6 Amazing Prague Christmas Markets: A local’s guide
Experience the magic of Christmas in Prague. A tour of the city's best Christmas markets
Experience the magic of Christmas in Prague. A tour of the city's best Christmas markets
About the author: David Angel is a British photographer, writer, and historian with 30+ years of experience exploring Europe. His work is regularly featured in the BBC, the Guardian and Conde Condé Nast Traveler. He currently lives in Prague.
Prague Christmas markets are among the most magical we have visited in Europe.
Europe’s Christmas markets originated in Germany, dating back to the 14th century, but have long since spread across the continent and all around the world.
We had visited various Christmas markets in Germany and Austria. Then, we chose to see Prague in December a few years ago, hoping to experience the Prague Christmas markets with a Czech twist. To our delight, Prague emerged as one of the best Christmas cities in Europe.
Having since settled in Prague, we’ve now experienced five Christmases in Prague. In this time have got to explore some of the lesser-known Christmas markets in Prague, and here they are for you to discover too.
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Prague’s Old Town Square must be one of the most enchanting in Europe, and with two of the most beautiful churches in Prague it makes a stunning setting for the main Prague Christmas Market.
On one side, the fairy-tale Gothic spires of the church of Our Lady before Týn overlook the tree and stalls.
Opposite, the Old Town Hall, with its 15th-century Astronomical Clock and tower on one corner make for a magical backdrop, as does the Baroque church of St Nicholas further along the north side of the Square.
The Old Town Hall Tower is a great place to get your bearings. With an outstanding view over the Square and, from the other side, to the skyline that has been unchanged for centuries – church domes, the distinctive towers of Charles Bridge and beyond, the New Town and Castle Hill, dominated by St Vitus’ Cathedral.
It’s likely to be rather busy up there, so if you’re a vertigo-prone claustrophobe, stay downstairs. It’s one of the best viewpoints in Prague, hands down.
Once daylight has disappeared and the lights come on around the square for the blue hour, the Market is at its cosiest and most atmospheric. It’s also one of the best times for photographing Prague.
Families climb a glittering staircase to a viewpoint close to the Týn church, and children make a beeline for the animal stable for a chance to pet a donkey, goat or sheep.
All around, the smells and flavours are as irresistible as the sights. Everywhere you sense the warmth staving off the winter cold, from the hot mulled wine to giant roast hams and klobasa sausages, to the sweet comfort food, everything from gingerbread to strudels to traditional Czech trdelnik, a round, sugar-frosted pastry cooked on a spit or stick.
The bars also have a plentiful stock of Czech beers, possibly among the finest in the world, and medovina, the Czech take on the honey-based liqueur, mead.
Apart from the food and drink, the markets are a great way to stock up on Christmas presents. We found some beautiful traditional wooden toys, Christmas decorations and a characterful ceramic bird called Alfons. As we were in Prague at Christmas itself, we had already done most of next year’s present shopping before the end of our Christmas Day!
The Christmas Market on Wenceslas Square is popular because of its central location, but we’ve never rated it as highly as the one on Old Town Square, or the smaller local ones.
The bottom part of the Square has recently been pedestrianised, and there are usually some stalls in this area, with the food stalls further up the hill towards the National Museum.
Getting there: Metro to Muzeum (line C, top end of Square) or Můstek (line B, bottom or middle of Square).
Otherwise, trams 3, 5, 6, 9 and 14 stop at Vaclávské náměstí, just off the middle of the Square.
The Christmas Market in Prague Castle is located in the small square between St Vitus Cathedral and St George’s Basilica. It’s free to visit the Market, although you’d need a ticket to visit either of the churches.
It’s a wonderful intimate setting, and there are around 20 stalls, mostly selling food, with a few craft stalls on one side.
The food includes klobasa (spiced sausage), spit-roasted ham, langos, chips or fries, and the ubiquitous trdelnik. It’s expensive for what you get – expect to pay $7 or more for a sausage in a bread roll.
Getting there: the Prague tram 22 to Pražský hrad, then a 7-8 minute walk.
The Christmas Market at Náměstí Miru (Peace Square) is one of the most popular Prague Christmas Markets among locals.
Náměstí Miru is a pleasant square at the bottom of the hill in Vinohrady, below the Gothic Revival Basilica of St Ludmila. The tall twin spires of the church make a wonderful setting for this Market, which is one of the busiest Prague Christmas Markets.
Some tourists do make it here, but most people who visit tend to be locals. Prices are considerably lower than in Old Town Square, but the quality of food and crafts is every bit as good. The stallholders are probably priced out of the centre of the city as much as the customers.
There is a better range of produce and crafts at Náměstí Miru than Old Town Square, and the food is around 30% cheaper as well.
Getting there: Náměstí Miru Metro (line A) or tram (lines 10, 16 and 22)
This is a real neighbourhood Prague Christmas Market, in the Dejvice suburb in Prague 6 district.
Šabachův Park is the name of the square in which it’s held, with the backdrop of a beautiful building that resembles an ice palace when lit up. We visited in the snow, so it had a magical effect.
It’s quite a small market, with around a dozen or so stalls. few sell handmade craft items, while the others are a mixture of bars and food stalls.
While in the vicinity, we also recommend U Boruvky, one of the best cake shops in Prague. It’s a two-minute walk away on Kyjevská.
This is another of our favourite Prague Christmas markets, just off the main square in the suburb of Karlin. It’s located at the southern end of the square, next to the church of SS Cyril and Methodius (not to be confused with the Orthodox Cathedral of the same name, scene of the last stand of the assassins of Reinhard Heydrich, and one of the main Prague World War 2 sites).
It’s another wonderful setting, and there are around 15-20 stalls. You can keep warm with a glass of svařák (hot wine) or cool down with one of many Czech beers.
You also have the usual selection of hearty food (see above) to fortify you against the cold. We needed it – we had snow on the ground and the temperature was well below zero.
This is one of the hidden gems in Prague, and nearly everyone there is a local. Well worth an hour or two of your time.
Getting there: Trams 3, 8 and 24 to Karlinské náměstí
We loved spending Christmas in Prague, and wholeheartedly recommend it. Be aware that if you arrive Christmas Eve evening – when Czechs have their biggest celebration – it’s a taxi or a trek from the airport.
In our case it was a bus to Arbesovo namesti then an onward tram which ran as far as Ujezd, followed by a 20-minute walk before we reached our hotel in the Mala Strana (Little Town) district.
Apart from things winding down on Christmas Eve, the other five days we spent there didn’t really differ from any other winter days. The Christmas markets were in full flow the whole time, and most cafes, bars and restaurants were open.
The two main Prague Christmas markets are held on Old Town Square (Staromestske Namesti) and on nearby Wenceslas Square (Vaclavske namesti).
There are other smaller markets around the city – on Republic Square, Kampa Island and (our secret tip) in Prague Castle, in the square between St George’s Basilica and St Vitus Cathedral.
The Prague Christmas Markets dates tend to be fairly similar most years. They tend to open around the beginning of the Advent season, in late November or early December. They then continue until January 6th.
The 2023 Prague Christmas Markets are due to run from 2nd December 2023 to 6th January 2024.
There are Christmas Markets in the other main Czech Republic cities and towns, including Cesky Krumlov, Olomouc, Ostrava and more.
We visited the Brno Christmas Market over the fortnight we stayed nearby. It’s much smaller than the Christmas Markets in Prague, with markets on two Brno city squares and a nearby ice rink.
Take a look at these Christmas Markets in Europe:
David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times. David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.