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Terezin Concentration Camp near Prague – tours with transport, prices, hours

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Terezin Concentration Camp, also known as Theresienstadt Ghetto, was used by the Nazis as a concentration and transit camp for Western Jews.

In the fortress town of Terezin, Czech Republic, this place now stands as a mournful document of the indescribable horrors and evils humans are capable of orchestrating.

In four years, more than 30,000 Jews died at the Terezin Camp, located close to Prague.

The condition of the ghetto was engineered to generate maximum deaths, and those who survived the ghetto were shipped off to the black death camps of Auschwitz and Treblinka.

And yet, almost as a form of the most wicked humor, this place was used for propaganda to show the world how benevolent the Nazis were towards Jews.

This article tells you everything you must know before booking tickets to the Terezin Concentration Camp.

What is Terezin Concentration Camp

TEREZIN was a concentration camp 30 miles north of Prague in the Czech Republic during World War II set up in 1941.

Over four years, more than 150,000 Jews—including 15,000 children—were detained here for months or years before being transported by rail to Auschwitz and Treblinka, where they were murdered.

Prominent Jews from Germany, Austria, Netherlands, Denmark, and many other European countries were cattled into the Terezin concentration camp.

Due to the appalling conditions arising out of extreme population density, malnutrition, and disease, about 33,000 died in the ghetto itself.

Terezin’s detainees included scholars, philosophers, scientists, visual artists, and musicians of all types, some of whom had achieved international renown.

In a propaganda effort designed to fool the Western allies, the Nazis publicized the camp for its rich cultural life.  

To fool the King of Denmark and the Red Cross, the Germans orchestrated Operation Embellishment, where they cleaned up the ghetto, reduced population by ferrying people to death camps, and made the Jews mount concertos.

The German Nazi produced a film to make a propaganda film using Terezin inmates.

The concert conductor Rafael Schächter, the film director Kurt Gerron, along with most of his cast were deported to concentration camps and gassed to death.

Here is a short video to help you understand what to expect at what was once known as the ‘Nazi propaganda camp.’

Important: While a visit to the Terezin Concentration Camp is worthwhile, it is also emotionally overwhelming. If you are traveling with kids, be prepared to answer their questions.


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Where to book tickets

Tickets for Terezin Concentration camps are available online and at the venue.

By buying online, you can avoid any queue at the ticket counter.

Online ticket prices also tend to be cheaper than tickets at the venue.

How do online tickets work

Visit the booking page for Terezin Concentration Camp, select your travel date and the number of tickets, and make the booking.

Once you complete the booking process, the tickets will be mailed to you.

You do not need to carry printouts.

Show the e-ticket on your smartphone at the entrance and walk in.

Please carry a valid ID.

Terezin Concentration Camp ticket prices

For Tickets for Terezin Tour: Roundtrip Transport with Minibus from Prague, an adult ticket for all ages above 16 costs €59

For kids between five and 15, the ticket price is set at €34

Infants under five are not charged anything.

For From Prague: Bus trip to Terezín (with tickets), an adult ticket for all ages above 19 costs €62

For children between seven and 18, the ticket price is set at €60

Kids under seven are charged €58.

For From Prague: Terezin Concentration Camp Private Tour, the ticket for a group of three people costs €320.

Terezin concentration camp tours

Here are a few Terezin Concentration Camp tours available, which you can select according to your budget

Terezin Tour:Roundtrip Transport with Minibus from Prague

This tour starts at 1.30 am and lasts for 4.5 hours, and the transport medium will be a minibus.
An English-speaking guide will lead your trip.

Guided trips are also available in Czech, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

This is a highly-rated, seven-hour tour from Prague to Terezin Camp available on Fridays.

This tour follows the train lines used to move prisoners from Prague to the Nazi concentration camp at Terezín.

You can see the Terezín Memorial, Ghetto Museum, Small Fortress, Columbarium, the Jewish prayer room, and the rail tracks used to bring prisoners to Terezín.


Meeting Point: Rudolfinum building, Alšovo nábř. 12,, 110 00, Prague. On Google Map

Ticket Prices

Adult ticket (16+ years): €59

Child Ticket (5-15 years): €34

Infants (up to 4 years): Free

From Prague: Bus trip to Terezín (with tickets)

The tour begins at 9.30 am and lasts for five hours, and the transport medium would be a bus.

Hotel Pick up and Drop off are included and you won’t have to assemble at a predetermined meeting point.
An English-speaking guide will lead your trip.

Guided trips are also available in Czech, French, German, Italian, and Spanish.

As part of this half-day tour of Terezín Camp from Prague, you will visit the small fortress of Terezin as well as the Ghetto Museum.

Ticket Prices

Adult ticket (19+ years): €62

Child Ticket (7-18 years): €60

Infants (up to 6 years): €58

Private Terezin Camp Tour

With this ticket, you have the option to select from three available time slots, 9 am, 10 am, and 11 am.

The tour will last for six hours.
Your transport options will include a car (up to 3 people) or a van (up to 6 people)


Hotel pick-up and drop-off are included, and your driver will double up as your guide.

Since this is a private tour of Terezin Concentration Camp, it moves at your pace.

As part of this private guided tour, you will visit the small fortress, the big fortress, the Ghetto Museum, the crematorium, and the cemetery.

Ticket Price: €320 for a group of 3.


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Terezin Concentration Camp from Prague

Theresienstadt Ghetto is in Terezin in Czechia (the new name for the Czech Republic).

Terezín is approximately 60 Km (37.2 Miles) to the North of Prague.

Prague to Terezin Concentration Camp

Get directions to Terezin Concentration Camp

Important: If you prefer local experts to take care of your transport from Prague to Terezin and back, it is better to book one of the three tours recommended below.

From Prague to Terezin by bus

If you’re not traveling by private transport, buses are the next best alternative.

Approximately ten buses make the 45-minute trip from Prague to Terezin every morning.

The buses depart from central bus station Florence, the main bus station in Prague for domestic and international buses.

A few more buses depart from Stand 7 of the bus station beside Prague Holešovice train station.

Where to get down?

Terezín is divided into two parts by river Ohre.

The Large Fortress is on one side of the river while the Small Fortress is on the other.

While traveling from Prague to Terezin, you will first spot the Small Fortress to your right.

If you plan to begin your sightseeing at the Small Fortress and Prison Museum, you must get off at the Terezin car park (you will see this after you spot the Small Fortress).

If you plan to start your exploration at the Large Fortress and Ghetto Museum, you must NOT get down at the Car Park.

Stay on the bus for a few minutes more, and you will reach Main Square with lots of trees (marked as Number 12 on the map above).

The bus drops you right in front of the tourist information office of the Terezin concentration camp.

Getting back from Terezin to Prague

Once you have explored Terezin camp, you must follow the same routine.

There are two places in the concentration camp from where you can catch a bus to Prague.

1. The Main Central Square of the Large Fortress
2. Massive car park near the Small Fortress

Buses run a couple of times every hour until 5 pm, after which they become less frequent.

After 7.30 pm, there are no buses from Terezin to Prague.

Missed the last bus from Terezin to Prague?

If you missed the last bus going from Terezin to Prague, don’t worry.

You can catch a bus to a nearby town called Litoměřice (it is eight-minutes away from Terezin).

From Litoměřice, you can catch a train to Prague. More information

To Terezin Camp by train

From Prague, you can take trains from either Praha Masarykovo railway station or the city’s main station to reach the Terezin Camp.

However, we don’t recommend them because you will have to walk for 20 to 30 minutes to reach the Small Fortress once you get off at the station.

Trains also take around an hour, while the buses get you to Terezin in approximately 45 minutes.

This is why most tourists either take the bus or book one of the Terezin Camp tours, including transport both ways.


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Terezin camp hours

Terezin Concentration Camp has many sections, and during the peak months of April to October, most of them open at 9 am and close at 6 pm.

During the winter months, the camp’s different sections open at 9 am but close much earlier.

SectionOpening timeSummer
Closing
Winter
Closing
Small Fortress8 am6 pm4.30 pm
Ghetto Museum9 am6 pm5.30 pm
Magdeburg Barracks9 am6 pm5.30 pm
Crematorium*10 am 6 pm4 pm
Columbarium9 am6 pm5 pm
Ceremonial Halls9 am6 pm5 pm
Central Morgue9 am6 pm5 pm
Jewish Prayer room9 am6 pm5.30 pm

*The Crematorium is closed on Saturdays.

The Terezin concentration camp is closed on 24 Dec, 25 Dec (for Christmas), 26 Dec, and 1 Jan.


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What to see in Terezin Concentration Camp

Terezin camp has numerous attractions for tourists to explore.

A half-day tour takes you to the most important attractions – the small fortress and the Ghetto Museum.

However, if you want to explore Terezin camp in detail, you must book a day-long tour.

The must-sees at Terezin camp are –

Small fortress

Entrance of Small Fortress at Terezin
The entrance of Small Fortress at Terezin Camp. Image: Pamatnik-terezin.cz

Emperor Joseph II built the small fort at Terezin in the 1780s to keep the Prussians safe.

From 1940 to 1945, the Small Fortress served as the prison for Jews from many nations.

In 1994, a new permanent exhibition devoted to the history of the political prison was inaugurated in this fortress.

As you walk through the cemetery in front and the numerous cells, you can’t but feel the pain and anguish felt by the Jews once housed here.

Large Fortress

The Large Fortress is on the East side of the river and is almost like a town enclosed by walls.

The Nazi had used the Jewish artisans and carpenters to transform the massive fortress into a concentration camp.

The Ghetto Museum is in this big fortress.

Courtyards

Terezin Concentration Camp has four prisoner courtyards, which face the prison cells which housed the Jews.

Some tourists are known to hear the cries of those in the prison as they walk through these courtyards. It is that chilling.

It is believed that these tiny cells within Theresienstadt camp sometimes housed as many as 100 prisoners.

The prisons facing the third Courtyard were reserved for women.

Jewish Prayer Room

Prayer Room in Terezin Ghetto
Jewish prayer room was discovered in the early 1990s. It is situated in what is today known as Dlouhá Street. Image: Pamatnik-terezin.cz

After the Nazi decided to use the Large Fortress as a concentration camp, the non-Jewish population of the fortress was expelled (in 1942).

This gave the Jews a lot of closed spaces to be converted into small prayer rooms.

They transformed Attics, garages, cellars, storage spaces, etc., into small Jewish prayer rooms.

The Jews then decorated the upper walls and vaulted ceiling to make it interesting.

Execution Grounds

At the Theresienstadt camp, a former shooting range was used as an execution courtyard.

The Nazis sometimes made the other inmates witness these executions.

Due to many executions daily, mass graves were unearthed later near the execution site.

Ghetto Museum

This Museum narrates the history of the Ghetto established in the Large Fortress.

This Museum is proof that even though the Jews were living in a Ghetto, they lived a productive life that included cultural and spiritual activities.

The Terezin Ghetto Museum also shows that life in the camp was tough with acute pain, hunger, and death.

During your visit, don’t miss out on the exhibits of children’s artwork.

Crematorium

The living conditions in the Ghetto were poor, and the executions were regular.

As a result, the Bohušovice basin close to the Terezin Concentration Camp used to dump the bodies just couldn’t keep up with the pace.

With pressure mounting, the Nazis eventually built a crematorium towards the south of the Town.

Columbarium

Columbarium: A room or space used to store urns with ashes of the deceased.

Since so many Jews were being put to death, a Columbarium was created in an enclosure near the assembly point XXVII of the Main Fortress.

However, just before the Germans lost the war, they started to cover the traces of their crimes.

The urns from the Columbarium in Terezin were taken and distributed elsewhere.

Some were buried in the Concentration Camp in Litoměřice, but most were thrown away in river Ohre.

Magdeburg Barracks

Dormitory in Theresienstadt Ghetto
While visiting Magdeburg Barracks, don’t miss the reconstructed dormitory of the inmates from the time of the Ghetto. This example of prisoner accommodation in a typical Terezín barracks is displayed on the exhibition floor. Pamatnik-terezin.cz

Magdeburg Barracks was the seat of the Jewish self-government at Terezin.

Magdeburg Barracks hosted all the major cultural events, religious services, lectures, and meetings, etc.

As of today, these barracks have been reconstructed and are used for educational purposes.

The Terezin Theatre

The Nazis wanted to project the Terezin Concentration camp as a ‘model ghetto’ to the rest of the World.

As a result, they allowed the Jews there the permission to indulge in cultural activities within Theresienstadt.

Even though the conditions weren’t suitable for creativity, the Terezin theatre proliferated.

Ceremonial Halls

These are small halls where the dead bodies were kept for some time so that the mourners could pay their last respects.

Tourists are known to feel a tinge of sadness pluck at their heartstrings, even as they stand inside one of these halls.

Gestapo Prison Cells

Small Fortress was initially built as a Gestapo prison.

The prison cells in this fortress were in use extensively from 1940 to 1945.

Ironically, after the Allied victory, the German war criminals were made to stay in these prisons and later executed.


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Terezin concentration camp facts

1. Terezin started as a holiday resort reserved for the Czech elite.

2. Terezín is contained within the walls of the fortress Theresienstadt, which was created in the late 18th century and named in honor of Empress Maria Theresa, mother of Emperor Joseph II of Austria.

3. Although Terezin was never supposed to be a slaughter camp, around 33,000 people have died here.

4. Executions alone didn’t kill the Jews in Terezin. Malnutrition, extreme population density, and diseases are also known to have contributed to the deaths.

Sources
# Wikipedia.org
# Britannica.com
# Destinationwwii.com

The travel specialists at TheBetterVacation.com use only high-quality sources while researching & writing their articles. We make every attempt to keep our content current, reliable and trustworthy.

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This article was researched & written by

Edited by Rekha Rajan & fact checked by Jamshed V Rajan

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