Havel's Market

This open-air market has been operating since 1232 — that's nearly eight hundred years of continuous trading on the same street. Havel's Market is one of the oldest permanent markets in Europe, predating the founding of most European nations. When it started, the Holy Roman Empire was in full swing, the Crusades were still happening, and Prague was establishing itself as one of the great trading cities of Central Europe.

The market was originally known as the St. Gall's Market, named after a nearby church. It sits on Havelska street, a narrow lane between Old Town Square and the Estates Theatre, and has operated without interruption through floods, fires, wars, occupations, and regime changes. The communist government tried to shut it down in the 1950s but gave up — some things are apparently older than ideology.

Today the market runs daily and sells two things: seasonal fruit, vegetables, and flowers on one end; tourist souvenirs and crafts on the other. The produce side is the interesting bit — Czech farmers sell fresh herbs, wild mushrooms in season, honey, dried fruit, and garlic braids alongside bins of seasonal berries and stone fruit. The prices are reasonable by Prague standards, and the quality is genuine.

Come in the morning for the best selection. The flower vendors are particularly good — Czech grandmothers buying modest bouquets of seasonal flowers is one of Prague's most underrated street scenes. In December, the market becomes a smaller, less chaotic alternative to the Old Town Square Christmas market.