Prague Old Town Square Christmas Market

One of the wonderful ways to end a Danube River cruise is with a few days in Prague. The Prague Christmas Market is an added attraction during the holiday season, but the city is worth visiting at any time of year.

Prague’s Old Town Square is one of the city’s most beautiful places. It’s home to the famous Astronomical Clock, and during the Christmas season, it becomes the setting for one of the city’s most popular Christmas markets.

In 2018, my travels took me away over Thanksgiving and into early December. Prague was the final stop on a trip that had taken me through several European Christmas markets. I had wanted to experience different markets from those I’d visited on my first Christmas market cruise, which took me from Nuremberg to Frankfurt along the Main–Danube Canal and Main River. This trip certainly accomplished that.

But Prague had one final surprise waiting for me.

A Magical Evening in Old Town Square

Let me paint the picture for you.

We had just finished dinner at one of the small restaurants surrounding Old Town Square. When we stepped outside into the rain, we stopped to take one last look at the Christmas market.

Suddenly, the lights on the enormous Christmas tree began twinkling in time to music.

It took me a few seconds to get my iPhone out and start recording, so my video doesn’t capture the beginning. The music continued for about five minutes, although I recorded only a minute of it.

The beautiful music came from Three Wishes for Cinderella, a beloved Czech fairy tale film traditionally shown during the Christmas season.

Standing there in the rain, watching the lights dance to the music, was one of those unexpected travel moments that stays with you long after you’ve returned home.

I know I’ve used the word magical more than once when describing European Christmas markets. But I can’t think of a better word for that evening in Prague.

Here’s the moment I captured on my iPhone. Be sure to turn up the sound. The music is what made this experience so special.

The Perfect Ending to a Christmas Market Journey

After visiting Christmas markets along the Danube, Prague was a wonderful place to finish the trip. Its historic square, festive atmosphere, and that unexpected musical moment gave me one more Christmas memory to bring home.

Sometimes it’s the experiences you haven’t planned that become the most memorable.

More From My Christmas Markets Journey

Prague was the final stop on my 2018 Christmas market journey. If you’d like to follow the trip from the beginning, you can read about my time in Vienna, life aboard the AmaWaterways river cruise, and the Christmas markets we visited along the Danube.