Czech Republic

Prague

One reader raved: "If you can only visit one city in Europe, Prague should be it." There is "music that permeates the atmosphere and wonderful cuisines, served by gracious people." In this "adult Disneyland," expect to see "fairytale architecture, horse-drawn carriages, winding brick street, majestic castles and swans providing an enchanting setting for tourists in the capital."

Travel back 1,000 years at Prague Castle

Prague Castle dominates the city’s skyline, its jumble of styles and influences perfectly illustrating the shifting demands of its occupants and conquerors over the last millennium. At the centre of the castle, its dramatic Gothic spires and flying buttresses visible from everywhere in town, is the imposing St Vitus’s Cathedral; even the most jaded of visitors will be given pause by its grandeur. Other highlights within the castle complex include the Old Royal Palace, which has excellent historic and architectural displays; Basiica of St George; the Lobkowicz Palace, which now has a fully fledged museum, with the city's best restaurant vistas; and Villa Richter, the scene of many cultural events, including Jazz at the Castle.

Jump off a bridge

From  June to September KI Bungee Jump have been doing brisk business in pitching otherwise rational weekend vistors off Zvikovské podhradí, a bridge high over the Vltava valley. Expect to pay 900-1,000 Kč per jump, and be sure to book ahead.

Marvel at the puppet masters

Puppet shows are not just for children in Prague. The art of puppetry has a long and sometimes subversive history in the Czech Rebublic. Although much puppet theatre is aimed at tourists, high-quality Czech puppeteers and productions appear frequently. Catch a show at the lively and progressive Divadlo Minor, or buy a puppet for yourself at Truhlář Marionety.

Explore an existentialist's mind

Standing just outside the Spanish Synagogue is a surreal bronze statue of Kafka depicted as a gnomish figure riding on the shoulders of a headless, handless, footless giant with a striking resemblance to the Golem of Prague.
Only erected in 2004, it's a sign of Prague's ambivalent attitude to Kafka. Born in Prague he wrote in German and has never been entirely accepted by Czechs as one of their own. However, that hasn't stopped a small industry of cafés and restaurants around his old neighbourhood in the tourist-saturated Jewish quarter of Josefov from cashing in on his name.