Prague is the best-preserved historic capital of Europe. It is also one of the most beautiful and full of character that is resembles a scene from a fairytale. Views everywhere, from hills, balconies, church towers and domes look out over the city of 100 spires. At ground level, squares both grand and intimate are interconnected by a pedestrainised labyrinth of meandering, medieval streets, cobbled alleys, arcades and covered passageways. The pastel-painted buildings jostle for attention, many of them sculpted with crests and statues, or hung with painted wrought-iron signs, inviting the visitor to enter. Prague survived the two World Wars relatively unscathed and was too cash-strapped for modernisation during the subsequent Communist era. The people overthrew the Communist era with the ‘Velvet Revolution’ in 1989. Since then, Prague has become one of the world’s favourite travel destinations and has spruced itself up.

Running through the centre is the Vltava (or Moldau). To the east is the Stare Mesto (old town) and to the west is Mala Strana (Little Side, or Lesser town) and Hradcany (Castle district). The banks of the river are knitted together by a series of arched bridges, the oldest and loveliest of which is the most famous Charles Bridge, adorned by 30 life-sized statues of the saints that line the parapets. Today the bridge is a crowded walkway, busy with street musicians, souvenir sellers and portrait artists. Come here in the middle of the night or during the wee hours of the morning to avoid the crowds.

Prague Castle provides a majestic backdrop to the city, crowned by the splendid Gothic cathedral of St Vitus, the country’s most sacred church. The cathedral took 600 years to build and has accumulated treasures across the span of time. Mala Strana is the upmarket part of town, the embassy district, but still higgledy-piggledy. It contains the lavish Church of Nicholas, a Baroque masterpiece of frothy gilding, undulating balustrades and hosts of sculpture and is covered with trompe l’oeil paintings. There is music everywhere in Prague, and this church which is now used as a concert hall, provides an unparalleled setting.

Over the river in Stare Mesto, Old Town square provides an elegant masterpiece, with pastel-shaded facades of all eras, from Baroque to Art Nouveau, overlooked by the twin, black spires of the Tyn Church. Pavement tables of restaurants and cafes spill out from the arcades and beneath awnings. Every hour, crowds gather at the Old Town to watch the striking of the Astronomical Clock. It dates back from 1410 and has two large dials that show the time, phases of the moon, position of the sun and months of the farming year. Come visit Prague during Christmas and be enchanted by the Christmas markets selling hot food and drinks to warm the soul. Lastly, never leave Prague without trying Czech beer, the best in the world in my opinion.