Prague Old Town Square Market

Prague’s Old Town Square market is not the biggest in Europe, but it may be the most photographed. The square is ringed by the Gothic Týn Church, the Baroque St Nicholas, the Astronomical Clock and a run of pastel merchant houses, and the tree in the middle — brought down each year from the Krkonoše mountains — is lit in a ceremony on opening day.

What to eat

Czech market food is excellent and cheap by western European standards. Klobása — thick sausage grilled over charcoal and served with dark bread and mustard — is the thing to have. Trdelník, the hollow chimney-shaped pastry rolled in sugar and cinnamon, is sold everywhere; it is delicious, and it is also not a traditional Czech Christmas food whatever the stall signage claims. Svařák is mulled wine; medovina is hot honey mead and considerably stronger than it tastes.

More than one market

Wenceslas Square runs a second market ten minutes’ walk away, generally cheaper and less crowded. Smaller markets at náměstí Republiky, Kampa island and Prague Castle are each worth seeking out — the Castle one in particular, for the view back over the city.

Getting there

Staroměstská metro station is a few minutes’ walk. Prague is compact and the old town is best covered on foot, though the cobbles are uneven and the crowds on Karlova, the street running to the Charles Bridge, are relentless in December.

When to go

It runs 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, daily 10am to 10pm, with shorter hours on 24 and 31 December. Running into January makes Prague one of the best options for a trip between Christmas and New Year, when most German markets have closed.

Go early in the day or late in the evening. Between about eleven and six the square is extremely crowded, and pickpocketing is a genuine and well-documented problem in exactly those conditions — keep bags closed and in front of you.