When to go, and what is closed at Christmas

Christmas in Prague editorial team (DECOLED s.r.o.) · updated 21 September 2026 · 5 min read

Prague in December is busiest exactly when most people plan to come. This page sets out what is open on 24, 25 and 26 December, when the squares are least crowded, and what the weather actually does.

Choosing your week

There is no single best time; there is a trade-off, and it is worth choosing deliberately.

• Late November. The markets are opening — náměstí Míru from 20 November 2026, Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square from 28 November. Crowds are lighter, the tree has just been lit, and some of the smaller markets are not yet in full swing.
• Early December. Everything is running and the worst of the crush has not started. For most visitors this is the sweet spot.
• The week before Christmas. Peak atmosphere and peak crowds, the highest hotel prices of the season, and then the shops shut at noon on 24 December and a great many restaurants close.
• Between Christmas and New Year. Quieter, except for 31 December. Large shops are shut on 25 and 26 December and on 1 January, and some of the smaller markets have already finished — náměstí Míru and náměstí Republiky are listed only to 24 December 2026. Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square continue to 6 January 2027.

The crowds, hour by hour

Old Town Square is at its fullest on weekend afternoons and early evenings — Saturday from roughly midday to 20:00 is the worst of it — and through the week before Christmas, roughly 14 to 24 December, especially around the evening light shows on the tree. New Year's Eve in the centre is its own separate crush.

If you want room to move: weekday mornings between 10:00 and 12:00, or weekday evenings after about 20:00. Early December weekdays are noticeably calmer than mid or late December weekends.

24 December

Christmas Eve is the main day of the Czech Christmas, and the city behaves accordingly.

• Shops. By law (Act 223/2016 Sb.) retail shops with a sales floor over 200 m² must close from 12:00. In practice the chains stop letting people in around 11:30 to 11:45. Small shops under 200 m², petrol stations, pharmacies and shops in airports and stations may stay open.
• Restaurants. Not covered by that law. Many Czech restaurants close so the staff can have Christmas Eve at home; some restaurants in the tourist centre stay open. Book ahead if it matters to you, and do not assume.
• Markets. náměstí Míru and náměstí Republiky finish on 24 December 2026. Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square continue, but on shortened hours — in 2025 they ran 10:00 to 14:00 on 24 December. The 2026 holiday hours had not been fully published in September 2026.
• Sights. Prague Castle's ticketed interiors were closed all day on 24 December 2025, with the grounds open 06:00 to 22:00; the National Museum's main buildings were closed. The Jewish Museum is published as open 09:00 to 14:00 on 24 December 2026.

25 and 26 December

Both are public holidays. Large shops over 200 m² are closed all day on both. In 2026, 25 December falls on a Friday and 26 December on a Saturday.

The markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square ran 12:00 to 22:00 on those two days in 2025; the 2026 holiday hours were not yet fully published when this was written. The National Museum's main complex was open 10:00 to 18:00 on 25 and 26 December 2025 and closed on 1 January. The Jewish Museum's winter timetable (09:00 to 16:30) covers Friday 25 December 2026, but the museum is closed on Saturdays, so 26 December 2026 is closed.

Prague Castle used winter opening hours on 25 and 26 December in 2025 with reduced hours at St Vitus Cathedral. The Castle's and the National Museum's Christmas 2026 hours had not been published as of September 2026 — check hrad.cz and nm.cz nearer the time.

The shop-closing law, in one paragraph

Act No. 223/2016 Sb. bans retail selling in shops with a sales floor over 200 m² on 1 January, Easter Monday, 8 May, 28 September, 28 October, 25 December and 26 December, and on 24 December from 12:00 onwards. It does not apply to shops of 200 m² or less, to petrol stations, pharmacies, shops at airports and railway and bus stations, or shops in healthcare facilities. Since 2019 it no longer covers wholesale. Enforcement is by the Czech Trade Inspection Authority, with fines up to one million koruna. Note that 17 November is a public holiday but is not on the list — large shops open normally that day.

Weather and daylight

Prague in December is cold and grey rather than snowy. Climate normals put the typical daytime high at about 2 to 4 °C and the night low at about −2 to 0 °C, with late December at the colder end.

Snow is possible but a white Christmas in the centre is not the norm — climatology puts the chance of a snow-only day in December at roughly 1 to 3 per cent, with rain more likely. Plan for damp, near-freezing and overcast, and treat snow as a bonus.

Daylight is the thing visitors underestimate. In late December the sun rises around 08:00 and sets around 16:05, and the shortest day, 21 December, has about eight hours of light. The markets look their best after dark, which is convenient, but it also means you have very little daylight for anything else.

If it rains

Indoors within a few minutes of the main squares: around Old Town Square, the Old Town Hall, the Church of Our Lady before Týn, the Kinský Palace (National Gallery) and the House at the Stone Bell. Around Wenceslas Square, the National Museum and the covered arcades, including the Lucerna passage. At náměstí Republiky, the Municipal House and the Palladium shopping centre. The Jewish Museum's synagogues are an option on any day except Saturday.

Common questions