My family and I will be returning from a trip to Austria via the Munich airport. We will have one free day in the Munich area before we fly home and we are considering touring the concentration camp museum at Dachau. Can anyone who has been there please tell me about the experience, and particularly how you feel it would be for 11 and 8 year girls? Also, how far is the camp from Munich and how long does a tour take? Finally, if we spend most of our free day travelling to and touring Dachau, should we stay that evening in the city center or at the airport--our flight leaves the next morning at 11:30 (but we have to drop off a rental car first)? Any tips for family friendly hotels in Munich or near the airport would also be appreciated.

Neil, I'd stay the night in the city and head out in the morning. Look for hotel recommendations right on this website, preferably close to the Marienplatz. It's a great area that everyone will enjoy. <BR> <BR>Dachau is not as much graphic as somber. There isn't much there anymore exept the main hall with a film, artifacts and many photographs of Dachau and other WWII concentration camps. It is a as I said, a somber experience. Tears get shed. <BR> <BR>The gas chambers were not used there, but other war crimes were. I don't think that it would be bad for the girls at all. They may not really understand, but they will get the message that it is a place with sad memories. <BR> <BR>Dachau can be seen in several hours. It's only about 25 km from Munich city center.

Neil, I would definitly go to Dachau. I think that it will be a one time experiance for your children and yourselves. Have your children seen one of the Ann Frank movies/shows or read the diary? It is close to Munich as far as a drive, but it has been many years since I was there so will not try to give you directions. You could go to Expedia.com and get very good detailed driving instructions. Since you don't leave untill 11:30 the next morning, I would stay in Munich overnight and have a little time to explore early in the morning. <BR>Regards <BR>Art <BR>

Dachau should be experienced by anyone who is at the age of reason. I was 12 the first time I was there and it had a profound effect on me (I'm in my late 40's now.) I have been 3 times since then, twice with children between 9 and 15. I have always "toured" on our own. I suggest you take your children and explain to each according to their maturity, which you know. It is not far from Munich. <BR> I cannot help with the hotels, sorry. <BR>A.M.

I am obviously in the minority, but when my husband and I went to Dachau we could not stay very long. I found it to be quite disturbing. I would stay in Munich and find things to do, then take the children to the Holocaust Museum in Washington if possible.

Diane, <BR> I am in no way criticizing your honest response but I do hope you are in the minority. <BR> Sincerely, <BR> A.M.

We toured Dachau on our wedding anniversary--not by choice but it was the only daily available given our schedule. I agree with the poster who said it was somber but not graphic. I would think, with your parental explanations, that it would be most appropriate for your children. I don't think you need to spend the entire day there. A lighter-hearted destination might be a good way to finish off the afternoon/evening.

You alone are the best to judge whether Dachau will "work" for your daughters. I might not choose it for children that age, but I'm not sure. <BR> <BR>If you would like an alternative, let me suggest the town of Landshut - - and drive up the hill to the Schloss that sits at the top of the hill right in the center of town. There's a nice play area up there if kids need to burn off some energy. It's a fascinating town in its own right with a pedestrian-only center about 1000 yards in length - - fine to wander without having to worry about them getting out of your sight. <BR> <BR>The St. Martins Kirche is the tallest all-brick structure in the world, and easily ten-twenty times taller than anything else in the town - - looks like a Titan missile that someone just dropped in the middle of medieval Germany. <BR> <BR>Best wishes, <BR> <BR>Rex <BR> <BR>

Well, you can go to Dachau if this is what interests you but if you only have a day in Munich I think you will be disappointed that you didn't spend it in the city. Its a lovely city with lots of shops, museums, cafes and sights. I recently had three days there and loved it. look for my posting MY MUNICH TRIP REPORT. If you simple put MUNICH in the search function it should come up. <BR> <BR>I stayed at the Hotel Advokat which is near the Marienplatz and Duetschesmuseum (which the kids would like better than a concentration camp.) It was very modern and had an excellent breakfast buffet. See their websight. <BR> <BR>http://www.hotel-advokat.de <BR> <BR>The best part of the hotel is that they are right near the 'Isotar' stop on the S Bahn. This is where you catch the train to Munich Airport. The S Bahn goes directly into the terminal. Very convenient! <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip!

There are many wonderful things that you could fill DAYS seeing in Munich, but if you are already giving thought to Dachau then I say "do it". Yes, it is very somber, but it will give your children a real glimpse at a part of history that they will never forget. Our family lives in the Munich area and we have taken many young guests to Dachau; several have said it was the most memorable part of their trip. <BR>Although you said you will have a car, it is quite easy to take the S2 train to Dachau where you will connect with a bus that goes to the concentration camp. (remember that we know the camp as "Dachau", but Dachau is actually the name of the nearby town) Plan to be able to see the video in English that is shown twice daily (11:30 and 3, but I need to verify that) Feel free to email me if you have questions. Enjoy your trip.

Neil--- A visit to Dachau stays with you for a while, so while on one it appears you are inclined to have this experience (and I would recommend it), I would also suggest to plan a fun activity afterwards to lighten up the mood. Dachau has been tremendously sanitized, so you and your wife will, most likely, get more of the experience. For the after-Dachau activity, I have two suggestions; stroll around Marienplatz, lots to see or may I suggest Landshut? This wonderful medieval town is close to the airport, with great hotels and just charming. <BR> <BR>Also, I have posted the following book recommendation before and will like to take the chance to post it again. A while back, I read a book titled "The Last Survivor: In Search of Martin Zaidenstadt" written by an Austrian journalist called Timothy W. Ryback. If you visit Dachau, you may even have the opportunity to meet Mr. Zaidenstadt. The book narrates some of the impressions Mr. Ryback had about present day Dachausers and how they deal with the sad notoriety of their town. The framework for this account is a Dachau survivor (Mr. Zaidenstadt), who has made it a crusade to go to Dachau every day and talk to people about what went on during the holocaust/Nazi Germany regime (by the way, he recalls shipments of Xylon and white ashes showers on a periodic basis). <BR> <BR>Highly recommend this book for potential visitors. Although a bit disturbing at times, it is an absorbing book that should augment the experience when visiting the actual site. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip.

Rex, I just noticed your Landshut recommendation!! Obviously, totally agreed

I visited Dachau on a recent trip to Munich and found it a very moving journey. I was considering going on my own, but ended up going with a tour. I can't remember the name of the group off the top of my head, but the tour is 37 marks and can be reserved at the EurAid office which is located in Hauptbanhof, and at the tour office itself, also in Hauptbanhof, near the back where the bike rentals are. If you are interested email me and I will find the name of the group when I get home. <BR> <BR>The guide was American, but extremely knowledge of the holocaust and Dachau in general, and added an incredible depth of experience that I would not have gotten had I visited Dachau on my own. <BR> <BR>There is also a two hour walking tour of Munich that covers the major sights, but that might be a little harder on the younger child - however you'll know her limits best. <BR> <BR>Best, <BR>lily

I have been to Dachau. I would not reccomend it as a priority spot to visit on a one day trip to Munich. Munich is a wonderful city , full of life and culture. If you have a strong interest in Concentration camps or Holocaust history there are more significant sites such as Auscwitz. Dachau was a minor player in this horror. Less than seven hundred people lost their lives there as opposed to hundreds of thousands at other locations.Dachau was used mostly to detain political enemies, catholic priests,homosexuals and gypsies. No one was gassed there. though they were ready to start.

I found the visual exhibits at Dachau extremely disturbing and graphic. Your children will require some heavy mental preparation for what they will experience there if they have not before seen the photographs and footage of incredible atrocity against humans. Perhaps I am overly sensitive, but I did not feel like taking a carefree stroll or otherwise entertaining myself. Dachau will ruin your day. It's supposed to. <BR> <BR>And I don't know where Joe gets his numbers, numbers that severely minimize what took place in Dachau. The official Dachau website lists 30,000 REGISTERED deaths at the camp - through hanging, medical experiments, starvation, and other forms of abuse - and as methodical as the Nazis may have been about their records, I'm certain that this number is low, given the fact that many of the perpetrators must have sensed defeat and begun to hide their own deeds to avoid prosecution by the Allies.

Why end you trip on such a somber note. This place is to depressing. Munich has so much more to offer. Sit in a beer hall and have a good meal, see the churches, go to the many art museums (Munich has more museums than any other city in Germany), shop, walk, have an espresso and applestrudel in a cafe, listen to the band in the beer garden, nude sunbathe in the English Garden, anthing.... If you like Munich (and you will), plan top return at a later time to see more.

I visited Dachau 5 years ago, and can still visualize the entire camp. You and your family should definately go. It is something your children will remember always. Use your parental judgement in the museum, the pictures are very real. It is very close to Munich and does not take more than a few hours to tour. I don't think anyone could stay there for more than a few hours. But as the others have said, be sure to plan something "fun" afterwards. <BR>I went to Europe with a high school German class and I have never heard such silence on the bus after we left <BR>the camp from 17 year olds before. To liven things up we went straight to the Haufbrauhaus afterwards.

I think by visiting Dachau, you will see a very important place in world history. Yes, the crimes at Dachau were not on as vast of a scale as at Auschwitz. However, when you look at it that way, who is to say Auschwitz is more important than pure killing centers like Sobibor and Belzec, names that are remembered by relatively few, but from which few survivors emerged. Looking at the scale of what happened in different camps somewhat minimizes the importance of each human life that was taken. This is just a statement, not a criticism of any particular poster(s). Actually Dachau was profoundly important in that it was the first real concentration camp and served as a training ground for many of the camp personnel and commanders who went on to more infamous deeds at other places. I think one of the most striking things about Dachau is how close it is to the town. There is something very eery about getting off the bus just outside the town and following signs that say "Konzentrationslager." <BR> <BR>As far a priorities go, as a student of the Holocaust and a humanitarian, I would say it is something about which every child should learn. The subject was barely touched when I was in school; maybe it is covered more now. I found the Holocaust museum in Washington actually to be more graphic than Dachau, in fact much more. As a traveler, I would probably not end my trip with a visit to Dachau, especially with children. I would recommend going to Dachau as early as possible and spending the late afternoon and evening seeing the Marienplatz area of Munich. When I visited, Dachau, I went to a beerhall that night. Not only did I enjoy the beerhall, but the contradiction of the festiveness of the place, combined with the visit to Dachau, symbolized for me the contradiction of German history that is at the root of many of the discussions that exist among historians of the period - the Germany of Schiller and Goethe vs. the Germany of Hitler. Along with the fun, you could tell your children how the city was rebuilt from the bombing and how Germany has tried to overcome its past and rebuild a positive country in which to live and visit. I say go but don't deprive them of seeing the fun parts of Munich as well.

Dan, you said it well.

I visited Dachau in 1992, and it was one of those experiences that fundamentally changes the way a person looks at the world. <BR> <BR>Every person on the planet NEEDS to visit one of these places live, if only to experience the spine-tingling sense of evil that resides in the pit of some human souls. No one who visits here will ever be quite the same afterwards, and only through experiencing this live, do you get the sense that you have a role to play in making sure that this kind of thing never happens again. <BR> <BR>As I recall, you take the S-2 suburban train out of the main Munich Trainstation, towards "Peterhousen." <BR>Get off at the Dachau train station, there are city busses outside that go to the "memorial site" every 20 minutes or so. <BR> <BR>When I went there, the city bus didn't drop you at the door, but rather about 1.4 of a mile away. This little silent walk gives you time to prepare yourself for what you will be seeing. <BR> <BR>The English film was a good introduction, as was the museum section. It's all as disturbing as it needs to be - this isn't Disneyworld, after all. <BR> <BR>Then, you walk around and experience the grounds for yourself. There is alot to see - Crematoria, mass graves, bunkhouses and chapels and memorials built by various groups over the years. <BR> <BR>Don't miss it. <BR>Your children will thank you someday for exposing them to one of the most important events in the history of humanity. <BR>