12 Things to Do in Prague in November
With Christmas just around the corner, Prague in the month of November offers a festive and fun-filled scene. Packed with music, national festivities, circus acts and good cinema, you'll be short of time to do so much!
Snow-covered city roofs in Prague. | ©Wojtek Witkowski
November is a fantastic month to visit the beautiful city of Prague, with the arrival of the cold weather the indoor activities increase and you will find recurring music and dance festivals, circus performers, and good cinema designed for the entertainment of locals and tourists. In addition, you can enjoy the first vestiges of Christmas celebrations. When planning your holidays, take inspiration from this list to make sure you don't miss anything important.
1. In November, join the St. Martin's Day celebrations.
St. Martin of Tours Day is celebrated in Prague on 11 November. The most fun at the St. Martin's Day celebrations are the children who make colourful lanterns with their own hands and participate in the lantern processions while singing songs.
Some of the highlights of the St. Martin's Day celebrations include watching the lantern procession, attending creative workshops if you are coming to Prague with children, attending traditional roast goose tastings and drinking young wine. For more information on what to eat in Prague I recommend you to read our post where you will see what are the best dishes of Czech gastronomy.
Lantern paradesare organised in many neighbourhoods of Prague. The activities and parades that take place in Riegrovy sady Park and Vyšehrad Fortress are especially beautiful.
Tasting eventsEating roast goose is a tradition on St. Martin's Day, so you will find a variety of food and drink tasting events in Prague. Although they may vary from year to year, the most traditional ones are held at the following locations:
- Jiriho z Podebrad Square
- Kubáň Farmers' Market
- Smichov Promenade
2. Follow in the footsteps of the Prague Lanternman
From 28 November until the day before Christmas, you can witness a very peculiar and beautiful ceremony in Prague: the illumination of the Charles Bridge and the lanterns of the Stare Mesto. The Charles Bridge is the only bridge in the world that still uses the gas lamp system for its illumination. Although the bridge is illuminated by an automatic system, with the arrival of Christmas in Prague the manual lighting ceremony begins.
This consists of the city lamplighter, historically the tallest citizen of Prague, walking around with a torch in his hand and lighting the lights one by one. If you happen to be in Prague these days, this beautiful ceremony is not to be missed.
Where it takes place
It starts at Křižovnické náměstí square, passes through the Old Town and crosses the entire Charles Bridge, lighting the lights. The lamplighter will return to the starting point where the last light of the tour is switched on.
3. Take a tour of Prague's historic cafes
November is the best month to take a tour of Prague and explore the city's famous historic cafes, of which there are quite a few. When the city was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Prague was home to intellectuals and important figures who changed the course of history. These figures used the beautiful Czech cafés as a meeting place and many of them not only discussed the issues that would shape the nation but also rewrote history.
Where to go
Known in Prague as "Grand Café Houses", these venues can be found all over the city. Below is a list of the most prominent ones, I recommend you include them in your itinerary along with the best things to do in Prague.
- Kavárna Slavia The oldest café in Prague, as well as offering fabulous views of the city of Prague, Charles Bridge and Prague Castle, when you visit this place you are likely to come across Czech opera singers and actors performing. Top of the menu: chocolate, coffee or hot cider in winter.
- Café Savoy Its high ceiling decorated in the purest Renaissance style is an impressive 7 metres high, resulting in one of the most beautiful interiors you will ever see in a city café. Prague locals head to Café Savoy for a hot cup of coffee and a delicious ořechový dort (hazelnut cake).
- Café Louvre Known as the centre of the intelligentsia, it is one of the most famous for being a space that served as a working office for intellectuals such as Albert Einstein and Franz Kafka. Can you imagine sitting at the same table where "The Metamorphosis" was written? If you go to the Café Louvre, accompany your hot drink with its famous cheesecake served with peaches.
4. Jazz it up! With the Prague International Jazz Festival
Prague is undoubtedly the best place in the whole of the Czech Republic to enjoy this genre of music. Scattered throughout the city you will find several renowned clubs, and if you want, you can book a pub crawl through Prague. In addition, the Prague International Jazz Festival is held every autumn and the festival performances usually start on 30 September and last for more than 30 days until 5 or 10 November.
It was established in 1964, making it one of the oldest festivals not only in Prague but in the whole of Europe. Over the years, jazz music has been closely linked to the history of Czechoslovakia itself; during the dark days of communism, jazz symbolised the personal and artistic freedom of an entire nation.
Where it takes place
Every year the Festival borrows the stages of the famous Reduta Jazz Club and Lucerna Music Bar. Throughout its history it has featured the likes of BB King, Big Joe Tunner, Duke Ellintong and many more.
How to buy tickets
You can view the calendar and performance dates on the official Reduta Jazz Club website
5. Strings of Autumn
During the first days of November it is possible to enjoy the last performances of the famous Strings of Autumn festival. Founded in 1996, it is a unique music festival that combines on stage various artistic styles ranging from jazz to classical music and experimental rhythms.
Throughout the festival different concerts are held on a different schedule each year; to better program the large number of performances the organisers have divided the programme of presentations into three main focuses: Inspiration, Crossover, and Luminaries.
Where it takes place
In its first eight years the event was almost entirely sponsored by the government, so the concert was held at the Castle. It's best to check the official Strings of Autumn website to keep an eye on the performance schedule before your travel date.
6. Join the cultural party to celebrate the Velvet Revolution
Prague commemorates the day of the Velvet Revolution on 17 November. All over the country, and especially in Prague, various commemorations take place in the form of cultural events that aim to educate about this historical event on the one hand, and on the other hand, to analyse the current situation and critically evaluate the privileges and freedoms of our societies today. You will also find free exhibitions inmany of the city's major museums.
Where it takes place
- Korzo Národní: In the area around Národní třída the whole area is transformed into a large gallery of audio-visual installations and light shows. You can also walk through the many street exhibitions to learn about the period of communism, and you can even book a tour of communism in Prague which includes tickets to the nuclear bunker.
- Free museums: In addition to the open-air exhibitions you'll find all over the city, especially in areas such as Wenceslas Square and Prague Castle, many Prague museums are joining in the celebration by opening their doors to the public for free or at a reduced rate. Historically the venues offering this open day are: The National Gallery of Prague and the National Museum of Prague.
How to buy tickets
The events will be mostly free of charge, you will not need tickets for the event.
7. Take a sightseeing bus tour of Prague
How about getting to know Prague by taking a full-day tour on a tourist bus? The idea is that you won't miss any detail of the city and you won't be cold. Winter in Prague can be a bit harsh, with snowfalls during this time of year, so booking a sightseeing bus tour will prevent bad weather from ruining your trip.
Plus, this experience is super complete as it includes a 3-course lunch and a cruise on the Vltava River.
Where the tour takes place
The tour will pick you up from your hotel and the tour lasts about 7 hours. You will visit all the most emblematic places in Prague: walking around the exterior of Prague Castle, the Wallenstein Palace and its gardens, the Old Town Square, the Jewish Quarter, and seeing the Powder Tower, the National Theatre, the Jan Palach Memorial and the John Lennon Wall.
How to buy tickets
Tickets for the guided bus tour of Prague can be purchased online and cost around 65 euros.
8. Enjoy a concert in the Mozart Hall with a luxury dinner
And what better way to combat the low temperatures than to attend a concert with a luxury dinner in one of the most emblematic and traditional concert halls in the city? We suggest you book a concert evening in the Mozart Hall with dinner, to enjoy the most famous pieces of the musician performed by two singers and five musicians from Czech opera houses. The concert is divided into 3 parts of about 20 minutes each.
Where the concert takes place
The concert takes place in Prague's Mozart Hall, in the impressive Boccaccio Hall.
How to buy tickets
You can purchase your tickets for the concert in the Mozart Concert Hall with dinner in Prague online in advance. The price is around 89 euros.
9. Come to the Letní Letná circus party!
Founded in 2004, the Letní Letná talent festival brings some of the best circus performers and shows from all over the world to Prague every year. The event starts in mid-October and runs until the first days of November, so if you're visiting Prague around this time, you'll want to make it one of your plans.
The programme of performances includes current productions that seek to enrich the Czech and Central European artistic scene, as one of the main objectives of the festival is to support the new circus in the Czech Republic, contributing to its evolution and growth.
Where it takes place
For the duration of the event, the circus artists have used the large Letná Park on the banks of the Vltava River as a stage.
How to buy tickets
You can buy your tickets directly from the official Letní Letná website
10. Italian cinema comes to Prague with the Mittel CinemaFest
The biggest promotional event for Italian cinema tours Central Europe every year from the first days of November to the first days of December. The cities of Budapest, Bratislava and Prague are toured for a week to showcase the latest cinema releases from Italy. Since Prague is the last city on the tour, the dates of the presentations are usually scheduled for mid to late November. In addition to Prague, other Czech cities such as Brno and Ostrava are included.
The festival began in 2005, and on the website of FILMITALIA, an organisation dedicated to the international promotion of Italian cinema, it is possible to see the history of the event with many productions that have been shown over the years.
Where it takes place
The event takes place at the Kino Lucerna, considered to be the most important venue for Prague's film culture.
How to buy tickets
You can purchase tickets and view the schedule of the screenings directly on the Czech Mittel CinemaFest website
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11. Attend the opening of Prague's Christmas Markets
In the last days of November the traditional and magical Christmas markets arrive in Prague. If you're in town for the holidays, don't miss the opportunity to enjoy this beautiful place where you'll find a wide selection of Christmas gifts, including hats, winter scarves, handmade local crafts, Christmas tree decorations, candles and aromatic soaps with seasonal scents, and much more.
The market will also be full of traditional Czech snacks, hot winter drinks and all kinds of knick-knacks.
Where it takes place
Christmas markets are very common and traditional in Prague. Wooden chalets decorated with glitter and lights are set up all over the city. Here are the most beautiful traditional locations and opening dates to help you organise your schedule.
- Christmas market on the Old Town Square in Staré Mesto. Starts on 26 November, open to the public every day.
- Republic Square Christmas Market in Josefov. Starts on 25 November, open to the public every day.
- Wenceslas Square Christmas Market in Nove Mesto. Starts on 27 November, open to the public every day.
- Christmas Market on Peace Square in Nove Mesto. First to open on 20 November, open daily.
How to buy tickets
The markets are free events with free admission and free entry to the public.
12. Take a ride on the Prague Christmas Tram
To continue to get in tune with the Christmas season in Prague you can choose to ride the Christmas tram. From the last week of November until the first week of January, a tram decorated with hundreds of Christmas lights runs through the city. It is an ideal way to get away from the cold winter weather and take a ride around the city while admiring Prague's historic buildings in the winter landscape. The route takes you from the centre of Stare Mesto to Prague Castle.
Where it takes place
You can take the route 02 and route 22 of the Prague Tramway; route 22 is the most touristy line in the whole city as it runs all the way from the Hradčany area to Prague Castle.
How to buy tickets
You'll need to buy your tram tickets; a single ticket costs approximately €1.30, while a three-day ticket costs an average of €13.50 and you can ride the tram as much as you like. When planning routes, it's a good idea to have a map of the routes to hand.
Prague in November: How to handle the weather and what to wear in November
As autumn bids farewell to November and winter greets us around the corner, temperatures drop significantly. With an average high of 9°C and a low of 1°C , there may even be some snowfall during the month. Rainfall is also slightly higher than in October. In terms of hours of sunshine, expect only about 8 hours on average on the clearest days.
If you're visiting Prague in November, get your cold weather clothes out of the wardrobe and be well prepared. Bear in mind that you will be spending a long time wandering the streets and visiting monuments, so prioritise comfortable footwear such as warm boots; add a warm hat, a scarf to protect you from the old man and of course a thick coat!
Prague in November: tourist crowds
November is the low tourist season in Prague, the ideal time for travellers on a budget or looking to save a few euros as it's easier to get discounted accommodation. The cafes and museums, usually crowded with tourists in June or July, can once again be enjoyed without the discomfort of crowds.