Mulled wine steam on Old Town Square at ten in the morning
You step off the tram into air that smells of woodsmoke, hot wine and grilling sausage. It is January 1, 2027, a Friday, and Prague is a public holiday twice over: New Year's Day and Czech State Day, the anniversary of the 1993 dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the founding of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Christmas markets have not packed up. Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square in Prague 1 keep their stalls running from 1 to 6 January, 10:00 to 22:00, free to enter, with grilled sausages, hams turning on spits, pastries, Czech beer and hot mulled wine on offer. Cross the river and the smaller market at Kampa Square (Na Kampě) in the Lesser Town trades 1 to 4 January, 10:00 to 20:00, weighted toward traditional food and drink rather than handicrafts. Arrive early, take a cup of something hot, and let the square fill around you.
An afternoon of ice, an evening of opera
Prague's sightseeing and entertainment run as normal on the holiday, so you can build a full day. Lace up at a rink: the Ovocný trh rink behind the Estates Theatre in the Old Town skates 1–31 January, 10:00–21:00, with no booking needed, and the Wenceslas Square rink runs 1 January to 14 February, 09:00–22:00, skate hire included. The largest open-air rink in Prague, a 42 m × 20 m sheet in Letná Park, is open daily 09:00–21:00 through 28 February. Then change for the evening. New Year concerts run 1–5 January across concert halls, palaces and churches, and advance booking is essential. On the day itself, the Prague State Opera on Wilsonova 4 stages Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. On 3 January, Smetana Hall at the Municipal House on Republic Square hosts The Four Seasons, and on 4 January at 20:00 the same hall hosts Best of Classics. If you would rather have ballet, the Broadway Theatre at Na Prikope 31 in the Old Town performs a shortened Nutcracker on 1 January.
Camels on Charles Bridge: the Three Kings
The holiday season's most distinctive procession comes on 5 January. Between 15:30 and 16:45, the Three Kings in regal attire ride camels from Lesser Town Square (Malostranské náměstí) at 15:30, across Charles Bridge, reaching Old Town Square at 16:45. The parade ends on the Christmas market stage, where the Kings present gifts to the Infant Jesus, and the square's speakers carry Jakub Jan Ryba's Czech Christmas Mass. Stake out a spot on the bridge or in the square well before 15:30; this is a moving spectacle, not a ticketed one.
What to eat, and what stays open
Eat at the markets: sausages off the grill, ham carved from the spit, pastries, and mulled wine to keep your hands warm. One practical note shapes your day. Small and medium-sized shops are open on 1 January, but large shops over 200 m² are closed, so plan your shopping around the smaller stores. The same holiday logic applies to banks and many sights on national holidays, so check opening hours before you set out.
Beyond the first week: skating, exhibitions and winter rituals
January rewards a longer stay. The ice rinks at Na Frantisku Sports Centre (Kozi 847, Old Town) and the Výstaviště indoor rink in Prague 7 run into late February and March respectively, and the Tower Park rink offers timed sessions through February. Harry Potter: The Exhibition fills Hall 6 of the PVA Exhibition Centre in Letňany from 1 January to 21 March. On 16 January, gatherings mark Jan Palach Day at the Memorial to the Victims of Communism at the top of Wenceslas Square and at Olšany Cemetery. And on 31 January, the Estates Theatre stages The Magic Flute. If you can stretch your trip, December 31 — St. Sylvester's Day — brings fireworks to Prague, so an arrival on the last night of the year sets you up for the holiday itself.
Start with the calendar: book your concert tickets now, since advance booking is essential for the New Year performances, then map your days around the markets, the rinks and the Three Kings' ride across the bridge. A Friday holiday, open stalls and a city dressed for winter make the first week of January an easy time to be in Prague.