While staying in Munich, I had always planned on seeing Dachau and I found getting there very easy (a relatively short trip on the S-Bahn from Marienplatz). I was travelling in a group, including one lady with a knee injury so there would always be mobility issues. We started walking from Dachau station to the KZ (really well sign-posted) but after finally asking a local we were told that it would be several more kilometres to the site. (ADVICE: look out for a bus from the train station to the camp).
We decided that as we wanted to go at our own pace, an audio guide would be best so we rented one each very cheaply in English. These were really useful and provided us with additional info to the signs and notices posted all over the camp. The camp museum in the maintenance building was INCREDIBLY well laid out, informative and didn't really hold any punches. It had everything from documentation (passports etc) of prisoners to video footage of interviews with survivors. The camp itself is very accessible to people with disabilities and seems to be as well-preserved as one could hope.
However, I and several others from our group did take issue with one thing... the other visitors to the camp.
We couldn't really believe our eyes when we saw what some of them were doing and that they were being so disrespectul of their surroundings and the horrific events that had taken place on the site.
Here are some examples:
1) Tourists posing for family photos (cheesy smiles and arms around each other) IN FRONT OF THE INCINERATORS IN THE CREMATORIUM. In front of the actual incinerators where bodies were disposed of this was happening... which seemed highly inappropriate and upsetting to lots of us.
2) We saw many tourists of all nationalities posing with the infamous gate (the black metal gate stating "Arbeit Macht Frei"). They were posing behind the gate, clutching it and smiling, with their photographer on the other side taking snaphots, i.e. they were pretending to be prisoners.
These are only some examples of what these idiots got up to. You may think that I'm taking it too seriously, but if you consider the atrocities of Dachau and have any sort of a heart then it is difficult not to anger at this moronic conduct.
So, in conclusion;
1) Leave at least 2-3 hours for the visit (opens 9-5, I think)
2) Get a bus from the train station
3) Rent the audio guide
4) Try to really feel the environment and think deeply about the information presented to you. In establishing a human perspective on the history of the site, this is really quite important.
Also, bring water with you as you won't be able to buy it at the camp. Use the WC before you begin walking around - there is only one set of toilets and they're at the entrance.
