Self-Launched Iconic Christmas Markets: Prague to Budapest

Land at Václav Havel Airport (PRG) and take bus 119 or the Airport Express to the city centre (about £1.50–£4). Check into a hostel or budget hotel in Vinohrady, Žižkov or near Old Town. Spend the evening getting your bearings: walk to Old Town Square, where the Christmas market is already glowing under the Astronomical Clock, grab a cup of svařák (mulled wine, ~£2) and a trdelník, and sort your train/bus tickets for the week online.

🚌Airport Express bus or bus 119 + metro to centre (~£1.50–£4)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Prague centre (£18–£30)

• →Evening walk through Old Town Square Christmas market
• →Astronomical Clock at night
• →Buy intercity tickets online (RegioJet/FlixBus)

Morning self-guided walk of the historic centre: Old Town Square, Wenceslas Square and Náměstí Míru markets, all free to wander and full of hand-carved toys and glass ornaments. In the afternoon, join a small-group Czech cooking class — options include Airbnb Experiences and local cookery schools in Prague 2/3 (£45–£65), where you'll make svíčková or goulash and eat it with the group. Alternatively, a self-guided food tour of the market stalls costs a fraction of the price.

🚌Walking; trams for longer hops (~£1.20 per 30-min ticket)

🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel in Prague centre (£18–£30)

• →Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square Christmas markets
• →Czech cooking class (Airbnb Experiences / local cookery school)
• →Charles Bridge at dusk

Take a morning RegioJet or FlixBus from Prague's Na Knížecí station to Český Krumlov (~2h 45m, £8–£12); trains via České Budějovice also work. Drop bags at a guesthouse inside or just outside the old town, then walk the medieval lanes and the castle viewpoint over the Vltava bend. The main-square Christmas market is small but atmospheric — mulled wine, roasted chestnuts, choral music. Evening free to warm up in a traditional tavern.

🚌RegioJet/FlixBus Prague–Český Krumlov (~£8–£12)

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in/near old town (£20–£32)

• →Český Krumlov castle viewpoint
• →Main square Christmas market
• →Old town walking loop

Bus back to České Budějovice or Prague, then a train or FlixBus onward to Bratislava (total ~5–6 hours, £18–£28 if booked ahead). Check into a hostel or budget hotel near the old town. Late afternoon: walk the pedestrianised Old Town — Michael's Gate, the bronze statues, Hlavné námestie — and end at Hviezdoslav Square's Christmas market for lokše (potato pancakes, ~£3) and roasted chestnuts.

🚌Bus/train combination to Bratislava (~£18–£28)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Bratislava old town (£16–£26)

• →Bratislava Old Town self-guided walk
• →Hviezdoslav Square Christmas market
• →Taste lokše and bratislavské rožky

Take the regional train or RegioJet from Bratislava to Vienna (~1h 10m, £8–£14 return if booked in advance). Walk the Ringstrasse past the Spanish Riding School and Hofburg to St. Stephen's Cathedral, browse the Stephansplatz stalls, then head to the Rathausplatz market in front of the floodlit City Hall — the biggest and best in the city. Grab a schnitzel lunch in a neighbourhood Beisl (£12–£16) rather than a tourist-square restaurant, then take an evening train back to Bratislava.

🚌Bratislava–Vienna regional train or RegioJet return (~£8–£14)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel near Bratislava old town (£16–£26)

• →St. Stephen's Cathedral and Stephansplatz market
• →Rathausplatz Christmas market
• →Ringstrasse walk
• →Classic Wiener schnitzel lunch

Take the train or FlixBus from Bratislava to Budapest Keleti (~2h 30m, £10–£16). Check in around District VII (Jewish Quarter) or District V. Afternoon self-guided walk: Heroes' Square, City Park, then up to Fisherman's Bastion on Castle Hill for the classic Danube panorama. For dinner, book a table at Nem Adom Fel Kávézó (the Never Give Up Café), the social enterprise employing people with disabilities that the original tour supports — it's open to the public. Then wander the Basilica and Vörösmarty Square markets for chimney cake and carols.

🚌Train or FlixBus Bratislava–Budapest (~£10–£16); metro/tram in Budapest (~£1.20 per ticket)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in central Budapest (£18–£30)

• →Heroes' Square and City Park
• →Fisherman's Bastion viewpoint
• →Dinner at Nem Adom Fel Kávézó (social enterprise)
• →St. Stephen's Basilica and Vörösmarty Square Christmas markets

Free morning: ruin bars in District VII, the Great Market Hall, or a dip in the Széchenyi thermal baths (£20–£25 with locker). In the evening, ride the festive Christmas Light Tram along the Danube embankment (a standard BKK ticket, ~£1.20 — lines 2 and 19 are the scenic ones). Then board a Danube dinner cruise booked through GetYourGuide or directly with the operator (£35–£50 including a buffet dinner and a drink), finishing with lit-up views of Parliament and the Chain Bridge.

🚌Walking, tram, metro (~£3 day ticket)

🛏Hostel or budget hotel in central Budapest (£18–£30)

• →Széchenyi thermal baths (optional)
• →Great Market Hall
• →Christmas Light Tram ride
• →Danube dinner cruise

Check out and head to Ferenc Liszt Airport via the 100E airport bus (£2.50) or a shared shuttle. If your flight is later, squeeze in one last market visit for gifts before you go.

🚌100E airport bus or shared shuttle (~£2.50–£8)

🛏N/A

• →Last-minute market shopping