The last surviving medieval market street in the Old Town, trading since 1232, now half fruit and vegetables for locals and half souvenirs for everybody else.
Since 1232
Havelské Město — the Gall Town — was laid out in 1232 as a German merchant settlement inside the Old Town, and its market street has traded continuously since. It is the only medieval market in Prague still doing what it was built for.
The street is long and narrow with arcaded houses on both sides, and the stalls run down the middle.
What is sold
Two halves, and they serve different people.
The eastern end is a genuine produce market: fruit and vegetables, herbs, mushrooms in autumn, honey, and flowers. Prices are ordinary Prague prices and the customers are ordinary Praguers.
The western end is souvenirs: wooden toys, marionettes, matryoshka dolls that have nothing to do with Czech culture, garnet jewellery of variable authenticity, and glass.
What is worth buying in Prague
Bohemian glass and crystal, which is a genuine local industry with several centuries behind it. Buy from an established shop rather than a market stall; Moser is the top of the market and there are good mid-range makers.
Garnets — Czech garnet is a specific small deep-red stone with protected designation. A great deal of what is sold as garnet is not. Buy from a jeweller with certification.
Wooden toys and marionettes — puppetry is a real Czech tradition, and the difference between a hand-carved marionette from a workshop and a factory one on a market stall is obvious and reflected in the price.
Beer and Becherovka, from a supermarket rather than a souvenir shop.
Books and prints from the antiquarian shops around the Old Town.
Where to shop instead
Náplavka farmers’ market on Saturdays for food — see its own entry.
Jiřího z Poděbrad market in Vinohrady, a daily local market with none of the tourist trade.
Holešovice Market (Pražská tržnice) in Holešovice, a large complex of halls with food, a Vietnamese section that is genuinely worth the trip, and design studios.
Palladium and Nový Smíchov for ordinary chain shopping.
Pařížská for luxury brands, in the Jewish Quarter.
Practical
Open daily, roughly from morning to early evening, shorter on Sundays.
Cash is easier than card at the produce stalls.
Watch for the currency exchange booths in this area advertising 0% commission — the rate is where the money is made. Use a bank ATM.