• Home
  • About Me
  • Travel Advising
    • Travel Advising and Itinerary Design
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Travel Blog
  • Publications
  • What I’m Reading

Kayla Smith

December 8, 2023

Christmas Markets in Prague, Gingerbread, and the World’s Largest Castle

My first impression of Prague was when I saw the public piano in the train station entrance. It wasn’t a keyboard—it was a full-size upright piano, there for the general public to use. Someone was playing it beautifully as we left the station heading to our Airbnb.

I knew before we even arrived that we wouldn’t have enough time in Prague. We’d had to cut one of our three planned nights because of the train strike in Italy, and two nights is a shamefully tiny window to try cramming in a new city that’s been high on your travel list for years. But if you have to choose one time of year to get a sample serving of Prague, the Christmas season is definitely the right time.

Our Airbnb was cheap ($50 per night) and a short tram ride from the city center. Getting the key entailed going to a convenience store around the corner and asking the cashier for an envelope with my name on it, and then figuring out how to actually unlock the apartment building door took at least 10 minutes in a dark hallway. But once we finally got in, the apartment was lovely. I’d heard that the days of Prague being an affordable and off-the-beaten-path travel destination were over. And while it’s certainly not far off any beaten paths, I found it to be far more affordable than I assumed it would be. We got lunch at a brew pub near our apartment, and my assumption was that I’d reached a part of Europe where I would be very underwhelmed by the food. I envisioned menus of nothing but bratwurst, sauerkraut, and pretzels. But for lunch I got goulash, which was delicious, and I ended up eating consistently interesting and tasty meals throughout the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria.

The medieval Old Town of Prague is a mismatch of Gothic architecture and vibrant colors that make it look like it could be the setting for a Disney film. It was as stunning as I hoped it would be. The iconic Astronomical Clock sits in the center of the Old Town Square, and a huge crowd gathers every night to watch the clock show. (The creepy little figures surrounding the clock move when the hour strikes. It’s an odd activity that’s worth doing once) The clock was first installed in 1410 and is currently the oldest clock still in operation.

The main Christmas market in Prague takes up the entire Old Town Square and smells like every scent you’ve ever associated with Christmas magnified tenfold. The square is surrounded by booth-after-booth of svařák (Prague’s version of mulled wine), grog (a rum, lemon, and sugar drink), hot chocolate, tredelnik (a cinnamon and dough pastry), and all manner of gingerbreads. Smoke rises from the booths as they fry potatoes or cook meat on skewers, and it makes the market look like a miniature neighborhood of cozy cottages with lit fireplaces. Horses pull carriages over the cobbled streets between the booths. A group was singing carols on a corner stage. There were more food booths than there were arts and crafts, and you could spend weeks trying all the treats and then passing out from excessive sugar intake. We wandered the booths until our fingers went numb.

It was the last day of November which felt like an official mark of winter and Christmas time. It was also the last day of NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month—the writing challenge that I’d spent the month working on. I spent that night writing the last 1,000 words to reach my goal of 50,000 in a month—a goal I’d had since I was about 14. I’ve written a book manuscript before, much longer than 50,000 words, but that was a task I completed over a couple of years with deadlines and workshops and classrooms full of peer-feedback. In a way this felt more significant because it was only for me.

We celebrated me successfully completing the challenge and the first day of December with a feast. I found the restaurant with the best reviews in town (that was affordable), and I ate duck with red cabbage, a spiced cranberry sauce, and potato dumplings while my mom ate goulash in a bread bowl. It tasted like Christmas and decadence. We waddled our way up the hill to the castle—the largest castle in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. It’s less a castle in the traditional sense and more a giant complex. Inside the castle grounds, we found another Christmas market, full of metal workers and a nativity scene for photo ops. In the center of the castle stands St. Vitus Cathedral, an astonishing Gothic masterpiece with perhaps the most beautiful stained glass I’ve seen outside of Paris’s Sainte-Chappelle. St. Wenceslas is buried there. Yes, St. Wenceslas, like in the Christmas song. He was real! He was a 10th century Duke in Bohemia who was known for building churches and helping the poor, widows, and orphans, and he was posthumously made a king and saint. (No, I had no idea that he lived here or was even a real person before visiting.)

  

On the way back down the hill, we stopped to shop in craft shops, boutiques, bookstores, a store entirely devoted to gingerbread cookies, and yet another small Christmas market nestled in a park. It was dark by the time we reached the Charles Bridge, and the statues on either side of it stood guard as we crossed back into Old Town. We had just enough time to squeeze in a visit to the Klementinum Library, often considered one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. It was opened in 1722 and looks too perfect to step foot in. It probably looks this way because, in fact, you can’t step foot in it. You can only visit with a tour, and the tour only allows you to gaze at the library from the entryway behind a rope barricade. But I did sneak a photo that I’m not sure was allowed.

After another tour around the Christmas market and the astronomical clock show, my mom headed back to our room while I joined a late-night ghost tour. Even Christmas cheer couldn’t stop me from doing a ghost tour in Bohemia, home of golems and Kafka. Our guide was charismatic and convincing, and it was easily one of the best ghost tours I’ve ever done. I had to return to the light of the market and Christmas cheer after my journey to the spooky shadows. And then because all of the restaurants had closed by the time I headed back to the apartment, I spent the evening eating my body weight in gingerbread and potato chips.

 

 

Sometimes I hear travelers say that you may as well not visit a city if you only plan to visit for one or two nights, and if you can’t give a city the time it deserves, you’d be better off consolidating your time in one location instead. During my mom’s visit, we moved faster than I’d moved at any other point in my trip, and I don’t feel like we gave ANY place we visited the full number of days they deserved. But it was a deliberate choice. It was my mom’s first time in Europe, and she doesn’t have the kind of lifestyle where she could assume that she’d be making casual, annual trips back again. I wanted her to get to see as much as possible in the limited time we had. And while I’m a big proponent of slow travel, I also think that if you have to choose between going to Prague for just two nights or not going at all, you should always choose to go to Prague and eat all the gingerbread in sight.

 

Posted In: Christmas Markets, Prague · Tagged: Christmas market, European Christmas Market, Prague

Get on the List

About Me

Writer, educator, book lover, explorer, map collector, and elderly dog lover. Sharing thoughts, stories, and wonder as I go.

Recent Posts

  • Returning to Front Beach Cottages and Why I Recommend Traveling with Your Dog
  • What Writing Letters to Strangers During the Pandemic Taught Me
  • My Favorite Mardi Gras Parades in New Orleans
  • How to Choose the Best Accommodations When You Travel
  • The 15 Best Books I Read in 2024

Archives

  • May 2025
  • April 2025
  • February 2025
  • January 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • October 2024
  • September 2024
  • August 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • May 2024
  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • September 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • January 2022
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • June 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • December 2017
  • October 2017
  • June 2017
  • March 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • April 2016
  • January 2016
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • May 2015
  • March 2015
  • January 2015
  • November 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014

Join the List

Connect

kaylamichellesmith

During the 24 hours I was in Sarajevo, it stormed, During the 24 hours I was in Sarajevo, it stormed, I twisted my ankle, a tour I wanted to do was canceled, and I lost my debit card. But despite all this, I knew nearly immediately that I was obsessed with this city. 

Sarajevo isn’t the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, but it’s one of the most fascinating. The little I knew about Sarajevo, and the rest of Bosnia and Herzegovina, before visiting was outdated by 30 years. The war here happened so recently that my school textbooks were published before it but so long ago that I barely remember. The first time I ever heard of a place called Bosnia, long before I could find it on a map, was in a kid’s chapter book about the war, and what I took away from the story was that this was a terrifying and dangerous place that a person should never visit. 

What a gift it is to be able to correct your own past assumptions.

When I think about which places I’ve visited that I want to return to, Sarajevo is near the top of that list.
Leaving Budapest and the Schengen zone for Serbia Leaving Budapest and the Schengen zone for Serbia felt like heading into the Wild West—this was a very different Europe than I’d visited before. And to be honest, my first impression of Belgrade was not a good one. We arrived late at night after bus delays, and the bus station was closed. Late night transportation  options were questionable, and taxi drivers kept approaching way too eagerly and offering rides for ridiculous prices. This could have happened in any city, but in the moment it felt sketchy and tense.

The next morning, the city felt considerably less sketchy but still cold and unwelcoming. It took half a day, but finally we found a couple modern and popular areas of town full of bookstores and music and better vibes. And while I still wouldn’t say I liked Belgrade much, I’m glad I visited and glad that I was able to change my mind after my initial impression. And of course, I ended up loving the rest of the Balkans. 

I know so many people who LOVE Serbia. I’d love to go back and explore more of the country to find why they love it.
My monthly reminder that most of my photos are act My monthly reminder that most of my photos are actually dog photos and that I’m at my kitchen table far more often than I’m traveling. August had some lovely moments. @1samanthaaldana  @lindaa.xoxoxo
If you’ve ever wondered what I’m doing when I’m away traveling, it’s usually this. 

(Is there a single one of you who’s gonna watch 50 entires seconds of bookstores? @thebookeasy friends, I’m counting on you! 😂) 

Everyone, drop your favorite bookstore in the world in the comments! I’ll add them all to my travel list! 

I think my favorite of all these is @carturesticarusel in Bucharest. It’s indescribably magical.
For over a decade, countless people have told me I For over a decade, countless people have told me I should pursue a job as a travel advisor. I’m so glad I finally decided they were right. @hellofora 

Nothing brings me as much joy as helping others travel. But Instagram and its mysterious algorithm can only go so far in helping me reach people who want to hear more about what I can offer. So…I’ve decided to start a newsletter! 

In my newsletter, I’ll share special deals, perks, tips, and news for all types of travelers. I am planning to send a newsletter just once or twice per month, and you can trust that I won’t spam you! 

If you’d like to receive the newsletter, you can comment “Me!” below, and I’ll send you the easy sign up link! And I’ll be forever grateful if you help spread the word!
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2025 Kayla Smith · Theme by 17th Avenue