Berlin WW2 ToursSachsenhausen Small Group Tour from Berlin
This Sachsenhausen small group tour from Original Berlin Walks takes at most 15 guests by public train to the Sachsenhausen Memorial in Oranienburg, about 35 km north of Berlin. The guide is licensed and trained by the Memorial Authority, the visit lasts six hours, and the operator donates €3 per guest to the memorial. The train ticket is not included, which is the main thing to budget for beyond the tour price. This page sets out what you get, what the day looks like, what it costs against the alternatives, and who should book a different listing from the Berlin WW2 tours comparison.
About This Tour
Original Berlin Walks runs this six-hour memorial tour for a maximum of 15 guests. The group travels north by public train from central Berlin to Oranienburg, where the guide leads a walking tour of the former concentration camp, now the Sachsenhausen Memorial. Guides are trained by the operator and officially licensed by the Memorial Authority, to keep up with the latest research.
The tour is a walking visit at the memorial, not a bus excursion. You buy your own zone ABC train ticket, and most of the memorial is outdoors, so dress for the weather. Admission to the memorial itself is free, and €3 of every ticket sold goes back to the memorial's upkeep and research.
$37.79 per person on Viator. Note that the listing shows a from-price of $43.10 with a $5.31 extra charge that it does not itemise, so check the final figure at checkout.
6 hours in total, with about 1 hour by train north of Berlin.
In front of the Starbucks across from the S-Bahn station Hackescher Markt. No hotel pickup. Look for the guide wearing the Original Berlin Walks badge.
Public train north of Berlin, about 1 hour, then on foot at the memorial. Maximum 15 guests. Wheelchair accessible, and transportation options are wheelchair accessible. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller.
Included: all fees and taxes, the walking tour of the Sachsenhausen Memorial, a professional guide licensed and trained by the Memorial Authority, and a 3 euro donation to the memorial per guest. Extra: the Berlin Transport ABC zone ticket, food and drinks, and tips.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the scheduled departure time for a full refund.
Check Dates and Availability
The listing runs as a 6-hour Sachsenhausen tour with an English-speaking guide. Check live dates and the final per-person price on Viator.
You'll confirm the exact date and time on the secure booking page.
Quick answer Price, group size and the key facts
This Sachsenhausen small group tour costs $37.79 per person, lasts 6 hours, and caps the group at 15 guests with a guide licensed by the Memorial Authority.
Key takeaways
- The ABC zone train ticket is not included. The listing quotes about €3.30 each way, while BVG's current ABC single is €5. A 24-hour ABC ticket is €12.90 if you plan more travel the same day.
- Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before departure. Check dates on the booking card.
- Travellers who want transport handled for them should compare the Sachsenhausen and Potsdam day tour by bus, which needs no train ticket.
- Not sure a memorial visit suits your group? The who this tour rules out section lists the honest limits.
What the Price Actually Covers
The $37.79 buys the guide and the walk, not the transport. Here is the line-by-line breakdown from the operator's own listing.
What Is Included
The inclusions list is short and specific: all fees and taxes, a walking tour of the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial, and a professional guide licensed and trained by the Memorial Authority. Original Berlin Walks also donates €3 to the Sachsenhausen Memorial for every guest. Admission to the memorial itself is free, so no entry ticket is owed on site.
The operator describes this as support for the upkeep, development and historical research at Germany's most visited concentration camp memorial.
| Line | In the price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Guide | Yes | Licensed and trained by the Memorial Authority, English-language |
| Walking tour of the memorial | Yes | On foot at the site in Oranienburg |
| All fees and taxes | Yes | Stated in the inclusions |
| Memorial admission | Not applicable | Admission to the Sachsenhausen Memorial is free |
| Donation to the memorial | Yes | €3 per guest, paid by the operator |
| ABC zone train ticket | No | About €3.30 each way per the listing, BVG's ABC single is €5, sold at the station next to the meeting point |
| Food and drinks | No | No shops at the memorial site, bring snacks and water |
| Tips | No | At your discretion |
| Hotel pickup | No | The meeting point is at Hackescher Markt |
The Train Ticket You Buy Yourself
The listing is explicit that this is a walking tour and transport on the train is not included. You need a valid Berlin Transport ABC zone ticket, which the operator quotes at about €3.30 each way, bought at the station right next to the meeting point. BVG's fare list gives the ABC single as €5 after the rise that took effect on 1 January, so budget the higher figure to be safe.
Oranienburg lies outside zone AB, so a plain AB ticket will not cover it. A 24-hour ABC ticket costs €12.90, and a group day ticket for up to 5 people is €37.70 in zone ABC.
Sources: Berlin.de transport fares
Oranienburg Palace, in the town beside the Sachsenhausen memorial. Photo: Muck, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Day Is Really Like
The listing gives the duration, the meeting point and the train ride, but no stop-by-stop timetable or clock times. Here is what it does state, in order.
Meeting at Hackescher Markt
You meet the guide in front of the Starbucks across from the S-Bahn station Hackescher Markt, in central Berlin. The guide wears an Original Berlin Walks badge. Public transport options are available nearby, and the station where you buy the ABC ticket sits right next to the meeting point.
The Train North
The tour uses public transport, as the listing puts it, like a local Berliner. The ride north of Berlin to Oranienburg takes about 1 hour. Oranienburg is in fare zone C, which is why the ABC ticket is required.
The operator gives no statement of which line the group takes, so that detail is not stated.
At the Sachsenhausen Memorial
The guide leads a walking tour of the former concentration camp, described in the listing as one of the most important forced labour camps in Nazi Germany. The camp held more than 200,000 prisoners until 1945, and at least 30,000 wartime victims died there, including roughly 10,000 Soviet prisoners of war shot in late 1941. The memorial presents 13 exhibitions at authentic locations on the former camp grounds.
The listing does not name individual stops such as Tower A or Station Z, so the exact route is not stated.
The Return
The listing states a 6-hour total duration and no separate return point or return time. The operator recommends bringing snacks and water because there are no shops at the memorial site.
Who This Tour Rules Out
No tour suits everyone. These are the stated limits of this listing, each with a different option that fits better.
Six Hours and Mostly Outdoors
The tour runs 6 hours and most of the memorial is outdoors, so you stand and walk in whatever the weather does. The operator says it is suitable for all fitness levels, but a full day outside in rain or cold is a real demand. If a shorter day fits you better, the Berlin Third Reich and Cold War walking tour lasts 2 hours.
Read the guide to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp to judge the site for yourself.
You Handle the Train Ticket
There is no hotel pickup and no included transport. You buy your own ABC zone ticket at the station. If you want the transport problem solved for you, the Sachsenhausen and Potsdam day tour by bus uses a private bus with no additional tickets, at $44 for 9.5 hours.
The Emotional Weight and the Setting
This is a visit to a former concentration camp where tens of thousands of people were killed. Parents should weigh whether a full day at the memorial suits their children, even though the listing accepts children from 0 to 11 and allows prams and strollers. Barrier-free access at the memorial is limited because of heritage preservation, even though the tour itself is listed as wheelchair accessible.
If the subject feels too heavy, an indoor alternative is the Berlin Story Bunker entry ticket, a self-guided exhibition in a real air-raid bunker. The WW2 museums in Berlin guide lists more indoor options.
Small Group at a Price
At $37.79 this is the most expensive of the Sachsenhausen walking tours compared here, and the premium buys the cap of 15 guests. If you would rather pay less and accept a bigger group, the Sachsenhausen tour in English from Friedrichstrasse costs $27.39 and takes up to 28.
The 'Arbeit macht frei' inscription on the gate of Tower A, with the camp grounds beyond. Photo: Stephan Kaphle, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Could You Do It Without a Tour?
Yes, more easily than most WW2 sites around Berlin. The Sachsenhausen Memorial is free, reachable by S-Bahn, and well signed.
What Going Alone Involves
Admission to the Sachsenhausen Memorial is free, and the visitor information centre is open daily 8:30 to 17:00, with the outdoor area open 8:30 to 18:00 in summer and 8:30 to 16:30 in winter. Take the S1 from central Berlin to Oranienburg, about 45 minutes from Friedrichstraße, then walk about 20 minutes to the memorial or catch bus 804, which runs about every 30 minutes and takes about 5 minutes. Oranienburg is outside zone AB, so you need a ticket covering zone C. An ABC single is €5.
A secondary source suggests allowing 4.5 to 6 hours door to door, which is the same span this tour books.
Where the Guide Earns the Price
The site is large, the history is layered, and the memorial presents 13 exhibitions at authentic locations. Going alone, you would rely on displays and on-site information. A guide licensed and trained by the Memorial Authority adds context, answers questions and keeps a group of 15 moving through a demanding subject.
For $37.79 plus the train fare, you are paying for interpretation, not access, because access is free. The DIY guide to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp covers the site in detail, and the Berlin WW2 sites map helps you plan a self-guided day more widely.
Sources: Berlin.de, Sachsenhausen Memorial and visitBerlin
Hour by Hour on the Ground
The listing states the total duration, the meeting point and the train time, but no clock times. The steps below use phases where the operator gives none.
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Meeting
Hackescher Markt
Meet in front of the Starbucks across from S-Bahn Hackescher Markt and find the guide with the Original Berlin Walks badge. Buy your ABC zone ticket at the station next to the meeting point.
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Early in the tour
Train north to Oranienburg
The group rides public transport about 1 hour north of Berlin, travelling as the listing puts it, like a local Berliner.
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On arrival
Arrival at the Sachsenhausen Memorial
The guide leads the group of at most 15 into the memorial's open-air grounds on the former camp site, about 35 km from Berlin.
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On site
Walking tour of the camp
The licensed guide explains the history of the camp and those imprisoned there, covering the Holocaust and the camp's role as a forced labour camp. More than 200,000 people were imprisoned here until 1945.
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On site
The exhibitions and the grounds
Most of the memorial is outdoors. There are no shops at the site, so this is where the snacks and water you brought matter.
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End of tour
Return by train
The tour is booked as a 6-hour experience. The listing states no return point or return time.
Strengths and Trade-Offs
What this listing does well and where it asks something of you, based only on the operator's own listing.
What we genuinely like
- Maximum 15 guests, the smallest group cap among the Sachsenhausen walking tours compared here.
- The guide is licensed and trained by the Memorial Authority, so the interpretation follows the memorial's own standards.
- €3 per guest goes to the memorial's upkeep, development and research.
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
- Wheelchair accessible, with accessible transportation options, and prams and strollers allowed.
The honest downsides
- The ABC train ticket is not included. Budget about €3.30 each way per the listing, or €5 each way at the current BVG fare.
- The from-price shows $43.10 with a $5.31 extra charge the listing does not itemise, so confirm the final figure at checkout.
- No hotel pickup, and the meeting point at Hackescher Markt may be far from where you stay.
- Six hours with no shops at the memorial, so you must carry your own food and water.
- Most of the memorial is outdoors, whatever the weather does.
Who it's NOT for: Travellers who want transport and entry handled in one price, who should look at the bus-based day tour instead.
Questions About This Tour
How much does this Sachsenhausen small group tour cost?
The listing price is $37.79 per person. Viator's from-price shows $43.10 with a $5.31 extra charge that the listing does not itemise, and the ABC train ticket is extra on top. Compare all Sachsenhausen tours from Berlin before booking.
Is the train ticket included?
No. The listing states that transport on the train is not included and that you need a valid Berlin Transport ABC zone ticket, quoted at about €3.30 each way. BVG's fare list gives the ABC single as €5. Fares come from the Berlin.de fare list.
How big is the group?
The cap is 15 guests, which makes this the smallest-group Sachsenhausen walking tour in the comparison. The Sachsenhausen tour in English takes up to 28 at $27.39, so you trade group size against price.
Where does the tour start and end?
It starts in front of the Starbucks across from the S-Bahn station Hackescher Markt. The listing states no separate return point or return time, only a 6-hour total duration. The meeting point detail comes from the operator's listing on Viator.
Is it suitable for children and wheelchair users?
The listing accepts children from 0 to 11 and allows prams and strollers, and the tour is wheelchair accessible with accessible transportation options. Note that barrier-free access at the memorial itself is limited by heritage preservation. The guide to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp covers access in more detail.
Can I visit Sachsenhausen without a tour?
Yes. Admission is free, the S1 from Friedrichstraße takes about 45 minutes to Oranienburg, and the walk from the station is about 20 minutes. You still need a zone ABC ticket, which is €5 as a single. The do-it-yourself or tour question is covered on the Berlin WW2 tours homepage.
What should I bring on the day?
The operator recommends snacks and water because there are no shops at the memorial site, plus good walking shoes since most of the memorial is outdoors. The full packing and booking detail sits in the what the price covers section.
Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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