Prague City Hall has released the official dates for the 2025/26 Christmas-market season: the flagship Old Town and Wenceslas Square markets will operate from 29 November 2025 to 6 January 2026, while the neighbourhood market at Náměstí Míru opens a week earlier on 20 November. Last year’s markets attracted 730 000 December visitors—an 18 % jump on 2023—and airport officials expect similar or higher numbers this winter, boosted by new direct flights from Abu Dhabi, Marrakech and Chicago.
Hotels near the historical core already report 82 % occupancy for early December, and meetings-and-events providers are packaging market tours into corporate incentive trips for German, UK and Israeli firms. Václav Havel Airport is staffing additional biometric kiosks after the EU Entry/Exit System went live in October; non-EU travellers are advised to allow extra time, especially on Sunday evenings when outbound volumes peak.
![Prague Sets 2025/26 Christmas-Market Calendar, Forecasting Record Visitor Surge]()
The city will reprise crowd-management tactics piloted last year: timed coach drop-offs, one-way pedestrian flows and expanded contactless-payment infrastructure. Local authorities are highlighting new e-scooter speed limits and pick-pocketing risks—points mobility managers should weave into duty-of-care briefings.
For business-travel planners the surge means tightening hotel availability and rising average daily rates, up 11 % year-on-year. Firms intending to host regional sales kick-offs or client events during the festive period should secure room blocks immediately and factor in 30-minute EES processing buffers for delegates flying in after 12 October.
Practical tip: advise travellers to pre-enrol fingerprints at first entry to Czechia and to use contactless payment where possible to speed purchases inside crowded market zones.
Hotels near the historical core already report 82 % occupancy for early December, and meetings-and-events providers are packaging market tours into corporate incentive trips for German, UK and Israeli firms. Václav Havel Airport is staffing additional biometric kiosks after the EU Entry/Exit System went live in October; non-EU travellers are advised to allow extra time, especially on Sunday evenings when outbound volumes peak.
The city will reprise crowd-management tactics piloted last year: timed coach drop-offs, one-way pedestrian flows and expanded contactless-payment infrastructure. Local authorities are highlighting new e-scooter speed limits and pick-pocketing risks—points mobility managers should weave into duty-of-care briefings.
For business-travel planners the surge means tightening hotel availability and rising average daily rates, up 11 % year-on-year. Firms intending to host regional sales kick-offs or client events during the festive period should secure room blocks immediately and factor in 30-minute EES processing buffers for delegates flying in after 12 October.
Practical tip: advise travellers to pre-enrol fingerprints at first entry to Czechia and to use contactless payment where possible to speed purchases inside crowded market zones.
