Prague: Christmas Markets & Old Town Evening Walk with Svařák and Trdelník

Prague's two big Christmas markets open on 28 November 2026 and run until 6 January 2027, daily from 10:00 to 22:00, on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square. This evening walk joins them up through the lanes in between and finishes on Charles Bridge, so in two and a half hours you see the city's best-known Advent sights just as the lights come on.

We meet at the lower end of Wenceslas Square by the Můstek metro entrance, where the first market fills the pedestrian zone below the long view up to the National Museum. Your guide sets the scene with some of the square's story, from the medieval horse market it once was to the crowds of November 1989, then leads you through narrow streets past Havel's Market, a street market that has traded here since the 13th century.

Old Town Square is the centrepiece. Rows of wooden stalls ring a tall Christmas tree, chosen each year from suggestions sent in by the public, with the twin Gothic spires of the Týn Church behind it and the Astronomical Clock on the corner of the Old Town Hall. Here you taste two Prague market staples. Svařák is Czech mulled wine, served steaming with cloves and citrus. Trdelník is sweet dough wound around a metal or wooden spit, roasted until golden and rolled in sugar and nuts. Your guide will explain why many locals smile at stalls that sell it as an old Bohemian speciality: the pastry is popular across Central Europe, and its best-known protected version comes from Skalica in Slovakia. Other stalls sell spit-roasted Prague ham, grilled sausages, medovina honey wine and gingerbread.

From the square the walk winds through Malé náměstí and along Karlova, part of the old Royal Route once followed by coronation processions, to the Old Town Bridge Tower. You finish on Charles Bridge, where the lamps along the parapet and the floodlit Prague Castle across the Vltava make a quiet ending to a busy evening. In the last days before Christmas you may also notice live carp being sold from tubs on street corners for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

Smaller neighbourhood markets open too: náměstí Republiky from 25 November, náměstí Míru from 20 November and Tylovo náměstí from 26 November, all until 24 December 2026. Your guide can point you to them if you want a quieter evening afterwards.

Prague evenings in December are usually around freezing and often damp. Wear warm layers, gloves and a hat, and shoes with good grip, as Old Town cobbles get slippery when wet.

The walk is about 2 km at an easy pace with frequent stops, but you will stand in crowds; Old Town Square is very busy on weekends and between Christmas and New Year. Keep wallets and phones in zipped pockets.

Svařák is served to guests aged 18 and over; younger guests get a hot non-alcoholic drink. Trdelník contains wheat, egg and dairy and is often rolled in nuts, so please tell us about allergies when booking.

The tour runs in rain and snow. If a severe weather warning is issued we will move you to another date or refund you in full.

Many stalls take cards, but carry some Czech crowns for small purchases, and check the price before ordering at any stall.