Prague City Hall has published the official schedule for the 2025/26 Christmas-market season. The flagship Old Town and Wenceslas Square markets will run from 29 November 2025 to 6 January 2026, with an early opening at Náměstí Míru on 20 November. Last year the markets drew a record 730,000 December visitors—an 18 percent jump on 2023—and airport officials expect similar numbers this winter thanks to new direct routes from Abu Dhabi, Marrakech and Chicago.
Hotels around the historical core already report 82 percent occupancy for the first half of December, while meetings-and-events providers are packaging market tours into corporate incentive trips for German, UK and Israeli firms. Václav Havel Airport is preparing extra staff at biometric kiosks after the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) went live in October; travellers are advised to register fingerprints on first arrival and allow additional time on Sunday evenings, traditionally the busiest departure window.
![Prague Confirms 2025/26 Christmas-Market Dates, Triggering Winter Travel Surge]()
The city will reprise crowd-management measures piloted last year, including timed coach drop-offs, one-way pedestrian flows and expanded contactless-payment points at food stalls. Business-traveller footfall is also set to rise, with several multinationals scheduling regional sales kick-offs to coincide with the festive atmosphere.
Travel-risk teams should update advisory notes to reflect higher pick-pocketing risk in crowded zones and remind staff of new e-scooter speed limits in the Old Town. Event planners are urged to secure accommodation blocks quickly, as average room rates have risen 11 percent year-on-year.
Tip for mobility managers: non-EU employees arriving after 12 October must pass through EES biometric controls—build at least 30 minutes into itineraries during peak evenings.
Hotels around the historical core already report 82 percent occupancy for the first half of December, while meetings-and-events providers are packaging market tours into corporate incentive trips for German, UK and Israeli firms. Václav Havel Airport is preparing extra staff at biometric kiosks after the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) went live in October; travellers are advised to register fingerprints on first arrival and allow additional time on Sunday evenings, traditionally the busiest departure window.
The city will reprise crowd-management measures piloted last year, including timed coach drop-offs, one-way pedestrian flows and expanded contactless-payment points at food stalls. Business-traveller footfall is also set to rise, with several multinationals scheduling regional sales kick-offs to coincide with the festive atmosphere.
Travel-risk teams should update advisory notes to reflect higher pick-pocketing risk in crowded zones and remind staff of new e-scooter speed limits in the Old Town. Event planners are urged to secure accommodation blocks quickly, as average room rates have risen 11 percent year-on-year.
Tip for mobility managers: non-EU employees arriving after 12 October must pass through EES biometric controls—build at least 30 minutes into itineraries during peak evenings.
