The Sachsenhausen Camp Tour
The Sachsenhausen Memorial
…the Tower A entrance & ‘Arbeit Macht Frei’ lettering, the Appelplatz roll call area, the Jewish barracks, the special SS/Gestapo prison, the post-war KGB/NKVD camp, the ruins of Station Z and much more…
Visit the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial & Museum and learn about life and death in a Nazi ‘Protective Custody Camp’; the architecture of total control, and what inhumanity, humanity is capable of in its darkest moments.
An opportunity to assess Sachsenhausen’s role as the nucleus of the entire Nazi concentration camp industry; a prison to many notable figures; but also a proving ground for the methods and practices that would lead to the horror of industrial mass murder across Europe.
Despite the passage of time, the Tower A entrance to the Sachsenhausen Camp Memorial – emblazoned with its infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” lettering – still stands as a threshold to another domain.
Missing are the sights, sounds, and smells of casual brutality. Instead of the cramped suffocating architecture of totalitarianism, a vast open field graced with rows of stone markers – where barracks houses once stood – exists in its place.
Constructed by the Nazis, inherited by the Soviet authorities, and transformed into a memorial by the East German government –Sachsenhausen is a startling example of how different regimes chose to use the same land for purposes of punishment and propaganda.
Most people, when asked about Nazi camps, would point East – to the extermination camps that gained notoriety through the Holocaust: to Auschwitz, Treblinka, Majdanek etc.
The truth is, however, that these camps came relatively late in the history of the Third Reich. Their predecessors – the concentration camps – such as Sachsenhausen, were constructed within Nazi Germany in the 1930s.
Devised as a so-called ‘protective custody camp’ to house political prisoners, Sachsenhausen grew to become not only the nucleus of the entire Nazi concentration camp industry; but also a proving ground for the methods and practices that would lead to the ultimate horror of industrial mass murder and genocide.
Writer Hannah Arendt referred to the concentration camp as the ‘true central institution of totalitarian organisational power’ – designed for the systematised dehumanisation and destruction of human personality. The ‘theory and practice of hell’ materialised.
A thought-provoking and often uncomfortable journey –the former Nazi concentration camp of Sachsenhausen stands as a warning from the past and a recommended excursion from Berlin to all interested in learning more about the conditions where gratuitous cruelty flourished and experiments to cultivate inhumanity succeeded.
Sachsenhausen now is a place to pay respects, to reflect, and to bear witness. To observe the preservation of memory as a vital tool against the tyranny of forgetting what humanity is capable of in its darkest moments.
“If you have the opportunity to book Matthew for a tour in Berlin you should definitely do it. Our group of 11 took his 6-hour Best of Berlin tour and could not have been more pleased. The van was roomy and comfortable, Matthew spoke very knowledgeably about the historical sites we visited, and we did in fact visit all the highlights of the beautiful city as promised.”
Michelle DawsonSachsenhausen Concentration Camp Tour · December 2023
““I highly recommend Matt as a tour guide if you are staying in Berlin or wanting a tour outside of the city as well! He has a wealth of knowledge about history and is excited to share it. You can tell he not only enjoys giving tours and the history he is presenting, but also being with his clients. He is easy going but at the same time incredibly professional. We booked the Potsdam tour with him and wish we had more time to do other tours with him such as a Cold War tour, and a WW2 tour””
Chelsea PageSachsenhausen Concentration Camp Tour · September 2023
““If you have the opportunity to book Matthew for a tour in Berlin you should definitely do it. Our group of 11 took his 6-hour Best of Berlin tour and could not have been more pleased. The van was roomy and comfortable, Matthew spoke very knowledgeably about the historical sites we visited, and we did in fact visit all the highlights of the beautiful city as promised.””
Michelle DawsonThe Sachsenhausen Camp Tour · December 2023
““My wife and I spent two wonderful days touring Berlin with Matthew and his very capable and interesting driver, Marcus. Matthew is extremely knowledgeable about the history and historical sites of Berlin, but he’s also a world of knowledge on the history and politics of Germany and Europe. We were able to cover a lot of territory in Marcus’s comfortable van, and Marcus shared with us his tale of defecting from East Berlin in the late 80’s. We highly recommend Matthew!””
Fabian DominguezBerlin/Sachsenhausen/Dresden · September 2023
““Matthew was an excellent guide for our family of four. He was very affable and caring, and extremely knowledgable. We couldn’t have engaged a better guide to show us Berlin’s sights and history. His previous career as a journalist shows through during the tour as he gave in depth illustrations and narrations of Berlin’s role in WWII and the unification of Germany. His partnership with Markus as the driver added an extra special touch to the day. Will highly recommend Matthew as a guide for Berlin!””
Douglas CareyBerlin & Sachsenhausen Tour · June 2023
““We had a group of 9 on the tour. Matt was sure to keep us all included with any facts given & answered all our questions. We all felt he was the best guide we could have hoped for on our tour. 100% recommend Matt as a guide!!””
Malin FredrikssonThe Sachsenhausen Camp Tour · December 2022
Good to know
- We also offer private walking-tour variations of all our famous private transportation tours.
- Get in touch for bigger group tours — we also offer bus tours for companies and schools.
- English-language tours with native English speakers — in other languages on request.
- Book directly with a local company — over 20 years' experience offering guided tours of Berlin.
The itinerary
Sites that can be included in this tour.
All of our private tours are carefully tailored to our clients wishes and expectations.
- The Tower A Entrance
- The New Museum (constructed by the East German government)
- The ‘Green Monster’ canteen building used by the SS
- The infamous “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate
- The Appelplatz roll call area
- The Jewish barracks
- The site of Operation Bernhard
- The special SS/Gestapo prison
- The isolation barracks
- The former kitchen barrack
- The execution yard
- The industrial yard/foundations of Station Z execution facility
- The site of the Sachsenhausen gas chamber
- The crematorium site
- The remains of the Soviet-era NKVD/KGB camp
- The pathology building
- The hospital building
- The site of the camp brothel
- The international memorials & graves
- The T Building – The Concentration Camps Inspectorate
Featured experiences
Deep-dives on the sites you'll explore.
Mythbusting Berlin
The myths we set straight on this tour.
We will not only examine what remains of the Sachsenhausen camp in its current form as a memorial and museum site but also deal with the important issues associated with this hugely significant location and its tragic history:
- What was special about the design of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp?
- Were the Nazi concentration camps inspired by the British?
- Was Sachsenhausen a ‘Holocaust camp’?
- Who were the last Nazis on trial?
- Was it possible to be released from a Nazi concentration camp?
- How did the Nazi methodology of industrial killing develop?
- Was the Nazi party democratically elected?
- Did the Nazis develop nuclear weapons?
- Were the Nazi medical experiments useful?
- What inspired the racial theories of Nazi Germany?
- Did Hugo Boss design the Nazi uniforms?
- Was Joseph Stalin’s son killed by the Nazis?
- Did the Nazis manage to counterfeit the US dollar during WWII?
- How many times did Hitler survive assassination?
- Was Henry Ford a Nazi?
- What are the origins of the Nazi salute?
- How was the history of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp presented in East Germany?
- How did the Nazi concentration camps differ from the Soviet GULAG?
Go deeper
More on our history websites.
Before you book
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I book a private guided tour of Berlin?
Booking a tour via our website is simply a matter of navigating to the tour page and choosing the date you would like to tour and starting time via the calendar panel on the page. You will then be taken to a booking form, where you enter your personal details and can then choose your payment option. Once you complete your tour booking it will then enter our system as pending until confirmed on our side (this usually takes less than an hour depending when we see the booking request). Then within the next 24 hours we will contact your directly via the email you supply during the booking process to say hello and confirm the booking. If you have any special requests or requirements, please add them to your booking during the checkout process and we can finalise these details via email.
How do I pay for a tour?
You pay securely at the time of booking. When you pick your date and booking option on the tour page you’re taken straight to a secure checkout (processed by Stripe) that accepts all major credit and debit cards — VISA, Mastercard, Amex and more. Standard and Flexible bookings are paid in full at checkout; if you Reserve with a Deposit you pay half now and the balance 45 days before the tour. For bank transfer, agent invoicing or any other payment question, email info@berlinexperiences.com before booking and we’ll arrange it.
When do the tours start?
We find that as many of our clients are holidaying in Berlin that starting slowly in the morning for our Full Day Experiences is both recommended and most rewarding. A relaxing 10am start for our five/six hour tours also means that we can integrate a short coffee/snack break or lunch around 12:30pm. For the Half Day Experiences, we would also recommend the same – although along with the One Hour Experiences there is more flexibility due to the reduced length of the tours. When booking your tour, you will find the options for starting times in the booking window. If you don’t find the time you are looking for – get in touch(info@berlinexperiences.com) and we can work something out!
Where do the tours start?
For all of our Full Day Experiences, it is possible start and finish the tour at your hotel/accommodation. Depending on the location in the city and its distance from the areas we will be exploring, it may be more advisable to start at a centrally located landmark (within the Mitte district) such as the Brandenburg Gate or Museum Island. Our One Hour Experiences are designed with specific starting point and end points in mind – for each of these tours there is a train station nearby which is easy to reach for travellers wishing to arrive by public transportation. Check the description on the tour pages for these One Hour Experiences to see exactly where the meeting points are. For the Half Day Experiences, it may be possible in some cases (such as the Bitesize Berlin 3 Hour Private Van Tour) to start at your accommodation also. The other tours listed have specific starting points – be they the Berlin Brandenburg Airport for the Airport Transfer Tour or the Brandenburg Gate for the Berlin Explorer Tour.
Do you customise your tours?
While each of our tours have been designed to approach a certain historical theme or aspect of the city, we can always tailor your time in the city further. Berlin is not laid out chronologically, so when exploring it is only natural that we will pass landmarks and locations that are from different periods or are worth mentioning for certain events that have taken place there. If there is any aspect of Berlin’s history or theme that you would like to explore further we can always work on integrating relevant parts of the city into a tour you book – or suggest another tour that might be more relevant. Don’t hesitate to get in touch if there is something you would like to explore that you don’t see as part of our catalogue of tours. Send an email to info@berlinexperiences.com and we can discuss how to best make the most of your time in our extraordinary city.
What is your cancellation policy?
This depends on the booking option you choose at checkout. With a Standard booking (our best value) you can cancel within 24 hours of booking for a full refund, and up to 30 days before the tour for a 75% refund of the tour price; within 30 days of the tour, sales are final. A Flexible booking lets you cancel up to 14 days before the tour for a full refund of the Standard tour price (the Flexible premium itself is non-refundable). If you Reserve with a Deposit, the deposit that secures your date is non-refundable after the first 24 hours, and once the balance is paid the booking is confirmed and can no longer be cancelled. You can compare all three options, and their prices, on every tour’s booking calendar and on our Booking options & cancellations page. If you’d prefer to move your tour to another date rather than cancel, we’re always happy to help at no extra cost — just request a cancellation from your account or email info@berlinexperiences.com, and any approved refund is returned to your original payment method automatically. We always recommend travel insurance for unforeseen circumstances; your invoice can be used to claim from your insurer or card provider.
Can I book multiple tours?
Absolutely. You can do this either by booking tours individually through the booking platform we used or by adding tours to the shopping card system and booking multiple tours together.
Do you accept last minute bookings?
Due to the high number of tours we have booked during the high season (April-December), we have a one week limit on our booking platform. This means that you cannot automatically book any tour that would take place within the next 7 days through the platform. If you would like to book a last minute tour – just because we do not list availability on our booking platform does not mean that one of our guides is not available – do get in touch via email(info@berlinexperiences.com) and we will see what we can do!
Does Matt personally lead all of the Berlin Experiences tours?
I (Matt) endeavour to lead all the tours I offer, but depending on availability may already be booked with other clients. In which case, I have a team of the best professional guides in Berlin, all with years of experience and dedication to their work, that I work with. All are members of the Berlin Guides Association, an organisation known throughout the world for its guiding excellence. When you book you will receive a confirmation email within 24hrs to follow up on your booking and present which guides might be available and best suited for your tour/s.
Are all the suggested sights listed in your tours covered on every tour?
The sights listed in the itinerary sections of our tours are a general guide to what may be covered when booking those particular tours and not necessarily what we may be able to cover during that day. Particular factors such as official state visits, political demonstrations, reconstruction – and even the odd bomb disposal of Second World War ordnance – can shape & reshape our path through the city. We appreciate that every guest is different and approaches the city with different expectations and interests – and we tailor our tours accordingly. If you find something in particular that interests you then please do refer to this when contacting us so we can arrange your day accordingly.
Can you arrange an airport transfer for my day of arrival/departure?
Our professional drivers are also available for airport transfers – provided with either Mercedes Benz V-class or Volkswagen Caravelle vans. This service is for up to 4 people – including a moderate amount of baggage (one large bag and one small bag per person). You can book directly via the private BER airport transfer item in our booking platform. If you are looking for a private airport transfer and require a larger vehicle for a bigger group – get in touch via email(info@berlinexperiences.com).
I am having issues with the booking process/my card was rejected.
If you are having issues booking through our booking platform – please get in touch via email ASAP(info@berlinexperiences.com) so we can see what we can do to fix the problem. If you receive a particular error message that might be due to our booking system please do take screenshots (photos of your screen with the error) if possible. We also accept alternative forms of payment through bank transfer/Paypal or cash on the day for clients who would prefer these methods.
Do you charge VAT on your tours?
As we are based in Germany, we charge the official 19% VAT (sales tax) – already calculated as part of the cost of our tours and the price that you see when you pay. Additionally, we include the booking fee, guide fee, admin fee, driver and transportation costs (where applicable), and the mandatory German tourism insurances as part of the costs we present. We aim to be 100% transparent with our services – offering a fair price for a fantastic day’s exploration!
More
Other Full Day Experiences.
The Berlin History Tour
Private 6-hour van tour of Berlin's whole history in one day for up to 6 people. Starts at your hotel or anywhere in the city.
The Capital Of Tyranny
Private 6-hour van tour of Hitler's Berlin and the Third Reich for up to 6 people. Starts at your hotel or anywhere in the city.
The Republic Of Fear
Private 6-hour van tour of East Berlin, the Stasi and life behind the Wall for up to 6 people. Starts at your hotel.
The Battle Of Berlin Tour
Private 6-hour van tour of the 1945 battlefield, from the outskirts to the Reichstag, for up to 6 people. Starts at your hotel.
The Royal Potsdam Tour
Private 6-hour day trip from Berlin to the palaces and parks of Potsdam for up to 6 people. Starts at your hotel in Berlin.
The Ravensbrück Camp Tour
Private 7-hour van tour from Berlin to Ravensbrück, the largest Nazi camp for women, for up to 6 people. Starts at your hotel.
The Warnemünde-Berlin Shore Excursion
Private 12-hour shore excursion from Warnemünde to Berlin and back for up to 6 people. Pickup at your ship, timed to its docking.
Step inside the story.
€975 · private · 5 Hours
Reserve The Sachsenhausen Camp Tour