not buy tickets at the information desk.
Themed tours and excursions follow their own dates and registration rules and are announced separately by the memorial site. They can also be cancelled at short notice. A themed tour to the memorial on the Leitenberg planned for 13 September 2026 was cancelled because of oak processionary caterpillars in parts of the cemetery there.
The audio guide
If you prefer to walk at your own pace, the audio guide is the alternative to a tour. It is hired out at the visitor center for €5, or €4 for groups, school students and university students, plus a deposit. Only groups of 10 or more can reserve devices in advance. The audio guide is intended for visitors aged 13 and over, and there is no special version for children. It is available in a wide range of languages, including English and German.
With or without a guide, the texts in the main exhibition and on the outdoor grounds are in German and English. The main exhibition in the former maintenance building follows the path of the prisoners. Further exhibitions are in the former camp prison, in the reconstructed barrack and at the former crematorium. The memorial site visit page describes the grounds and exhibitions in more detail.
External guides and the license requirement
Many visits from Munich are arranged by external providers. On the grounds of the memorial site, only people licensed by its education department may lead tours or other educational programs. The memorial site explicitly asks visitors to check a guide's license before booking an external tour. Tours by unlicensed guides can be stopped on the grounds, and any financial loss is not refunded.
Before you book, ask the provider whether the guide holds a license from the memorial site, and confirm it with the memorial site if you are unsure. Also ask what the package actually includes: transfer from Munich, meeting point, train ticket and length of time at the memorial site differ from offer to offer, and they cannot be derived from the memorial site's own prices.
The memorial site names its cooperation partners on its website. Among them are the Dachauer Forum and the Max Mannheimer Haus, which offers one-day and multi-day programs. Being listed there does not mean that every visit sold in Munich is licensed.
Guided visits from Munich
External providers that combine a guided visit with travel from Munich. Only guides licensed by the memorial site may lead tours on the grounds.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in euros (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Guided visit in a small group from Munich
The provider names a guide accredited by the memorial site and travel from Munich and back. At most 15 participants. Admission to the memorial site is free.
Check availability →Guided visit to the memorial site from Munich
Includes a guide and the public transport ticket from Munich. Admission to the memorial site is free. Ask the provider about group size and confirm the guide's licence.
Check availability →Guided visit by train and bus from Munich
Train and bus fares and a live guide are included, hotel transfers are not. Admission to the memorial site is free. Confirm the guide's licence before booking.
Check availability →Guided visits from Munich
External guided visits to the Dachau memorial site from Munich. Before booking, please check with the memorial site that the guide is licensed to lead tours on the grounds.
Before you go
The visitor center, grounds and exhibitions are open daily from 9 am to 5 pm. The memorial site is closed on 24 December, and there is no regular closing day on Mondays. The last entry to the former crematorium area is at 4:30 pm. The memorial site gives about half a day as the typical time needed for the grounds and exhibitions, and a 2.5 hour tour covers only part of that.
The memorial site advises against visits by children under 13 in its FAQ, and its visitor regulations give the age as under 12. All educational programs, including the public tours, start at age 13. Minors should come with a parent or guardian.
Please dress appropriately. Smoking, eating and drinking alcohol are not permitted on the grounds of the former camp. Private photography without a tripod is allowed outdoors and in the exhibitions, but tours, guides and staff may not be photographed or filmed, and filming inside the former crematorium is prohibited. Dogs are not allowed, except marked guide and assistance dogs. For the history behind the site, read the history of the camp and the liberation on 29 April 1945.
Guided tours: frequently asked questions
Can I book a public tour in advance?
No. Tickets for the public tours are sold only on the day at the information desk in the visitor center, at least 45 minutes before the start. Places are limited to 30 people per tour.
When are the tours in English?
Public tours in English start daily at 11 am and 1 pm. The German tour starts at 12 noon. Each tour lasts 2.5 hours and costs €4 per person.
Do I need a guide to visit the memorial site?
No. Admission is free and you can visit on your own without registration. A tour or the audio guide is optional.
Can children join a tour?
Tours and other educational programs are for visitors aged 13 and over. The memorial site advises against visits by younger children.
How do I know whether an external guide is licensed?
Ask the provider directly and check with the memorial site before booking. Only guides licensed by its education department may lead tours on the grounds.