Day Trip: Dachau Memorial

It's an emotionally challenging day trip but visiting the memorial site of this former concentration camp is an important and powerful addition to a Munich itinerary. The fact that it is located only a thirty-minute drive northwest of Munich is a chilling testament of the Nazi fear machine – opened in 1933 just a few weeks after Hitler was appointed chancellor, Dachau was the Nazis' first concentration camp. It originally held political prisoners but after 1938, its primary population extended to Jews and prisoners of war, predominately from Poland. The exhibitions are obviously sobering — it's not recommended to bring children under the age of 12 — but even more poignant is the fact that you're on the actual grounds where these atrocities happened.

Indagare Tip: Take your time and don't follow this up with the next itinerary must-see. After a visit here, you might want to give yourself some time to walk, think and write down some impressions.