Has anyone been in Prague at Christmas? If so do you have any advice, things I shouldn't miss etc. I would particularly like to know if everything closes down, not just on Xmas day but at other times. Any advice gratefully received.

Sorry, I can't help you with Xmas. Prague is a beautiful city with a lot of charm. I would bet that you could find a lot of musical presentations. I would love to hear about your experiances when you return. <BR>Maybe topping this will catch someones attention who has more knowledge than I. <BR>

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david: the christmas craft market in old town square is a nice place to pick up some presents (handicrafts, etc.) and the local churches always do some kind of christmas music (check the prague post for possibilities) <BR> also, for many czechs the real start of the holiday is dec. 6th (called "mikulase", after st. nicholas). it's kind of a cross between christmas and halloween -- kids dressing up and "trick-or-treating". if you can find a local neighborhood celebration (an elementary school might not be a bad place to start), take it in! <BR> finally (although a bit gruesome), take in the carp vendors selling the traditional fishy christmas meal out of large barrels -- for a fee, they'll gut it for you!

There are no special public celebrations in the Czech Republic at X-mas time, religion was sort-of banned during Communism and people haven't recovered yet. But, let's say there's more Christmas atmosphere in Prague any time of the year than anywhere else at Christmas time: snow, cozy/warm places, concerts - for these, read the posters on the street or go to the bigger theaters; just beware of the (many)tourist traps. Everything is pretty much open, even on X-mas and New Year's days! Ocasionally, you'll find some restaurants with special supper around midnight. One more tip: try to go to Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad), a 2-hour bus ride from Florenc/Prague: it's an enchanting spa resort with lots of choices to hang around and, again, very Christmas-ish...