The two main Prague Christmas markets, on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, are scheduled from Saturday 28 November 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027, open daily from 10:00 to 22:00. The dates are published by the organiser, Trhy Praha, and repeated by the national tourism portals. Entry is free; you pay only for what you eat, drink or buy.
Dates and opening hours
- Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square: 28 November 2026 – 6 January 2027, daily 10:00–22:00.
- Holiday hours on Old Town Square: the CzechTourism listing gives 10:00–14:00 on Christmas Eve and 12:00–22:00 on 25 and 26 December.
- Náměstí Míru: from 20 November to 24 December 2026, 10:00–19:00.
- Náměstí Republiky: from 25 November to 24 December 2026, 10:00–20:00.
- Tylovo náměstí: from 26 November to 24 December 2026, 10:00–19:00.
The tree and the programme
The Old Town Square market is built around a large Christmas tree. The CzechTourism listing says the tree’s light animations run daily between 16:30 and 21:30, and that the market has more than 80 stalls plus a stage programme with choirs, a St Nicholas show, Advent and Christmas music, New Year celebrations and a Three Kings procession.
The exact time of the tree-lighting ceremony on opening day had not been published on the organiser’s site when we checked; the site was still reporting on the search for this year’s tree. Check trhypraha.cz closer to the date.
Photographing it
- Best time: blue hour, roughly the half hour after sunset, when the sky still holds colour behind the Týn Church towers and the stall lights are already on. In December that means arriving around 16:00.
- Quiet frames: weekday mornings right at 10:00, or the last half hour before closing. Friday and Saturday evenings are the most crowded of the week.
- Handheld: ISO 1600–3200, f/1.8–f/2.8, 1/60–1/125 s. Fast primes (35 mm or 50 mm) are ideal for stall details, steam and faces lit by warm bulbs.
- Tripod: in a packed square a tripod is impractical and a hazard to others. If you want long exposures (ISO 100, f/8, 2–8 s) for blurred crowds and star-shaped lights, set up at the edge of the square early or late, or use a railing and a small clamp.
- Exposure: fairy lights fool the meter. Underexpose by about one stop to keep the bulbs from burning out and keep the sky dark.
- White balance: around 3200–3800 K keeps the warm glow without turning everything orange; shoot RAW so you can balance the blue sky against the tungsten stalls.
- Viewpoints: look for height. Any raised spot facing the tree gives the classic composition with Týn Church behind it; on Wenceslas Square, shoot along the length of the boulevard with a short telephoto to compress the lights.
Keep your bag in front of you in the crowd and bring a lens cloth: mist, drizzle and mulled-wine steam fog the front element quickly.
Sources
- Trhy Praha – official organiser of the markets
- Kudy z nudy (CzechTourism) – Old Town Square Christmas market 2026
- Kudy z nudy (CzechTourism) – Prague Christmas markets 2026
- VisitCzechia – Christmas markets in Prague
Details were checked on 1 October 2026; confirm on the official site before you go.
Planning a shoot in the city? Browse more Prague guides.
