We are a Jewish family visiting Prague and the Terezin Concentration Camp. This trip is very important to us, and we would like the most meaningful and educational experience — not just a standard tour (we’ve had bad experiences in Auschwitz and Vienna).
Can anyone recommend a knowledgeable guide for the Jewish Quarter and Terezin who can share the deeper history?
Thank you!
Posted by
Indiana
1092 posts
I suggest contacting Pavel Batel. We toured with him, and were highly impressed. https://jewish-prague-tours.com/
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1 posts
A Memorial and a memory, the history of Theresienstadt trough Pavel Batel, Bat-El Tours
Upon learning that my son would be studying in Prague for his first semester of college, I discovered the Theresienstadt Ghetto was nearby. As I started to plan our visit, the name of tour guide Pavel Batel, and Bat-El Tours, appeared to be the most widely recognized group covering Jewish Prague. Though Terezin is not a far distance from Prague; the logistics, schedules and camp navigation itself were too much to keep front of mind. Visiting Terezin was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and an honor to experience the camp through the guidance of an absolute expert.
We booked a semi-private tour for Terezin and visited in August 2025. The tour was led by Pavel Batel, and his teammate Daniel, there were two other guests aside from my family on the tour. Pavel picked us up in his van at our hotel in the old city/ Prague 1 area. On the drive to the Theresienstadt Ghetto Pavel shared a history the Czech Republic, Czech Jewry and geopolitical events leading into Nazi occupation and World War II. Upon arrival in the Ghetto we first visited the museum, housing images, artifacts and relics and then began an in depth tour/investigation covering several areas of the camp, and charting the experiences of prisoners from their moment of arrival until the remaining survivors were liberated. The tour overall, from pickup to return was approximately 6 hours, it was intense in that much history shared by Batel was collected by years of his own firsthand research with survivors, and having to reconcile that even at 6 hours we were only scratching the surface.
Pavel is an extremely passionate guide, each member of his team too has a particular area of expertise in the story of Czech Jewry built from their own research. They provided a very memorable and unparalleled account of the Theresienstadt Ghetto. There were a few short breaks and a period for lunch on the tour. I recommend to bring your own food. I did not take photographs.
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15 posts
Another vote for Bat-El Tours! www.batel-jewish-tours.com We had an incredible experience visiting the Terezín Ghetto with Pavel Batel. As you can imagine, it was both educational and deeply meaningful. We got a firsthand perspective based on the original research their guides conduct, and the tour went into impressive depth. We spent almost the whole day there, and the time flew by — we even noticed some other guides doing two rounds (morning and afternoon), which felt more like a rushed, touristy version of what we experienced.
We also joined the Jewish Quarter tour with Yvonne, visiting all the synagogues. By going on our own, we would never have gained such a deep understanding.
In the meantime, I’ve recommended Bat-El Tours to several friends who joined other tours with them — everyone said their guides were outstanding. Pavel Batel, who founded the agency, carefully selects passionate educators who are also active in academia and/or the Jewish community. This ensures high-quality, meaningful content delivered with the respect these sites deserve. You really can’t go wrong with them