Prague

Crowning the hill above the Vltava, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle complex in the world and has been the seat of Czech power for over a thousand years — today the office of the president. At its heart soars St Vitus Cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece centuries in the making, with luminous stained glass (including a window by Alphonse Mucha), the bejewelled St Wenceslas Chapel and a tower view over the city. The complex also takes in the Old Royal Palace with its vast Vladislav Hall, the Romanesque St George's Basilica, and the enchanting Golden Lane, a row of tiny, brightly coloured 16th-century cottages (one once rented by Franz Kafka). The changing of the guard takes place at the gates, and the castle gardens and the surrounding Hradčany district, with the Strahov Monastery's spectacular baroque library and the Loreta pilgrimage church, reward a full morning before you descend to the river.

The Charles Bridge is Prague's most beloved landmark — a 14th-century stone bridge lined with thirty baroque saints, linking the Old Town to the Lesser Town beneath the castle. By day it's a bustling promenade of artists and buskers; at dawn it's almost empty and utterly magical, the statues silhouetted against the mist and the spires. On the Old Town side, the narrow medieval lanes lead to the Old Town Square, one of Europe's finest — ringed by the Gothic spires of the Týn Church, pastel baroque palaces and pavement cafés, and dominated by the Old Town Hall's Astronomical Clock (the Orloj), where every hour a crowd gathers to watch the medieval mechanism's parade of apostles. Climb the Old Town Hall tower for the classic rooftop view. The surrounding Old Town is a joy to wander, its lanes opening onto hidden courtyards, churches and the Art Nouveau grandeur of the nearby Municipal House.

Beyond the headline sights, Prague's districts each have their own character. The Jewish Quarter, Josefov, tucked into the Old Town, preserves one of Europe's most important Jewish heritage sites — a cluster of historic synagogues (including the Gothic Old-New Synagogue, Europe's oldest still in use) and the deeply moving Old Jewish Cemetery, its thousands of leaning headstones layered over centuries. Across the river below the castle, the Lesser Town (Malá Strana) is a Baroque jewel of palaces, churches (the green-domed St Nicholas), terraced gardens, the colourful Lennon Wall and the leafy Kampa island. South of the Old Town, the New Town centres on the broad, sloping Wenceslas Square — more boulevard than square, the stage for Czech history and now lined with shops, hotels and the National Museum — while the riverside holds Frank Gehry's curving “Dancing House” and the embankment farmers' markets and bars.

Prague's pleasures are as much about atmosphere as monuments. The Czech Republic's beer culture — why pilsner exists at all, and how it's properly poured — belongs to Czech food and drink as a whole; Prague's own beer-hall culture is a distinct pleasure. The historic U Fleků brewery and countless neighbourhood hostinec serve superb, famously cheap beer alongside hearty Czech cooking: roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut (vepřo-knedlo-zelo), goulash, svíčková and trdelník from the street stalls. The city is also a classical-music capital, with concerts in Baroque churches and the grand Rudolfinum and a Mozart connection (Don Giovanni premiered here), plus a lively café tradition and a growing craft-beer and dining scene. Beyond the city, easy day trips reach Kutná Hora, Český Krumlov and Karlovy Vary.