Experiences in Terezín
Guided, reflective tours of the Terezín Memorial from Prague — the former Theresienstadt ghetto, transit camp and Gestapo prison.
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Terezín: Tours & Experiences
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Frequently asked questions
Terezín is an 18th-century garrison town in the Czech Republic that, during the Second World War, the Nazis used as the Theresienstadt ghetto and transit camp, with the Small Fortress serving as a Gestapo prison. Around 150,000 Jewish people passed through it, and tens of thousands died there or were deported to extermination camps. Today it is preserved as a memorial to the victims.
A guided day trip from Prague to Terezín is typically a half- to full-day experience, including travel time and a visit of several hours to the main memorial sites — the Small Fortress, the Ghetto Museum and the National Cemetery.
Terezín is about 60 km north of Prague, roughly an hour by road. The easiest way to visit is on a guided day trip that includes transport and a guide. Public buses also run from Prague for independent visitors.
Because of the serious and distressing subject matter, a visit to Terezín is best suited to adults and older children. Guides present the history sensitively, but families should consider the nature of the site when deciding whether to bring younger children.
A guided visit usually includes the Small Fortress (the former Gestapo prison), the Ghetto Museum, the former Magdeburg Barracks, the National Cemetery and the memorial to the victims, and the crematorium and columbarium. The guide provides historical context at each site.
Yes — visits to Terezín are led by knowledgeable guides who explain the history of the site. Tours are offered in several languages, including Spanish, depending on the selected tour and guide availability. Please check the language options on each tour page before booking.
Terezín (Theresienstadt), around an hour north of Prague, is one of the most important places in the Czech Republic for understanding the history of Europe in the twentieth century. Guided tours from Prague offer a reflective, educational visit to the memorial and its preserved sites.
During the Second World War, the Nazis turned this 18th-century garrison town into the Theresienstadt ghetto and a transit camp, and its Small Fortress into a Gestapo prison. Tens of thousands of Jewish men, women and children were held here in appalling conditions, and many thousands died or were deported from here to extermination camps.
A guided tour with a knowledgeable local guide places these events in their historical context at the Small Fortress, the Ghetto Museum, the former barracks and the National Cemetery. Artista Tours offers guided day trips from Prague that include transport and give this difficult history the care and attention it deserves.
About Terezín
Terezín was founded in the 1780s by the Habsburg emperor Joseph II as a garrison fortress town, named Theresienstadt after his mother, Empress Maria Theresa. For its first century and a half it was an ordinary military town in northern Bohemia.
That changed during the Second World War. From 1940 the Gestapo used the Small Fortress (Malá pevnost) as a prison, and from 1941 the main town became the Theresienstadt ghetto — a walled camp through which around 150,000 Jewish men, women and children passed. The Nazis presented it to the outside world as a "model" settlement, even staging a propaganda film, while in reality conditions were desperate: tens of thousands died there of hunger and disease, and around 90,000 people were deported from Terezín to Auschwitz and other extermination camps.
Today Terezín is a place of remembrance. The Terezín Memorial (Památník Terezín) preserves the Small Fortress, the Ghetto Museum, the Magdeburg Barracks, the crematorium and columbarium, and the National Cemetery, so that the history of those who suffered and died here is not forgotten.
What to expect on a Terezín experience
A visit to Terezín is a moving and educational experience rather than a conventional sightseeing tour. With a knowledgeable guide, you visit the preserved sites of the memorial and learn about the people who were imprisoned here and the events that took place.
A guided visit typically includes:
- The Small Fortress (Malá pevnost), the former Gestapo prison
- The Ghetto Museum, which tells the story of Theresienstadt
- The former Magdeburg Barracks
- The National Cemetery and the memorial to the victims
- The crematorium and columbarium
Guides provide historical context throughout, and the visit is conducted with the respect the site deserves. Many visitors find it a sombre but deeply worthwhile experience, and an important complement to a visit to Prague.
Best time to visit
Terezín can be visited year round, and guided day trips from Prague run in every season. Allow a good few hours for the visit, as the memorial covers several separate sites.
The subject matter is serious: the visit concerns places connected to persecution, imprisonment and death during the Holocaust. It is best suited to adults and older children, and visitors are asked to behave respectfully at what is both a memorial and, at the National Cemetery, a burial ground. Comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are advisable, as much of the visit is outdoors.
Getting around
Terezín lies about 60 kilometres north of Prague, roughly an hour away by road, near the town of Litoměřice.
The most straightforward way to visit is on a guided day trip from Prague, which includes transport and a guide and takes care of the logistics, so you can focus on the experience. Public buses also run from Prague to Terezín for independent visitors. The memorial's main sites — the Small Fortress and the ghetto museum area — are a short distance apart.
