Christmas in Prague: What to See and Do
Prague spends December looking like the postcard version of itself. Wooden stalls fill the squares, the smell of mulled wine carries down the side streets, and the whole centre is lit from mid-afternoon, because that is when it gets dark. As a city to spend Christmas in, it is hard to beat — and unlike the German markets, Prague keeps going into January.
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The Christmas markets in Prague
The city’s markets run from the beginning of December to around 6 January.
Old Town Square — the main one
The biggest and best known, under the Astronomical Clock and the towers of the Týn Church. A tall tree, a stage with a daily programme, and rows of stalls selling Czech crafts. This is where you drink svařák (mulled wine) and eat a trdelník.
Republic Square, by the Municipal House
Smaller and calmer, set in front of one of the finest art nouveau buildings in the country. Good for gingerbread and hand-blown glass, and for sitting down somewhere warm afterwards.
Prague Castle
The smallest of the three and the one with the view over the whole city. Also the best of them for buying something actually made in Czechia — glass, ceramics, garnets — rather than a souvenir.
Five things worth doing besides the markets
- A Christmas concert. St Nicholas, the Týn Church and St Vitus Cathedral all hold classical concerts through December. Book ahead — they sell out.
- The tree on Old Town Square. It is lit every evening with a short ceremony rather than a switch being flicked, and it is worth timing your walk for it.
- Eat the seasonal things. Vánoční cukroví (Christmas biscuits), medovina (honey wine), and carp, which is what Czech families actually eat on Christmas Eve.
- Walk up to Vyšehrad. Far fewer people than the castle, and a view over the city and the Vltava that most visitors never get round to.
- Ride the historic tram. Vintage carriages run through the centre past most of the sights, for the price of an ordinary ticket.
Czech Christmas traditions
- Betlémy. Nativity scenes are a Czech craft in their own right; the famous mechanical one is in the Charles Bridge Museum.
- Mikuláš. On 5 December St Nicholas walks the streets with an angel and a devil, handing out sweets to children who admit to being good.
- Ježíšek. Presents in Czechia are brought by the Baby Jesus, not Santa Claus, and they arrive on Christmas Eve rather than in the morning.
Practical notes
Weather. Around freezing through December, with snow possible. A market is two hours of standing still outdoors — add a layer to whatever you thought was enough.
Getting around. The centre is crowded in December and much of it is closed to traffic. A booked car is the comfortable way to move between the markets, a concert and your hotel: it waits for you, carries what you bought, and the price is agreed before you set off rather than run up on a meter.
Day trips over Christmas
Four of the best markets in Europe are within driving distance of Prague. Dresden is two hours away and works easily as a day trip — see Christmas markets you can reach from Prague.
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