Getting To Dachau From Munich:
Location: Dachau (19km North of Munich)
Travel Time: 21 minutes for Regional Train + Bus 726; 38 minutes for S2 Line + Bus 726; driving with normal traffic is 40-45 minutes.
Time Required: Average visit is 3-4 Hours (Official tour is 2.5 hours)
Best Time To Go: In time for the Memorial’s 11am or 1pm English guided tours.
Bus 726 Schedule: Bus 726 Printable Route Schedule.
Mainly because of the Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Dachau is one of the top 5 day trips from Munich Germany. Getting to Dachau from Munich is actually pretty easy, but there are a lot of helpful tips you should know to help save you both time and money. This guide and video will show you all of the best ways to get to Dachau from Munich including by train, bus, and driving a car. There are little caviots like the S2 Suburban Train having more flexibility where you can board and the Regional Train being the fastest way to get to Dachau from Munich. Both of these options and the Bus 726 to the Camp Memorial are covered by three powerful day passes which we also highlight below.
How To Get Dachau From Munich:
1. Train + Bus 726 (21-38 Minutes):
About The Train + Bus Options: By far the best way to get to Dachau from Munich is to go by public transportation. In general you will go from Munich Station to Dachau Station followed by a short ride on Bus 726 to the Concentration Camp Memorial. The two train options to Dachau Station will be either Regional Train (RB) which takes 10 minutes or the S2 Suburban Train which takes 20-25 minutes. While the Regional Train makes your journey to Dachau from Munich almost twice as fast (21 compared to 38 minutes), the S2 Line also stops at the Karlsplatz, Marienplatz, and Isator subway stops in the heart of Old Town in addition to Munich’s Central Station. Both options are covered by day pass metro tickets we suggest below.
If you take the S2 Line from Munich you will head in the direction of Petershausen. If you take the Regional Train, it will leave from the central concourse at Munch Station in the direction of either Nuremberg or Treuchtlingen. The high-speed ICE trains to Nuremberg are not covered by our suggested day passes and many also bypass Dachau.
Step 1: Munich Station > Dachau Station (RB or S2)
Step 1: Munich Station > Dachau Station (RB or S2): Your two main options from Munich Station to Dachau Station are either the Regional (RB) Train or the S2 Line. The Regional Train is faster, but the S2 line has options to leave from the center of Old Town instead of only from the Main Train Station. Both are coverage by our suggested day passes.
Total Time: Only 10 minutes by Regional RB Train or 20-25 by the S2 Line.
Step 2: Dachau Station > Concentration Camp Memorial Bus Stop (Bus 726)
Step 2: Dachau Station > Memorial Bus Stop (Bus 726): Bus #726 leaves from the bus depot in front of the Dachau Train Station (Westside) every 20 minutes. Your day pass metro ticket that covers the RB and S2 lines also covers Bus 726 to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Bus Stop (KZ-Gedenkstätte).
Total Time: With a tight 3-4 minute layover, the bus ride only takes 7 minutes. Bus 726 leaves every 20 minutes if you miss the first one after arriving.
Route Schedule: Bus 726 Printable Route Schedule.
Step 3: Memorial Bus Stop > Memorial Site
Step 3: Memorial Bus Stop > Memorial Site: Getting off Bus 726 at the Memorial Bus Stop (KZ-Gedenkstätte) puts you right infront of the Memorial’s Visitor Center and only a short walk to the entrance of the former camp. There is no entrance fee as it is 100% to visit but at the Visitor’s Center you can get a helpful map, rent an audio guide, or get info on the daily 11am & 1pm tours in English (also 12:15pm on weekends in Summer).
Total Time: A 4-minute easy walk.
2. Tour Guides From Munich:
About Dachau Tours From Munich: There are some very good paid tour guide options to get from Munich to Dachau. Some of these tour guide operations provide transportion by bus while others go with you using the train + bus option we explained above. While this option is easy, it doesn’t save you any time, and generally isn’t worth it. We say that because once you get to Dachau (which has free entrance), all of the exhibits are labled in English plus there are both audio guides and staff run tours available which are both under 5€. Staff tours are daily at 11am & 1pm and there are additional times at 12:15 on the weekends in the Summer, plus daily tours in other languages.
Overall, the only time that paying a tour guide to bring you from Munich to the Dachau Concentration Camp makes sense is if it is part of a package where they also take you to other WW2 sites either in or around Munich. Some large internation tour groups have multi-day or multi-week tours that cover all the major castles and WW2 sites around Germany which cost a lot of money. For the average visitor, simply follow our train + bus suggestion and buy one of the day pass metro tickets explained below.
3. Driving A Car (35-60 Minutes):
About Driving To Dachau: Even if you have a rental car, driving from Munich to Dachau rarely makes sense. Yes you can go directly to the Concentration Camp Memorial without messing around with metro tickets or a transfer, but it is actually usually much slower than the train + bus option. Even if you are really lucky and hit zero traffic, the driving route isn’t very direct and is still slower than the Regional Train plus Bus 726 from Dachau Station. If you are driving between Munich and Nuremberg or Rothenburg anyway, however, then obivously stopping in Dachau along the way makes perfect sense.
4. From The Munich Airport (30-90 Minutes):
About Getting To Dachau From The Airport: Going from the Munich Airport to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial isn’t very common, but it is a question we get sometimes. You basically have two options, public transportation on the metro (train + bus) or by taxi.
The train option is pretty easy and all of the segments of the route will be covered with the Entire Network Pass which is detailed later in this guide. You will take the S1 or S8 Line (whichever is leaving first) from the Munich Airport to the Munich Central Station which takes 40-45 minutes. From the train station you will transfer to either the S2 Line or Regional RB Train to Dachau Station to catch Bus 726 to the Memorial which is described above. Because the Regional Train option is faster, you can get to Dachau from the Munich Airport in as fast as 70 minutes, but it will take 85-90 minutes total if you take the S2 from Munich Station. Assuming you will have luggage, you can store your bags either in the luggage lockers at the airport or at the more abundant ones inside Munich’s train station.
If you are visiting Dachau during a long layover at the Munich Airport then Taxi is really the route you should consider. While it will be pricey at 80€ each way, the drive only takes 30 minutes from the Munich Airport which saves you 60 minutes each way plus the hassle of doing transfers. There are both traditional taxis and Ubers available in Munich. While Uber pricing is pretty striaghtforward, if you use a tradiational taxi then you will want to talk to them about price before getting in.
Metro Pass Options For Dachau:
1. Munich XXL Pass (Inner Zones):
About The Munich XXL Pass: The most popular metro pass to buy for the route between Munich and the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial is the Munich XXL Pass. This pass by default covers all of the metro options including trams, bus, subway, suburban trains, and regional trains inside central Munich for the entire day. Since the XXL Pass covers both of the two inner zones of Munich, it is valid all the way out to Dachau, but it is not valid to get you all the way to the airport.
Cost: For one day it costs 8.90€ for one adult or 16.10€ for up to 5 adults traveling together on the group pass. Kids ages 6-14 only count as half of an adult and childern under 6 are free. Where to buy: From the MVV or Duestch Bahn ticket machines as well as the Duestch Bahn website or app (here). Buying Tips: From the Duestch Bahn machines make sure to select the MVV option to see these tickets which come out pre-validated with your date by default. There is no need to pre-buy your ticket until the day you need it. The in-person machines require cash or a card with a pin number.
2. Entire Network Pass (All Zones):
About The Entire Network Pass: For just a couple euros more than the handy Munich XXL Pass which covers the two inner zones of public transporation, the Entire Network Pass covers all four zones around Munich for the day. This means that you get full coverage in Old Town and out to Dachau, but also as far away as the Munich Airport. It doesn’t cover any high-speed ICE trains but is valid on the S-Bahn, U-Bahn (subway), trams, buses, and Regional Trains (RB).
Advantages: While is covers all of your local transportation including buses, trams, subway and trains in central Munich like the XXL pass, the Entire Network Pass extends beyond Dachau all the way to the Munich Airport. This is espeically helpful if you want to leverage visiting the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial the same day that you are heading to or from the airport. We have both this a few times including when we flew into Munich at 8am, drops our bags in the storage lockers at Munich Station, and then went to Dachau on the same ticket before heading back to Munich to check into our hotel.
Cost: For one day it costs 13€ for one adult or 24.30€ for up to 5 adults traveling together on the group pass. Discount of Kids ages 6-14 and childern under 6 are free. Where to buy: From the MVV or Duestch Bahn ticket machines as well as the Duestch Bahn website or app (here). Buying Tips: From the Duestch Bahn machines make sure to select the MVV option to see these tickets which come out pre-validated with your date by default. There is no need to pre-buy your ticket until the day you need it. The in-person machines require cash or a card with a pin number.
3. Bayern Pass (Entire Region):
About The Bayern Pass: Smart travelers know all about the Bayern Pass (Bavarian Pass) which covers all of your local transporation in Munich for the day as well as the regional trains thoughout Bavaria. It is valid on the S-Bahn, U-Bahn (subway), trams, buses, and Regional RB Trains (excluding ICE). This is one of the most powerfull and best valued metro/train passes in all of Europe.
Advantages: In additional to the metro options in Old Town Munich plus Dachau and the Airport, you can travel to other towns in Bavaria the same day using Regional Trains for free. This means you can go to places like Nuremberg (non-ICE), Rothenburg, Neuesshwanstein, Berchtesgaden, and even Salzburg (Meridian Line) for free the same day you visit Dachau. You can really leverage value by storaging your bags in the lockers in Munich Station while you visit Dachau and then return for your bags before continuing your vacation in Salzburg.
Disadvantages: While the other passes are good all day, on weekdays the Bayern Pass isn’t valid until after 9am. It works all day on weekends though and any day of the week it is always valid until 3am the next morning.
Cost: For one day it costs 25€ for one adult and +7€ per extra adult up to 5 total traveling together on the group pass. Childern under 6 are free. Where to buy: From the MVV or Duestch Bahn ticket machines as well as the Duestch Bahn website or app (here). Buying Tips: There is no need to pre-buy your ticket until the day you need it. The in-person machines require cash or a card with a pin number. Buying online often requires that you put in a return journey to trigger the pass to show as an option. Does It Require Validation?: All of the Bayern Passes bought online will be pre-validated as will the ones bought from in-person machines. If you buy your Bayern Pass to Dachau in advance, however, it will not come with a date printed on it which means you have to stamp it in one of the blue validation machines the prior to use on the day you use it.
