For a culture-focused stay, Dachau brings together art history, museums and a historic Old Town. The Gemäldegalerie, Bezirksmuseum, St. Jakob parish church, Town Hall and Dachau Palace are all within easy walking distance in the historic Old Town. This makes it easy to combine art and local history with a stroll through the Old Town.
Artists’ Colony and Museums
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Dachau was one of Europe’s most important artists’ colonies; its heyday was around 1900. The permanent exhibition at the Gemäldegalerie Dachau documents the emergence and development of landscape painting in Dachau, from its beginnings well into the 20th century, with around 200 paintings and a selection of sculptures. The permanent collection also includes 19th- and early 20th-century landscapes and genre paintings.
The Bezirksmuseum focuses on a different subject: across three floors, it presents the cultural history of the city of Dachau and the district. In addition to its permanent exhibition, it regularly hosts special exhibitions. The two museums thus offer different perspectives: the Gemäldegalerie focuses on painting, while the Bezirksmuseum explores the cultural history of the city and district.
Old Town, Church and Court Garden
The picturesque historic centre is protected as an ensemble and invites visitors to stroll and linger. With its 44-metre-high octagonal tower, St. Jakob parish church rises above the Dachau Old Town and is visible from far away. On the south side of the nave is an 18th-century sundial, which shows the time, month and zodiac sign.
Dachau Palace Court Garden also brings together a variety of features: a Baroque lime-tree arbor, old garden walls, fruit trees, flower beds and a small adjoining woodland. Information boards along the bee nature trail explain the beehives; five bee colonies live in the Court Garden’s English garden. The Gemäldegalerie has a rooftop terrace high above the Old Town, added during renovations in 2005.
Planning Routes and Visits
The “Path of Remembrance” leads from Dachau railway station to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site visitor centre. Since 2007, twelve information panels along the route have provided information about the path. The three-kilometre walk is estimated to take around 45 minutes. You can therefore plan the walk as a distinct part of your visit, rather than treating it simply as a connection between two points.
The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except on 24 December; check the information before your trip. Guided tours of Dachau Palace are regularly held in the wider Dachau travel destination. Check the latest dates before your visit.
Getting There and Opening Hours
The S2 suburban train runs directly from Munich Central Station to Dachau station without a change; the journey takes around 20 minutes. On weekdays and Saturdays until 2 p.m., the 719 city bus runs from the station to the Old Town every ten minutes. On Sundays and public holidays, bus routes 720 and 722 operate. Timetables may change, so check your connection before setting off.
The Gemäldegalerie Dachau is listed as open Tuesday to Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The same hours are listed for the Bezirksmuseum Dachau. Check the opening hours before your visit.
Discover more destinations: Pellheim, Odelzhausen, Röhrmoos, Sulzemoos, Markt Indersdorf, Schwabhausen, Vierkirchen, Erdweg.
Back to the main travel overview: Dachau.
