Prague, 1 hôtel

Whether you visit alone in the early morning mist or shoulder your way through the afternoon crowds, crossing Charles Bridge is the quintessential Prague experience. Built in 1357, its 16 elegant arches withstood wheeled traffic for 500-odd years - thanks, legend claims, to eggs mixed into the mortar - until it was made pedestrian - only after WWII. By day, the famous baroque statues stare down with stony indifference on a fascinating parade of buskers, jazz bands and postcard sellers.

A thousand years of history is cradled within the walls of Prague´s hilltop castle, a complex of churches, towers, halls and palaces that is almost a village in its own right. This is the cultural and historical heart of the Czech Republic, comprising not only collections of physical treasures such as the golden reliquaries of St Vitus Treasury and the Bohemian crown jewels, but also the sites of great historic events such as the murder of St Wenceslas and the Second Defenestration of Prague.

Despite the swarms of tourists, crowded pavement cafes and over-the-top commercialism, it is impossible not to enjoy the spectacle of Prague´s premier public space and watch the Old Town Hall´s amazing Astronomical Clock.

Occupying the site of a 10th century Romanesque rotunda built by the Good King Wenceslas of Christmas-carol fame, St Vitus is the heart of Czech Catholicism, and its spires and bell tower are the focus of Prague´s skyline. Commenced in 1344 but not completed until 1929, the cathedral´s soaring Gothic nave is lit by gorgeous stained glass, and is home to the cultural jewels of Chapel of St Wenceslas, the priceless medieval mosaics of the Golden Gate and the magnificent silver tomb of St John of Nepomuk.

Vyšehrad, sometimes referred to as “ Prague’s second castle “ is another of the Czech republic’s fine castles. It was built in the 10th century on a hill over the river Vltava and within the  castle grounds is the Church of St. Paul and St. Peter, as well Vyšehrad cemetery,  the remains of many famous people from Czech History are deposited.