Prague Christmas markets

Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, plus a quieter neighbourhood market in Vinohrady.

Prague's two main markets, on Old Town Square and the lower end of Wenceslas Square, open on 28 November and run until 6 January, daily from 10:00 to 22:00. Old Town Square has the giant tree and a stage beside the Old Town Hall; Wenceslas Square adds craft demonstrations and an ice rink. Both are very busy after dark, so come in the morning. For a more local evening, take metro line A to Náměstí Míru in Vinohrady, where a market runs in front of the Church of St Ludmila from 20 November to 24 December, 10:00 to 20:00. Drink svařák (mulled wine) or hot medovina (mead), and eat klobása or Prague ham carved from the spit. Skip the trdelník: the sugared chimney cake is a recent tourist favourite, not a Czech Christmas tradition.