Budapest or Prague for the Christmas Markets? Let Your Travel Dates Decide
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If your trip falls before 28 November, go to Budapest: both of its big Christmas markets open on Friday 13 November 2026, two weeks before Prague’s Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square markets. If you travel after New Year, go to Prague: its two main squares stay open until 6 January 2027, while the Basilica market in Budapest closes on 1 January.
In between, the two cities are open at the same time and the choice comes down to hours, holidays and what else you want from the trip. Here is the comparison on the numbers the organisers have published for 2026.
🎄 Budapest vs Prague at a Glance
| Budapest | Prague | |
|---|---|---|
| Main markets | Vörösmarty Square and St Stephen’s Basilica | Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square |
| Opens | Friday 13 November 2026 | Saturday 28 November 2026 |
| Last day | Basilica: 1 January 2027. Vörösmarty: New Year’s Eve, crafts until 28 December | Wednesday 6 January 2027 |
| Usual hours | From 11:00, until 21:00 to 23:00 depending on the market and the day | 10:00 to 22:00 outside the holidays |
| 24 December | Vörösmarty 10:00 to 14:00, Basilica 11:00 to 15:00 | Not published yet for 2026 |
| 31 December | Both markets 11:00 to 03:00 | Not published yet for 2026 |
| Neighbourhood markets | Dates in our Budapest Christmas markets guide | náměstí Míru from 20 November, náměstí Republiky from 25 November |
Budapest: two markets, one early start
Budapest’s Christmas season centres on two markets a short walk apart near Deák Ferenc tér, and both open on the same Friday.
Advent Bazilika, on the square in front of St Stephen’s Basilica, runs from 13 November 2026 to 1 January 2027. The organiser promises nearly a hundred Hungarian craft exhibitors, a Christmas tree, a canopy of lights and a light projection show. It runs 11:00 to 22:00 from Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 to 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, an hour past Prague’s closing time.
Vörösmarty Classic Xmas, on Vörösmarty Square, opens the same day and stays until the dawn of the New Year. It runs 11:00 to 21:00 from Sunday to Thursday and 11:00 to 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. The little train for children runs 14:00 to 20:00 on weekdays and 11:00 to 20:00 at weekends. One date to plan around: the craft stalls and the train are there for the last time on 28 December, when the square starts turning into a New Year’s Eve party.
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The neighbourhood markets, what the food costs and which market suits which evening are in our Budapest Christmas markets guide.
Source: vorosmartyclassicxmas.hu and adventbazilika.hu, read on 3 October 2026.
Prague: a later start and a longer finish
Prague’s two flagship markets share one organiser and one season: Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, both from Saturday 28 November 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027, open 10:00 to 22:00 on ordinary days; the 2026 holiday hours are not published yet. Old Town Square is the one in the photo above, with the tree in front of the Týn Church. The organiser points you to metro line A for both: Staroměstská for Old Town Square, Můstek for Wenceslas Square.
That later start is the whole point of this page. For the fifteen days from 13 to 27 November, Budapest’s big markets are open and Prague’s are not. The early gap is partly filled by two neighbourhood markets listed by Prague City Tourism:
- Náměstí Míru, in Vinohrady, in front of St Ludmila’s Church: 20 November to 24 December 2026, 10:00 to 20:00. Ornaments, ceramic nativity scenes, wooden toys, sheep’s wool goods and artist-made jewellery.
- Náměstí Republiky, facing V Celnici street: 25 November to 24 December 2026, with dozens of stalls selling mistletoe, Advent wreaths, candles, ornaments, nativity scenes and Advent calendars.
Both close on Christmas Eve, so from 25 December Prague’s season is the two big squares alone.
Source: trhypraha.cz (market dates, practical information), prague.eu (náměstí Míru) and prague.eu (náměstí Republiky), read on 3 October 2026.
Christmas and New Year: Budapest has published its hours, Prague not yet
One city has already shown its holiday hand. Budapest’s hours are below; Prague’s 2026 ones are not out yet.
| Day | Vörösmarty Square | Advent Bazilika | Old Town and Wenceslas Squares |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 December | 10:00 to 14:00 | 11:00 to 15:00 | Not published yet for 2026 |
| 25 December | 12:00 to 18:00 | 11:00 to 20:00 | Not published yet for 2026 |
| 26 December | 12:00 to 18:00 | 11:00 to 20:00 | Not published yet for 2026 |
| 29 and 30 December | 11:00 to 21:00 | 11:00 to 22:00 | 10:00 to 22:00 |
| 31 December | 11:00 to 03:00 | 11:00 to 03:00 | Not published yet for 2026 |
| 1 January | Until 03:00, from New Year’s Eve | 11:00 to 18:00 | Not published yet for 2026 |
Budapest shuts early on Christmas Eve and then turns its two squares into a New Year’s Eve party that runs until 03:00. Prague’s organiser lists 10:00 to 22:00 for ordinary days of the season and has not published its 2026 holiday hours yet. For the 2024/25 season it posted shorter hours for 24, 25, 26 and 31 December and 1 January in a notice of 18 December 2024, so if your plans hang on those days, check trhypraha.cz in December. Our Christmas Day guide covers what else in Budapest is open on 24, 25 and 26 December, and Budapest in December covers the rest of the month.
Source: vorosmartyclassicxmas.hu, adventbazilika.hu and trhypraha.cz (practical information, holiday-hours notice of 18 December 2024), read on 3 October 2026.
Doing both cities
The overlap is long: from 28 November to 1 January the big markets in both cities are open at the same time. RegioJet sells a train between Prague main station (Praha hlavní nádraží) and Budapest-Kelenföld, and a bus between Prague Florenc and Budapest Kelenföld. The Budapest end is Kelenföld station, not Keleti, so check RegioJet’s timetable for the journey time on your date before you plan an evening at the other end.
Source: regiojet.com, read on 3 October 2026.
Outside the Advent season the two cities compare differently: Budapest vs Prague covers prices, food and getting around year-round. If Vienna is the other city on your list, Budapest vs Vienna Christmas markets runs the same comparison for the Rathausplatz season.
So which one
| Your dates | Go to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 13 to 19 November | Budapest | Both big Budapest markets are open; nothing in Prague is yet |
| 20 to 27 November | Budapest | Prague has only its neighbourhood markets until the 28th |
| 28 November to 23 December | Either, or both | Every big market in both cities is open |
| 24 to 26 December | Budapest, if you need the hours now | Budapest has published its holiday hours; Prague’s 2026 holiday hours are not published yet |
| 31 December | Budapest, for the party | Both Budapest squares stay open until 03:00 |
| 2 to 6 January | Prague | Budapest’s big markets have closed |
Pick Budapest if you are travelling in mid-November, want weekend evenings until 23:00 (at the Basilica), want holiday hours you can plan on now, or want to see the New Year in on a market square. Pick Prague if you are travelling in the first week of January. If you have four or more days between 28 November and 23 December, do both: the dates line up, and the train exists.
Good to know
When do the Prague Christmas markets open in 2026?
The markets on Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square run from Saturday 28 November 2026 to Wednesday 6 January 2027, open 10:00 to 22:00 on ordinary days; the 2026 holiday hours are not published yet. Two smaller neighbourhood markets start earlier: náměstí Míru from 20 November and náměstí Republiky from 25 November, and both run until 24 December.
When do the Budapest Christmas markets open in 2026?
Both big downtown markets open on Friday 13 November 2026. The Advent Bazilika market at St Stephen's Basilica runs until 1 January 2027. The Vörösmarty Square market runs until the small hours of New Year's Day, but its craft stalls and little train are there for the last time on 28 December.
Are the Budapest and Prague Christmas markets open on Christmas Eve?
Budapest's are, with shorter hours: Vörösmarty Square is open 10:00 to 14:00 on 24 December and the Basilica market 11:00 to 15:00. Prague's organiser has not published its 2026 holiday hours for Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square yet; for the 2024/25 season it posted shorter holiday hours in a notice of 18 December 2024. The náměstí Míru and náměstí Republiky markets end on 24 December.
Can you visit the Budapest and Prague Christmas markets in one trip?
Yes. From 28 November to 1 January the big markets in both cities are open at the same time. RegioJet sells a train between Prague main station and Budapest-Kelenföld and a bus between Prague Florenc and Budapest Kelenföld; check its timetable for the journey time on your day.
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