Czechia
Česko1 region
Czechia suits a visitor who wants big-city markets that keep going after Christmas, because Prague's Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square stay open from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. The catch comes on Christmas Eve, when large shops close at noon and families go home for fish soup and fried carp. Prague is the obvious base. Brno has two markets of its own from mid-November, and Český Krumlov puts a small market on its square below the castle from 21 November.
How Czechia keeps Christmas
- JežíšekJežíšek (the infant Jesus) leaves the presents under the tree on the evening of 24 December, and nobody agrees on what he looks like. Czech families have kept the custom for more than 400 years, and children still believe in him in one of the least religious countries in Europe.
- St Nicholas (Mikuláš)Mikuláš goes out on the evening of 5 December with an angel and a čert (devil) beside him. Good children get sweets from him, and the devil threatens anyone who misbehaved with coal or potatoes.
Advent starts on Sunday 29 November in 2026, and the first big date for children comes a week later. On the evening of 5 December Mikuláš walks the streets with his angel and his čert, and the devil makes sure the children own up to how the year has gone. Czechs took the devil figure on during the Austro-Hungarian years.
Štědrý den (Generous Day) on 24 December is the heart of Czech Christmas. Some families still fast until dinner, and children hear that going all day without food will let them see the zlaté prasátko (golden piglet) that evening. Dinner opens with fish soup and moves on to fried carp, a dish that came over from Austrian cooking, with vinná klobása (wine sausage) for anyone who skips fish. People cut an apple crosswise or pour lead into water to read the year ahead, and the night ends for many at půlnoční mše (Midnight Mass). A visitor who goes should treat it as worship first and sit quietly.
Christmas Eve has been a public holiday since 2000, and 25 and 26 December are holidays as well. Under a 2016 law, shops of 200 m² or more close at noon on the 24th and stay shut on the 25th and 26th, while small grocers, pharmacies and shops at stations and airports can still trade. Prague's markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square run until 6 January 2027, so the stalls are still up after Christmas. Their hours for 24 December had not been published when this page was checked.
Market in Czechia
Town in Czechia
Light festival in Czechia
Event in Czechia
Stay in Czechia
Quick answers about Czechia
Are shops open in Czechia on Christmas Eve?
Large shops close at noon on 24 December and stay shut on 25 and 26 December under a 2016 law. Shops under 200 m², pharmacies and shops at stations and airports can stay open, so you can still buy bread and a bottle of water.
Why do Czechs eat carp at Christmas?
Fried carp is the centre of the Christmas Eve dinner, after a bowl of fish soup. The fried version came over from Austrian cooking, and Czech recipes for it go back at least to 1895. Families who skip fish eat vinná klobása, a wine sausage.
Who brings the presents in Czechia?
In Czechia, Ježíšek or St Nicholas brings the presents. Ježíšek (the infant Jesus) leaves the presents under the tree on the evening of 24 December, and nobody agrees on what he looks like. Czech families have kept the custom for more than 400 years, and children still believe in him in one of the least religious countries in Europe.
When do the Christmas markets run in Czechia?
In Czechia, the main Prague markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square run from 28 November 2026 to 6 January 2027. Brno opens earlier, with its Zelný trh market from 13 November to 31 December, and Český Krumlov's square holds its market from 21 November to 3 January.