Christmas Eve » 24th December 2018

Christmas Eve is effectively Christmas Day for Czech people, so most locals will spend the day at home.

With fewer people around, this is a wonderfully peaceful day for visitors to explore Prague, especially as the squares may be dusted with snow or a heavy frost, giving the city a real 'olden day' charm.

There is still sightseeing and entertainment to participate in, but hours are limited, and only a small number of shops and restaurants are open. So the day takes a little planning.

Planning for Christmas Eve

The Christmas markets are open from 10am to 10pm.

Sightseeing and walking tours of Prague run in the morning and early afternoon, but there are no excursions outside Prague. On the river, the lunch cruise is the only boat running - sightseeing in Prague.

For entertainment, in the afternoon and early evening there are some wonderful festive concerts and ballet performances, held in historic churches and theatres - classical concerts & ballet.

For dining, many restaurants close, and those that do open have limited hours. So we advise making a reservation (most restaurants will be booked out). You can see what menus are available and make reservations via our Prague Christmas Planner.

In the afternoon, some churches hold a Christmas Mass at 16:00 for children.

An afternoon mass is held at Tyn Church at the Old Town Square at 16:30. Entrance is free, just turn up. Arrive early.

Traditional Czech Family Christmas

To discover what a traditional Czech Christmas is, one has to naturally look at the family and at food.

Czechs spend the afternoon of Christmas Eve at home, dressing the Christmas tree and preparing food for the evening celebrations.

During the day, Czechs traditionally are not allowed to eat meat. Instead, they eat a dish such as sauerkraut soup. This ensures they will see the golden piglet (bringing them wealth in the year ahead). This lasts until after sunset, when Christmas dinner is served.

Carp is the central ingredient of a Czech Christmas dinner. The fish is typically bought live from street sellers in towns and villages around the country in the days running up to Christmas - in Prague carp is sold on Republic Square (Namesti republiky) for example.

The fish is brought home, often stored in the bath, then prepared, coated in breadcrumbs, and fried. It is served with potato salad as the main course.

Fish soup is the starter, with apple strudel or Christmas sweetbread (vánočka) for dessert.

Later on, once the presents are open and with a nicely dressed Christmas tree in the corner, the evening is spent playing games, watching traditional children's stories on television and chatting.

There is always a good supply of home-made pastries and snacks to enjoy throughout the evening. Plus for adults, plenty of Czech beer, wines and local spirits!

Later on, families may attend midnight mass at their local church.