Three days in Prague at Christmas
A day-by-day route for a short Christmas stay: Old Town Square and the tree, the castle side with a neighbourhood market, then the riverside and a market away from the centre. Confirmed 2026 dates, PID fares and 24–26 December closures are used where published; unpublished hours are marked as such.
About the facts in this text: the checked dates and the links to every organiser are on the list of all markets (checked 21 September 2026). Opening hours, prices and programme mentioned in the running text refer to the 2025/26 season or to the state of the organiser's page when this was written — check before you travel.
How this plan is dated
This three-day plan uses confirmed 2026 dates only. Old Town Square and the lower part of Wenceslas Square: 28 November 2026–6 January 2027, daily 10:00–22:00, free. Náměstí Republiky: 25 November–24 December 2026 (hours not published). Náměstí Míru: 20 November–24 December 2026, daily 10:00–20:00. Tylovo náměstí: 26 November–24 December 2026 (hours not published). Náplavka, Heřmaňák and Kulaťák: Advent Saturdays 28 November, 5, 12 and 19 December 2026 only. Ovocný trh and a Christmas overlay at Jiřák have no published 2026 Christmas dates.
A 72-hour PID ticket is 340 CZK in the PID Lítačka app (paper or SMS 350 CZK) in Prague zones P, 0 and B. App fares: 30-minute 36 CZK, 90-minute 46 CZK, 24-hour 140 CZK. Children under 15 and seniors 65+ travel free in those zones with photo ID (passport accepted; ages 10–15 must prove age). Legal tender is the Czech koruna.
Day 1: Old Town Square and the tree
Metro A to Staroměstská, or trams 2, 17 or 18. Wooden stalls sell Czech Christmas goods, handmade ornaments, nativity scenes, and food and drink. Free. Daily 10:00–22:00 from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. Tree lighting: 28 November 2026. The 2025/26 show ran at half past each hour from 16:30 to 21:30; 2026/27 times are not published.
On or before 24 December, Náměstí Republiky is a walk or one metro B stop (trams 6, 8, 15, 26); 2026 hours not published. Ovocný trh dates are not published. Wenceslas Square (lower part) shares Old Town’s dates and hours; metro Můstek (A, B), trams 3, 9, 14, 24.
Approximate 2025 stall prices (2026/27 not published): svařák 100 CZK per 0.2 l on the two main squares (Taiko), about 60–100 CZK elsewhere, plus cup deposit; medovina about 80–130 CZK; trdelník typically 100 CZK plain, 100–180 CZK with extras — a tourist chimney cake, not Czech Christmas food. Many stalls want cash in CZK. Rain: Old Town Hall, Church of Our Lady before Týn, Kinský Palace, House at the Stone Bell.
Day 2: the castle side and a neighbourhood market
Daylight for Prague Castle (sunset around 16:05–16:09 in late December). Tram 22 from Náměstí Míru via Národní divadlo and Malá Strana to Pražský hrad, Brusnice or Pohořelec. Everyday PID line: slow, crowded; pickpocketing reported. 90-minute ticket 46 CZK app / 50 CZK paper. Castle interiors for Christmas 2026 are not published. In 2025 ticketed facilities closed 24 December; grounds 06:00–22:00.
Náměstí Míru, in front of St Ludmila (metro A; trams 4, 10, 16, 22), daily 10:00–20:00 until 24 December 2026, free. Tylovo náměstí until 24 December 2026, hours not published; metro I. P. Pavlova (C), trams 4, 6, 10, 16, 22. Jiřák farmers’ market: Wednesday–Friday 8:00–18:00, Saturday 8:00–14:00, February–December; 2026 Christmas dates not published. Rain: St Ludmila’s Church; castle interiors when open.
Day 3: the riverside and a market away from the centre
Náplavka on Rašínovo nábřeží is Saturday-only: 28 November, 5, 12 and 19 December 2026, 08:00–14:00, free. Metro Karlovo náměstí (B); trams 2, 3, 17 to Palackého náměstí. Same Saturdays: Heřmaňák, Řezáčovo náměstí, 9:00–13:00 in December and 8:30–13:30 earlier in the season (Vltavská, C; trams 1, 6, 12, 14, 25); Kulaťák, Vítězné náměstí, 08:00–14:00 (Dejvická, A; trams 8, 18, 20, 26).
Short windows: MINT Market, Holešovice Hall 13, 28–29 November 2026 from 10:00 (closing time and price not published); Karlínské náměstí 6 December 2026, 12:00–20:00, free (Křižíkova, B; trams 3, 8, 24); Christmas Lemarket, Národní dům na Smíchově, 11–13 December 2026, 11:00–19:00 (Anděl, B; price not published). If none match, the embankment is public but has no confirmed stall market that day. Rain cover in the verified list: Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square (National Museum, Lucerna), Náměstí Republiky (Municipal House, Palladium).
Which days to avoid: 24–26 December
Holidays: 24 December 2026 Thursday (Štědrý den), 25 December Friday, 26 December Saturday, 1 January 2027 Friday. Shops over 200 m² close from 12:00 on 24 December and all day 25–26 December and 1 January (Act 223/2016 Sb.). Smaller shops, petrol stations, pharmacies, airport and station shops may open. Restaurants are not under that law; many Czech kitchens close on Christmas Eve.
2026 market holiday hours are not fully published. In 2025 Old Town and Wenceslas ran 10:00–14:00 on 24 December and 12:00–22:00 on 25–26 December. Náměstí Míru, Náměstí Republiky and Tylovo náměstí stop 24 December 2026. Jewish Museum: 24 December 2026 09:00–14:00; 25 December 09:00–16:30; 26 December closed. Castle and National Museum 2026 Christmas hours were not published as of September 2026. PID 2026/27 holiday timetables were not published as of 21 September 2026; check pid.cz in December.
Cold, cobbles and early dark
Typical December high about 2–4 °C, night about −2 to 0 °C. A white Christmas is not typical in central Prague. Shortest day 21 December, about 8 hours 4 minutes; earliest sunset around 12 December at 15:59. After mid-afternoon it is dark. Old Town and castle approaches are cobbled and can be icy; waterproof shoes with grip. Cash in CZK for stalls and cup deposits. Independent centre ATMs often charge a fee and offer home-currency conversion; decline conversion and withdraw in koruna. Fine for travelling without a valid PID ticket from 1 January 2026: 1,200 CZK if paid on the spot.
Common questions
Which public-transport ticket covers three days?
A 72-hour PID ticket is 340 CZK in the PID Lítačka app and 350 CZK as paper or SMS. It covers metro, trams, buses and trolleybuses in Prague zones P, 0 and B. There is no discounted 72-hour product. Children under 15 and seniors 65+ travel free in those Prague zones with the required photo ID. Activate an app ticket before travel; validity starts after a one-minute delay.
Are the Christmas markets open on 24–26 December 2026?
Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square are confirmed 28 November 2026–6 January 2027, but 2026 holiday hours are not fully published. In 2025 those two markets ran 10:00–14:00 on 24 December and 12:00–22:00 on 25–26 December. Náměstí Míru, Náměstí Republiky and Tylovo náměstí are listed only until 24 December 2026. Náplavka, Heřmaňák and Kulaťák are Saturday-only and are not listed on 25–26 December 2026.
Do market stalls take cards or euros?
Legal tender is the Czech koruna; Czechia is not in the euro area. Some tourist shops accept euros by private agreement, usually at a poor rate, and there is no obligation to accept them. Christmas-market stalls are mixed: some take cards, many prefer or require cash in CZK. Do not rely on euros or cards at every stall. Drink and pastry prices given above are approximate 2025 stall-set figures; 2026/27 stall prices are not yet published.
What if the third day is not an Advent Saturday?
Náplavka, Heřmaňák and Kulaťák are confirmed only on 28 November, 5 December, 12 December and 19 December 2026. Other markets away from the centre in the verified list are MINT Market on 28–29 November, Karlín on 6 December only, and Christmas Lemarket in Smíchov on 11–13 December. If none of those dates match, there is no confirmed Christmas stall market on the riverside that day; Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square remain on their published daily timetable through 6 January 2027.
When is the Old Town Square tree lit?
The lighting date is 28 November 2026. In the 2025/26 season the light show ran daily at half past each hour from 16:30 to 21:30. Show times for 2026/27 have not yet been published.
