Visiting Holocaust Memorial Sites in Europe: Which, From Where, and How

Most visitors reach the memorial sites from a city a short journey away: Auschwitz-Birkenau from Kraków, Terezín from Prague, Sachsenhausen from Berlin, Dachau from Munich and Treblinka from Warsaw. Each is a day, or most of one, and each asks something of the visitor beyond a ticket: a reservation in your own name at Auschwitz-Birkenau, quiet and respect everywhere, and time afterwards. This guide sets out what each site requires and how the guided visits work.

The sites, and where to start from

From prices checked October 2026.

The guided visits, corridor by corridor

Four corridors carry most visitors: Kraków to Auschwitz-Birkenau, Prague to Terezín, Berlin to Sachsenhausen and Munich to Dachau. From Warsaw, a guided visit goes to Treblinka, and a long day reaches Auschwitz-Birkenau by fast train.

Prices as of October 2026: the shape of the market, not a quote. Check the price and the conditions on the date you choose.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

The Memorial sells its entry cards only online, at visit.auschwitz.org, not at the gate, and free individual entry must also be reserved in advance. Every visitor’s name is recorded, and entry can be refused if the name on the booking does not match the passport or ID. The Memorial recommends the visit for those aged 14 and over. It is open every day except 1 January, 25 December and Easter Sunday, with hours that change by month. A guided visit from Kraków takes care of what the online pass leaves to you: the entry, with a licensed museum guide, and the coach there and back.

A guided visit from Kraków takes seven to eight hours with the journey; the guided part, about three and a half hours across Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, is set by the Memorial’s visitor service. auschwitztourfromkrakow.com compares the visits from Kraków in more depth.

Reserve a guided visit →

Terezín

The fortress town north of Prague became a ghetto and a transit camp; beside it, the Small Fortress was a Gestapo prison. The visits from Prague take four and a half to five hours. Get Prague Guide’s includes a guided hour in the Small Fortress and the Large Fortress; Premiant City Tour’s adds the Ghetto Museum. One listing notes that the crematorium is closed on Saturdays.

Reserve a guided visit from Prague →

Sachsenhausen and Dachau

Both are free to enter. Sachsenhausen, in Oranienburg about 35 km north of Berlin, is reached by S-Bahn with the train tours, which need an ABC zone ticket, or by private vehicle in about four hours. Dachau opens daily from 9:00 to 17:00 except 24 December. Neither sells food or drink on the grounds; bring your own, and dress for a visit that is mostly outdoors.

Entry is free; what a guided visit adds is the journey and the history:

Figures as of October 2026: the shape of the market, not a quote. Check the price and the conditions on the date you choose.

How to choose a visit

Three things decide it: the language, the transport and the size of the group.

Figures as of October 2026: the shape of the market, not a quote. Check the price and the conditions on the date you choose.

The museums in the cities

• Amsterdam. The Anne Frank House, by timed ticket sold only on annefrank.org, and in no tour; the guided Anne Frank walks around it are sold for any date. The National Holocaust Museum and the Hollandsche Schouwburg are on one ticket. Reserve an Anne Frank walk → See Amsterdam.
• Paris. The Mémorial de la Shoah, free, open every day except Saturday. See Paris.
• Vienna. Rachel Whiteread’s memorial on Judenplatz, beside the Museum Judenplatz, which shares a ticket with the Jewish Museum Vienna. See Vienna.
• Budapest. The memorial garden behind the Dohány Street Synagogue, on the guided visits. See Budapest.

On the day

• Conduct. These are places of remembrance and, in many parts, of burial. Speak quietly, follow the guide’s lead on photographs, and do not eat or smoke on the grounds.
• Children. The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial recommends the visit for those aged 14 and over; some tours set their own limits, 12 or 13.
• Afterwards. Keep the evening free. Many visitors find that the day needs time.
• Saturdays. The memorial sites open on Saturdays, which makes them a good fit for the day the synagogues are closed; see the closures guide.

For the full country pages, see Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany.