Prague Christmas markets 2026: dates and tips

Prague has two big Christmas markets in the historic centre, a ten-minute walk apart, and both run well into January. The short answer for 2026: the markets on Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí) and Wenceslas Square (Václavské náměstí) run from Saturday 28 November 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027, Three Kings Day. That makes Prague one of the few big Christmas destinations where the markets are still open between Christmas and New Year.

Prague Christmas markets 2026: dates

Season: calendar days from the first to the last day. Prague dates from Prague City Tourism (prague.eu), as of October 2026; comparison dates from the official websites of the other markets. Prague City Tourism does not list daily opening hours for 2026 yet – check prague.eu before your visit.

Prague opens later than Vienna or Budapest, but keeps going after Christmas. If you want to combine several cities, the overlap is from 28 November to 24 December – after that, Prague, Budapest and the Heumarkt in Cologne are among the markets still open.

Old Town Square

The market on Old Town Square is the one in all the photographs: wooden stalls between the Týn Church, the Old Town Hall with its astronomical clock and the baroque façades, with a large lit Christmas tree in the middle. According to Prague City Tourism it is one of the largest and most visited holiday events in the Czech Republic, with a daily cultural programme of music and folklore. The organiser, Taiko, focuses on Czech producers and craftspeople: glass and straw ornaments, decorations made of ceramics, wood, beads and dried fruit, wooden and ceramic nativity scenes, lace and wooden toys.

It is loveliest in the early evening, when the lights come on. Later in the evening and at weekends the square gets very crowded.

Wenceslas Square

The second market fills the lower part of Wenceslas Square, the long boulevard in the New Town, a short walk from Old Town Square via the Můstek crossroads. Prague City Tourism describes it as the liveliest of the two, with wooden huts combining traditional crafts with modern food, and musical performances, choirs and family programmes through Three Kings Day.

What to eat and drink

Look out for svařák (Czech mulled wine), medovina (mead), grilled sausages and trdelník, the sugar-coated pastry rolled on a spit – more a tourist favourite than an old Czech tradition, but good on a cold evening. Prices are in Czech koruna; cards are widely accepted, but small change is useful at the stalls.

A day at the Prague Christmas markets

• Morning: Charles Bridge and the Lesser Town while they are still quiet.
• Midday: across the river to Old Town Square to see the market by daylight.
• Afternoon: a museum or the Municipal House to warm up, then a walk to Wenceslas Square.
• Evening: back to Old Town Square when the tree is lit.

Our three-day plan for Prague puts the castle, the Old Town and the Lesser Town into a sensible order and fits well around the markets. Guided walks and tickets for Prague Castle^* are on Tiqets.

Getting there

From London, Prague is about two hours by plane. There is no train to the airport; buses connect it to the metro and the main station, and a transfer from Prague airport^* can be booked with Welcome Pickups if you arrive late with luggage. By train, Prague is about two and a half hours from Dresden and around four hours from Vienna, so it combines well with the Dresden Striezelmarkt 2026 or the Vienna Christmas markets 2026.

On your departure day, leave your bags at luggage storage in central Prague^* (Radical Storage) and spend the last hours at the market.

Where to stay

For a market weekend, the Old Town (Staré Město) puts you within a few minutes of both squares but is the busiest area. The New Town around Wenceslas Square is a little cheaper and just as central, and the Lesser Town below the castle is quieter in the evening. Travelling from outside the EU, a travel eSIM for the Czech Republic^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

Weather in December

Prague is cold and fairly dry in December: on average about 5.3 °C by day and 0.1 °C at night, with 45 mm of rain and snow over the month (2015–2024, see our guide to the best Christmas markets in Europe). Frost at night is common and the cobbles can be icy. Our article on how many days in Prague helps if you are unsure how long to stay; the Budapest Christmas markets 2026 and the Munich and Cologne Christmas markets 2026 are other options for the same season.

Prague trip planDay by day, with map and tips

Also for the same trip: Wrocław Christmas market 2026, Kraków Christmas market 2026.

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