• Home
  • Start
    • Directory to Solo Traveler
    • Solo Travel Newbies Guide
    • Destinations for First Solo Trip
    • Get Past First Trip Fear
    • Why Travel Solo?
  • Tips
    • Tips for Solo Travel
    • Solo Female Travel
    • Plan a Solo Trip
    • Choose the Right Tour
    • Solo Travel Destinations
    • Solo Road Trips
    • Solo Travel Safety
    • Save Money Traveling
    • A Solo Point of View
  • Trips/Deals
    • Tours – Searchable
    • All Trips by Advertiser
  • Tracey’s List
  • Stats

Solo Traveler

Solo travel tips, destinations, stories... the source for those who travel alone.

  • Home
  • Start
    • Directory to Solo Traveler
    • Solo Travel Newbies Guide
    • Destinations for First Solo Trip
    • Get Past First Trip Fear
    • Why Travel Solo?
  • Tips
    • Tips for Solo Travel
    • Solo Female Travel
    • Plan a Solo Trip
    • Choose the Right Tour
    • Solo Travel Destinations
    • Solo Road Trips
    • Solo Travel Safety
    • Save Money Traveling
    • A Solo Point of View
  • Trips/Deals
    • Tours – Searchable
    • All Trips by Advertiser
  • Tracey’s List
  • Stats

Sign Up

You are here: Home / Solo Travel Destinations / Europe / Czech Republic / A Solo Christmas in Prague

A Solo Christmas in Prague

December 24, 2009 by Tracey Nesbitt

I have rarely spent the holidays away from home. But one very memorable year, I spent a solo Christmas in Prague.

I rented an apartment a short walk from Wenceslas Square and spent several days wandering around town in the frigid cold. There were lots of beautiful, festive sights to take in, but there were also some not-so-beautiful – though ultimately tasty – traditions to behold.

Prague’s Old Town Square is transformed into a Christmas market around the holidays, with a huge, beautifully lit tree as its centerpiece. About 80 stalls offered up handmade ornaments, knitted scarves, and gifts galore. There were Czech sausages and ham, corn on the cob, sweets, and the lovely wafer cookies for which they are so famous. To wash it all down, and to warm myself up, I stopped for hot chocolate. To my surprise, it was served with a shot of rum. I’m not sure if it was the freezing night air, the sparkly surroundings or the Christmas spirit, but in that moment I was absolutely certain that no better pairing had ever been made!

photo,image, old town square, solo christmas in prague

Prague's Old Town Square at Christmas

By day, strolling along the streets of Prague, a very different Christmas tradition was on display – the Christmas carp. Traditionally served for Christmas dinner on December 24th, the fish can be purchased live from barrels on the street. Some people take them home and keep them alive in the bathtub for a few days before preparing them for dinner. Others have them killed, scaled and gutted right there on the street. As you can imagine, this makes for a bit of a bloody mess in the snow. Not the most festive sight, but if you have the stomach to watch, the fish sellers are amazingly skilled.

photo,image, carp, solo christmas in pragueI was very lucky on this trip to have the opportunity to enjoy Christmas dinner in a Czech home. Along with the carp, which was breaded and fried, potato salad was served, as was a delicious barley dish with dried mushrooms. Interestingly, the Czech carp, much like my Canadian turkey, is really only served at Christmas. Equally interesting, in both cases, many of us are more in love with the idea of the dish, than with the actual dish itself. However, as a tourist, everything was new and exciting and delicious to me.

Back home, I haven’t added carp to my Christmas table, but I highly recommend adding a splash of rum to your hot chocolate. Na zdravi!

Last updated: 25th February, 2018

Trips for Solo Travelers

Travel Insurance for Solo Travelers

Top Categories on Solo Traveler

Solo Female Travel

Road Trips

A Solo Point of View

All Articles

Destinations

Travel Money

Deals

  • Solo Female Travel: Advice from Women Who Know
  • Road Trips: Tips & Itineraries for Solo Travelers
  • Packing for Travel |
  • A Solo Point of View |
  • All Articles
  • Destinations
  • Travel Money

Contact Us

Publisher Janice: info @ solotravelerworld.com

Editor Tracey: tracey @ solotravelerworld.com

Sales Simon: simon @ solotravelerworld.com

Get Solo Travel News & Deals

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise with Solo Traveler
    • Login to Your Advertiser Account
  • Deals
  • Solo Travel Statistics
  • Media & Speaking
  • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
  • Contact
A Proud Member of the Travel Media Association of Canada
RESULTS MAY VARY (THE DISCLAIMER)

The content of Solo Traveler and any resources published by Solo Traveler are meant for entertainment and inspiration only. Please note that while we have advertising clients promoting destinations, products, services, trips and tours on Solo Traveler and that we endeavour to only work with companies in which we have confidence, we are not responsible for the delivery or quality of their products or services. Every person and every travel situation is different. Your safety, satisfaction and fun traveling solo are your responsibility alone and not that of Solo Traveler, its publisher, editor and/or writers.

PRIVACY POLICY & DISCLOSURE: In accordance with FTC guidelines, I disclose that I may be compensated if consumers choose to utilize links located throughout the content on this site. Additionally, some posts might be sponsored to support this site. Please do the appropriate research before participating in any third party offers. All opinions are my own. Please read our full Privacy Policy here.

Copyright © 2025 · Solo Traveler · Site By RTW Labs