Prague Winter Guide: Staroměstské náměstí

Prague doesn't do winter halfway. When the light fades over Bohemia, Staroměstské náměstí stops being just another square and turns into something darker and colder. You're standing in an open-air museum. Massive Gothic spires of the Church of Our Lady before Týn cut into the grey sky like black knives. Next to them, the Goltz-Kinský Palace adds a splash of pink to the gloom. It's cold. Really cold.

But then the markets arrive. Every year, they haul a massive spruce tree from the mountains and light it up. It anchors a maze of wooden huts. You'll smell the woodsmoke before you see the grills. Grab a cup of svařák. It's hot, spiced wine that tastes like cinnamon and survival. You can watch blacksmiths pound iron or buy local lace. The air stays thick with the sweet smell of trdelník baking on spits. It gets crowded on December weekends. Be patient. The reward is a view from the Old Town Hall tower. Look down at the red roofs dusted in white. Worth every forint. You'll feel the history of the place once the sun goes down and the bells ring out across the ice.