13 Best Prague Easter Markets for 2024 as recommended by a local, including locations, opening times, what to taste and buy at each market.
The Easter Markets always start in Prague few weeks before Easter and make the whole town a bit more colourful with cheerful decorations, delicious food and traditional Easter customs.
This year the Easter is at the end of March – Big Friday is on 29 March 2024, Easter Sunday is 31 March 2024 and Monday is on 1 April 2024. The funny thing about this year’s Easter is that on Sunday the clock will go forward as we change over to the summer time and the Easter Monday is also April Fool’s Day!
If you’re planning to visit Prague in March or April, I have my list of my favourite 13 Easter markets for you to visit.
What to expect at Prague Easter Markets
A really important part of the Easter markets is entertainment, demonstrations of traditional customs and crafts, as well as good food and drinks. Each market has nicely decorated stands, where producers, craftsmen, and sellers offer typical Easter goods, spring gifts, and food specialities, such as Grilled sausages, skewers, steaks, stuffed baguettes, roasted country potatoes, homemade cheeses or halušky.
You can buy traditional Easter eggs, ceramics, tablecloths, and napkins with spring motifs. There are also lots of stalls with the traditional Easter whips, ornaments made from dried flowers and wood and jewellery.
Prague Easter Markets Opening Dates & times 2024
This year, the main Easter markets run from the 16 March 2024 to 7 April 2024.
The Easter Markets are open every day, including the Easter weekend – 29 March – 1 April 2024 – The Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. The Friday and Monday are Czech national holidays and people have a day off.
The markets are open from 10 am in the morning until 10 pm at night and the entry to the markets is free.
Some food stalls are open even later than 10 pm depending on how busy they are and what’s the weather like.
Where is the biggest Easter market in Prague?
The biggest Easter market in Prague is located right in the centre – at the Old Town Square (Staroměstské náměstí). This market is the largest and most well known Easter market in Prague, and it is located in the heart of the city’s historic centre.
This Easter market has over 100 stalls selling a wide variety of traditional Czech handicrafts, ornaments, and souvenirs, as well as food and drink.
Old Town Square always has large Easter decorations (often lit up in the evening) and a large stage for entertainment, which includes music, theatre and traditional dancing.
Which Easter Markets in Prague are the best ones?
This is a difficult question to answer, because it really depends on what you are after. The biggest and the easiest market to visit is the one at the Old Town Square and I always go there to see the Easter decoration.
But if I actually want to buy something different and get more authentic and less busy Easter atmosphere I head over to the Peace Square Market or the farmer’s markets at Jirak.
If I want to buy practical day to day fresh food, Easter Bread or cakes and buy Easter decorations I always pop into Andel Easter Market in Prague 5.
The list of all Prague Easter markets
1. Old Town Square Easter Market
This is the biggest Easter Market in Prague and the one that’s open the longest and every day. There is live entertainment on the main stage, but you can also walk around the stalls and watch traditional crafts being made or ironmongers creating decorations from metal using real fire. There is a smell of roasted chestnuts, almonds and hot mead and other festive food – all ready for you to try.
There is also decorated viewing platform where you can take great photos and also see the market below.
Fifty stands will offer various culinary specialties and traditional goods, such as mazanec (Easter cake), Easter lambs, hand-painted eggs, whips, spring flowers, embroidered tablecloths, and wooden toys.
Children can look forward to weekend creative activities – egg painting, making decorations, baking Easter cakes, and braiding whips.
The Easter program, which takes place every day under the richly decorated birch tree with ribbons and eggs, will feature fifty vocal and dance ensembles from the Czech Republic and abroad.
The highlight of the program will be the event on Easter Monday called “With a whip for our housewives,” where Easter melodies, carols, and cheerful folk songs will be performed. You will be able to hear a variety of traditional instruments such as clarinets, violins, bagpipes, double bass, and can even dance live under the birch tree!
Location: Old Town Square, Prague 1, nearest Underground or Tram Stop – Staromestska
Opening Days & Times: 16 March 2024 – 7 April 2024, 10 am – 10 pm
2. Wenceslas Square Easter Market
There is another large Easter Market at the lower part of Wenceslas Square and the stalls are very similar as in the Old Town Square (the markets are run by the same company).
Location: close to the Mustek Metro – Underground on the line B, the nearest tram stop no. 9, 5, is ‘Vaclavske Namesti’ in the middle of the square.
Opening Days & Times: 16 March 2024 – 7 April 2024, 10 am – 10 pm
3. Wenceslas Square Christmas – Charity and Non-Profit
There is also a second Easter Market on the square and this one is in the top part, close to the St. Wenceslas Horse Statue and the Museum building.
This Easter Market has stalls run by various charities, so you’ll find a different assortment of crafts, food and gifts than at other markets. There are also plenty of food stalls similar to other markets, so you can have a hot chocolate or hot pear drink whilst browsing through the stalls.
Location: Upper part of the historic Wenceslas Square, close to the National Museum, nearest Underground is Muzeum and tram stop ‘Vaclavske Namesti’ no. 5,9
Opening Dates & Times: 16 March 2024 – 7 April 2024 – 10 am – 10 pm
4. Peace Square Easter Market
This Easter Market is one of my favourite ones as it feels a lot more authentic than the large market at the Old Town Square. Here you have more local or small producers with well made gifts, traditional Easter egg decorations, wooden decorations and locally produced and baked food.
My favourite stalls include the lavender farm stall, that sells lavender biscuits, which are absolutely delicious, one of the best local artisan bakeries called ‘Our Bread’ that produced traditional Easter bread called ‘mazanec’. There is also a stall with leatherbound notebooks, colourfully painted birds carved from wood, and traditional sweets stall.
The prices are also different than in the centre of Prague as this market is aimed at local people, so all the prices are reasonable. I always buy one or two new Easter decorations from there.
The whole market has a lovely feel and it’s definitely one I’d recommend you visit if you want to see a bit more authentic Easter in Prague.
Location: Namesti Miru – in front of the St. Ludmila Church, nearest underground stop ‘Namesti Miru’ or tram no. 4, 5, 10, 16, 22. This market is about 20 minutes from the centre of Prague by tram or undeground.
Opening Days & Times: 16 March 2024 – 7 April 2024, 10 am – 10 pm
5. Republic Square Easter Market
There are usually two separate markets at the Republic Square. The more visible one is right outside the Palladium Shopping Centre (the large pink building) and includes a lot of traditional food stalls and Easter decorations.
The second market is in front of the ‘Celnice’ building (the old custom’s house) just a couple of minutes walk. This market includes more clothes stalls, traditional sweets, handmade gifts and hot drinks. It’s nice to walk from one market to another and then continue to the centre of Prague, which is only about 15 minutes walk.
Location: Namesti Republiky, in front of the Palladium shopping centre, Underground Stop ‘Namesti Republiky’ on the line B. Tram stops ‘Namesti Republiky’, no 5, 6, 8, 15, 19, 26,
Opening Days & Times: 16 March 2024 – 7 April 2024, 10 am – 10 pm
6. St. George’s Basilica Easter Market at Prague Castle
This market is slightly smaller than the other markets in the centre of Prague, but it perfectly fits behind the St. Vitus Cathedral in front of the St. George Basilica. There is a good mix of food and traditional decorations stalls, although there seems to be more food than non-food stalls. For once I think that’s actually a smart choice, because there is always a shortage of quick snacks at the Castle and this way you can enjoy walking around the castle with a hot apple drink in your hands!
Location: courtyard of St. George’s Basilica in the Prague Castle complex, Prague 1 – nearest underground stop is ‘Malostranska’, tram stop ‘Prazsky Hrad’, number 22, 23
Opening Days & Times: 16 March 2024 – 7 April 2024, 10 am – 10 pm
7. Tylovo náměstí Easter Market
This is a smaller market on the same place that’s normally run as a farmer’s market during the rest of the year.
The market has a real community feel and I’ve tasted one of the best hot spiced pear drinks there! (and the cost was reasonable too and without the ‘tourist’ mark up, which seems to be in the centre of Prague). This market is about 5 minutes from the Namesti Miru – Peace Square, so you can easily see both together.
Location: Vinohrady district at Tylovo náměstí square, nearest underground station ‘I.P.Pavlova’ or tram stop no. 10, 16, 22
Opening Days & Times: All year round – every day Monday – Friday 8 am – 6 pm + open all Easter Weekend 10 am – 10 pm
8. Havel’s Market
This is a all-year gift, food and souvenirs market in the centre of Prague as you walk from the Wenceslas Square to the Old Town Square. It’s a handy market to know about for Prague souvenirs and traditional confectionery and sweets. During the spring, there are more stalls with Easter decorations, so it’s always nice to have a look.
Location: Havel’s Market courtyard, close to the Wenceslas Square on the way to the Old Town Square
Opening Days & Times: Open all year round including national holidays, 9-10 am in the morning till late (depending on how busy the market is).
9. Easter Farmers Market at ‘Naplavka’
This is one of the biggest farmer’s markets in Prague, currently around 90-100 stalls every Saturday. Apart from the usual fresh vegetables, fruit and organic meats you can also buy bread and cakes from various regions of the Czech Republic.
There are also plenty of freshly made traditional foods such as ‘topinky’ (toasted sourdough bread with garlic) or fried savoury potato pancakes (Bramboraky) as well as yeasted sweet pancakes called ‘Livance’.
Since this is the biggest and most known farmer’s market in Prague, it’s also the busiest one, so it’s worth getting there a bit earlier in the day. There is often a live music and many people use the market as social get together on Saturday morning.
Location: Palackeho Namesti – Prague 2, the closest underground station is Karlovo Namesti, tram number 10, 16, 17, 19, 3 stop Palackeho Namesti or Vyton
Opening Dates & Times: every Saturday, 8-2 pm (or slightly late depending on how busy the market is)
10. Easter Markets at Jiriho z Podebrad Square
The Easter markets on Jiřího z Poděbrad square are one of the most popular farmer’s markets in Prague and very popular with local people.
The market has over 70 stalls selling traditional Czech crafts, Easter ornaments, and souvenirs, as well as food and drinks. The market runs as a farmers market during the whole year, but during the Easter it’s also opened during Sunday.
My favourite stall is a family run bakery which produces healthy bread as well as gluten-free cakes and bread, I also get fresh eggs, jams and syrups from there.
Location: Jiriho z Podebrad (Underground Station or Tram) – Prague 3, Zizkov, tram no 13. 11
Opening Dates & Times: Open all year round – Wed, Thur, Frid, Sat, Sun – 8 am till late afternoon
11. Andel Easter Market
There are at least 50 stalls with seasonal food produce, Easter decorations, flowers, handmade soaps, candles and much more. There are few local bakeries offering traditional Czech breads, cookies, gingerbread and cakes and there are also hot food stalls.
My favourite is a stall with Moravian cakes and ‘frgali’ (blueberry cakes), which are so delicious, that you can’t stop at just one! You need to get up early if you want to have the best choice of all the amazing bread and cakes on offer.
This is my local market, so I shop there quite often as during the year, it’s a regular farmer’s market, open every Friday.
Location: next to the Angel Metro – Underground line B, tram stop ‘Angel’ numbers 12, 20, 5, 7, 9, 10, 15, 16
Opening Days & Times: 16 March 2024 – 7 April 2024, 10 am – 10 pm + regular Friday markets all year round 8 am – 6 pm or later in the summer
12. Mint Market – 14 April 2024
Mint Market is another great market with handmade gifts, clothes and also food stalls. There are between 50-80 stalls with seller from whole Czech Republic. All products are handmade or produced in small quantities by companies in the Czech Republic and the quality is always very high.
Location: Exhibition Centre Holesovice, Prague 7, trams 5, 6, 12, 18 stop right in front of the exhibition area – tram stop ‘ Vystaviste’ and the entry to the event is free
Opening times: 10 am – 6 pm
13. Dyzajn Market – Spring Edition – 16-17 March 2024
Dyzajn Market is one of my favourite places to go to buy an unusual and unique gift, a little treat and to get inspired by the beautiful fashion and art on display.
The spring Dyzajn Market will include over 180 local artists, designers and makers who will present their products including fashion clothes, jewellery, pottery, toys, stationery, gift cards, accessories, and handbags. There will be also fashion show and entertainment programme for both children and adults.
Location: Exhibition Centre Holesovice, Prague 7, trams 5, 6, 12, 18 stop right in front of the exhibition area – tram stop ‘ Vystaviste’ and the entry to the event is free
Opening Times: 10 am – 6 pm
What’s the best thing to buy at Easter markets in Prague?
There are so many great things to buy at Easter markets in Prague to take back with you as a gift, but some of the most popular items include:
- Traditional Easter Eggs – Traditional Easter eggs – called Kraslice, are intricately decorated with various designs and colours, often using a combination of wax-resist dyeing and hand-painting techniques. If you decide to buy some, please be careful as these are real chicken eggs (emptied) and are very fragile, so wrap them well and keep them in your hand luggage. Some modern Easter eggs are made from wood or plastic, so do ask, as these will be easier to transport and keep from year to year.
- Easter Decorations – There are all sorts of traditional and also modern Easter decorations, including wooden ones, glass-blown decorations, straw decorations and more.
- Pomlazka – a willow whip decorated with ribbons
- Traditional Czech Crafts – You can see variety of traditional Czech handicrafts at the markets, such as wooden toys, traditional straw dolls, hand-painted ceramics, and embroidered textiles. The more traditional gifts are usually seen in the centre of Prague, but the Peace Square Market or the weekend Dyzajn Market and Pottery & Craft Market have more contemporary gifts made by local makers.
- Wooden Puppets – Prague has a long tradition of puppetry, and you can find a wide variety of hand-carved and painted puppets at the markets.
- Gingerbread – Czech gingerbread (perník) is a traditional treat, and you can get a lot of different types and sizes of gingerbread cookies at the markets. Gingerbread is fairly firm cookie and providing that you wrap it properly it will travel well even in your check in luggage.
What food and drink can you taste at Prague Christmas markets?
There are so many different festive foods and drinks you can taste at the Prague Christmas markets, but there are the ones, that seems to be at most markets:
- Easter Sweet Bread – Mazanec: Sweet round bread (sold in various sizes) often with raisins inside and almonds on the top. The taste is the same as Christmas Vanocka (Bread) and very close to brioche bread (but mazanec is a lot firmer). Usually eaten for breakfast with butter and sometimes jam.
- Gingerbread (Perník): A traditional Czech gingerbread that is often decorated with white lemon icing. Each stallholder will have a different recipe based on their family tradition, so it’s always really lovely to try different ones.
- Trdelník: A sweet pastry made from rolled dough that is wrapped around a stick, grilled, and then coated in sugar and cinnamon. Prague Trdelnik is totally not a Czech traditional or Christmas pastry, but it’s absolutely everywhere, especially in the middle of Prague. You’ll notice that the more local Christmas Markets don’t have one.
- Hot Mead Drinkg (Medovina): A hot honey wine that is a popular winter drink in the Czech Republic.
- Spiced Hot Apple or Hot Pear Drink: These are often non-alcoholic apple or pear juice warmed up with festive spices and they make a great Christmas alternative to alcoholic drinks. They can be a little too sweet sometimes, but a perfect ‘pick me up’ in the afternoon, when it’s already dark and cold!
- Hot Black Tea with Rum (Grog): This is a drink that a most people would make at home and traditionally this would be made with black tea, rum, sugar and sometimes with lemon. I think we’ve adopted the English ‘Grog’ name, but the original meaning of rum diluted with water was never going to catch in the Czech Republic, so I only know if as a hot tea with rum drink.
- Prague Ham (Pražská Šunka): A smoked, boneless ham that is often roasted over an open flame and served as a sandwich or as a main dish. You will see it mainly at the Old Town Square or Wenceslas market square. It’s again something that was invented for tourists (there is no such thing as ‘Prague Ham’ in traditional cookery books), but if you like meat you’ll like this. Just be careful about the pricing. The Prague Ham stall sells the ham by 100 grams, which is a tiny amount and if you have a generous portion it can easily be 200-300 grams or more. The ham is overpriced anyway, but the prices per 100 grams are so difficult to multiply that you might be surprised how much the total costs.
- Grilled Sausage (Klobása): A grilled sausage that is a popular snack at the markets. Can be sometimes spicey and served with traditional Czech bread, which is based on a sourdough bread
- Hot Dog in a roll (Parek v Rohliku): Basic hot dog in a soft roll with ketchup or mustard is a traditional street food and usually one of the cheapest snacks on offer. My all time favourite any time of the year!
- Small Potato Dumplings (Halusky): Halusky are originally Slovak dish, but somehow they made their way to the Prague Christmas Markets and you can mainly find them at the Old Town Square, Kampa Island and Wenceslas Square. Halusky are small potato dumplings boiled in water and often served with pieces of ham and sauerkraut. They actually taste really nice (I often have them, because they are naturally gluten-free), but again be careful about the pricing. Most stalls show the price per 100 grams, but one large spoon can easily be over 300 grams, so need to be firm with them if it’s too much for you and you want less.
- Roast pork: Apart from the ham I’ve also seen stalls selling a roast pork which sometimes is roasted in front of the stall, especially at the Old Town Square. Price is usually per 100 grams, so double check how much you want (or want to spend) before you order.
This blog post was originally written on 3 January 2024 and last updated on 3 January 2024
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