The holiday season could possibly be spent no better than in Prague. The city is already a fairy tale of winding streets and ancient buildings. Add to the combination a multitude of festive decorations, music, and spiced wine - and you're in holiday heaven. The locals blend with the tourists in navigating the complex array of wooden stalls where one can find all kinds of gifts and stocking-stuffers. There are vendors selling candles, hand-made jewelry and local foods in gingerly wrapped jars. Glowing huts where wooden toys and dolls bob from the ceiling stand between stalls selling mugs or hand-woven hats and scarves. Some of the best stands sell things one can't ship home, such as the spiced wine mentioned above, or sausage with mustard and corn on the cob.
The Christmas Markets run daily from November 28th til January 1st. Though there are several squares which host the markets, the most popular are in the Old Town and Wenceslas squares. Great pictures of the Old Town square decked out in holiday style can be taken from the platform where the enormous Christmas tree is placed. Be sure to notice not only the decorations but the surrounding gothic-style buildings as well.
