How to Get to Sachsenhausen from Berlin: Concentration Camp Day Trip Tips

When you visit Germany, an essential part of learning about the country’s history includes its dark past. World War II and the Nazi regime left their mark on Germany, and the world really, and it’s important to honor the victims and learn about what happened so that it never happens again. If you’re visiting Berlin, it’s worth taking a day trip from Berlin to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.

In this article, I’ll explain how to get from Berlin to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, how to best visit this site, a bit of Sachsenhausen’s history, and more tips for your visit. Visiting Sachsenhausen won’t be one of the more fun day trips from Berlin, but it is a very important one.

How to get from Berlin to Sachsenhausen

There are a few different ways to get to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp from Berlin.

Berlin to Sachsenhausen with a tour

A tour could be a good way to visit Sachsenhausen since someone else handles the logistics, especially if you’re nervous about navigating public transportation. Plus having an expert guide tell you about the Sachsenhausen Memorial can enrich your experience. Here are two I recommend:

• Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour from Berlin: This tour is a good way to learn about the tragic history of the concentration camp located north of Berlin. A guide who was trained by Sachsenhausen Memorial will assist you in getting to the concentration camp from Berlin as well as provide valuable information while touring Sachsenhausen.
• Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial: Bus Tour from Berlin: This tour provides the same type of information about the concentration camp, but instead of using public transportation, you will be transported in a tour bus.

Both tours meet near the Palace of Tears Museum which is near the S&U Friedrichstrasse station.

Berlin to Sachsenhausen by train

If you prefer not to take a guided tour, you can easily take the train from Berlin to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. Getting to Sachsenhausen will require a transport ticket that covers zones ABC since Oranienburg is outside Berlin’s city limits but still within the transport network.

Download the BVG Fahrinfo app or the VBB Bus & Bahn app. You can use the app to buy tickets and to get routes.

To get to Sachsenhausen from Berlin, you’ll need the S1 Sbahn line and then a bus or a bit of a walk. You can get the S1 from several stations in Berlin, including Friedrichstrasse, Brandenburger Tor, Potsdamer Platz, and Gesundbrunnen, among others. It takes about 45 minutes from the Friedrichstr station.

Take the S1 north. The destination or end station on the train will be Oranienburg Bhf, which is also the station where you will get out. The train runs every 20 minutes.

Once you reach Oranienburg Bhf station, you can take either bus 804 or bus 821. But the buses don’t run too often, so check the schedules and try to time it so you aren’t stuck waiting for too long.

For bus 804, get on the one going in the direction of Malz/Anker. For bus 821, get on the one going in the direction of Tiergarten. With either bus, get out at the Gedenkstätte stop to reach Sachsenhausen.

Otherwise you can walk to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, which takes about 20-30 minutes depending on your walking speed. Check Google maps for walking directions here.

Total travel time from Berlin to the concentration camp is about an hour from Friedrichstrasse station if you time it right to get a bus. If you end up walking from the Oranienburg station, it will be a bit longer.

Where is Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Berlin located?

The Berlin Sachsenhausen Memorial is located in the town of Oranienburg north of Berlin. The address for the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum is Straße der Nationen 22, 16515 Oranienburg.

Day Trip From Berlin to Concentration Camp

Keep reading for history and important tips for what to expect on your Sachenhausen visit.

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp History

An empty factory was turned into Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp right in the middle of Oranienburg, a town located north of Berlin. From 1936 to 1945, it was one of the biggest concentration camps in Germany. The central administration office for all of the concentration camps in territories controlled by Germany was located here starting in 1938.

Though Germany had many concentration camps, Berlin Sachsenhausen was designed as an “ideal” concentration camp and used as a model camp. It was the first one established after Heinrich Himmler, an important Reich Leader, was appointed as Chief of the Germany Police in July 1936, and SS guards were trained here.

Between 1936 and 1945, more than 200,000 people were imprisoned at Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. These victims were political opponents of the Nazis, and anyone the Nazis deemed to be “inferior” including Jews, Sinti, Roma, homosexuals, and several others.

In the beginning, the internees mostly came from Germany. But once World War II started, victims were deported from occupied territories and also included Allied prisoners of war. Towards the end of the war, most of the people imprisoned at Sachsenhausen were foreign, and the largest groups were from Poland or the Soviet Union.

Tens of thousands of people died at the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp for various reasons. Hunger, disease, mistreatment, medical experiments, forced labor, and outright murder.

When Allied troops reached the River Oder (which forms the present day border between Germany and Poland) the concentration camp was evacuated, and the so called Death Marches led to even more deaths of thousands of internees. Even after the camp was liberated, several hundred victims still did not survive.

Things to do in Sachsenhausen

Whether you decide to take a tour, get an audio guide, or simply experience the Sachsenhausen Memorial on your own, there are quite a few different sections you can see. There is a lot to learn about here, and while it is a somber site, it’s important to remember what happened and honor those who died.

At Sachsenhausen, you can learn about why the Nazis established the concentration camp system and the conditions of the camp here. Learn how some people survived, and sadly how many died.

Several buildings at Sachsenhausen are still intact, such as the barracks at the infirmary and the pathology lab where some prisoners underwent awful medical experiments. You can also an escape tunnel dug by POWs.

There’s a lot to take in at the Sachsenhausen Memorial, so tours are normally about 3 hours or so. If you’re visiting on your own, take your time exploring and learning about the tragic history.

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Join the Facebook group here to chat with Ali (she runs this site) and other people who have been to Berlin for tips.

Join our Facebook group!

Have questions about planning your trip to Berlin?

Join the Facebook group here to chat with Ali (she runs this site) and other people who have been to Berlin for tips.

Sachsenhausen opening hours

The visitor information center is open daily from 8:30am to 5pm. The outdoor memorial is open from 8:30am to 6pm every day.

Is Sachsenhausen free to visit?

Yes, admission is free to go into the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial, if you’re not going with a tour group. If you want to get an audio guide, they cost 3.50 euros each.

What to wear to visit Sachsenhausen Berlin

The Concentration Camp Berlin Sachsenhausen has both indoor and outdoor exhibits. You will be on your feet a lot walking around, so wear comfortable shoes. Take note of the weather at the time of year you are visiting Berlin and dress appropriately. See what to wear in Berlin.

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More Holocaust Memorials and WWII Sites in Berlin

Since the Holocaust and WWII are such a huge part of Berlin’s and Germany’s history, there are tons of different places to learn about these events.

I have a list of World War II sites in Berlin you can read, but here are a few to get you started.

• Holocaust Memorial in Berlin: This outdoor memorial honors the Jewish victims of the Nazis, plus there’s an indoor museum. It’s the most well known Holocaust memorial in Berlin, but there are others that honor other groups of victims.
• Visiting Topography of Terror in Berlin: Located on the grounds of the former Gestapo headquarters, this powerful museum documents the rise of Hitler and the Nazis leading up to WWII, during the war, and the aftermath.
• Platform 17 Memorial: This memorial is small but important, located at the Grunewald Sbahn station. The platform was used to transport Jews to concentration camps.
• House of the Wannsee Conference: This luxury villa was the location of the infamous Wannsee Conference in 1942. Nazi government officials met to discuss the so-called “Final Solution to the Jewish Question” here, and today it is a museum and memorial.

Berlin Travel Resources

I want you to have the best trip to Berlin, and hopefully this guide to visiting Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp and info for how to get from Berlin to Sachsenhausen was helpful. But there are lots more tips on the site!