VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Christmas gets underway in Prague

Christmas markets across Prague officially opened on Saturday, drawing in thousands of residents and tourists to view the festive spectacles. Lights, decorations, and Christmas trees sprung up across the capital’s buildings and streets to welcome the holiday season.

At 5 p.m. on Nov. 26, the tree in Prague’s Old Town Square was lit up to officially commemorate the beginning of Christmas celebrations. Christmas markets also feature in Wenceslas Square, Náměstí Míru, and Náměstí Republiky.

Visitors to the Prague Christmas markets can indulge not only in Czech food and drink – such as trdelník and svařák– but also taste foreign foods such as the Hungarian Lángos.

A special stage lies near the center of Old Town Square to accommodate orchestras and choirs, too. Workshops are also available for children to take part in.

All stalls open as early as 10 a.m. in the morning. Product stalls, serving Czech- and Christmas-related souvenirs, closed at 10 p.m. whereas food stalls are open till midnight.

In a 2022 ranking by CNN, Prague's Christmas markets were voted as being among the best on the planet.

Prague’s Christmas markets will be open every day until Jan. 6 in the new year.

Decorations are not limited to stationary objects, though. Some trams, buses, and even garbage trucks in Prague have been decked in lights to spread the Christmas cheer!