U Krale Karla

The Czechs regard their locally produced beers as a national treasure. 'If Czech beer is the best in the world,' ask many visitors to Prague, 'what's the best beer in the Czech Republic?' The answer isn't as straightforward as you might hope or expect. The most popular beer here is Gambrinus. However, it's not universally recognised as the best. Kozel's Medium, a pale lager, won the prize for the best Czech beer at the Research Institute of Brewing & Malting awards in 2008. Many locals, meanwhile, claim that Pilsner Urquell is the best of the bunch, with Czechs from Pilsen insisting that the water quality in their home city means that their pilsner is superior to those produced anywhere else in the country.

Inevitably, Prague is home to a number of bars that specialise in beer, offering a huge variety or a carefully chosen selection of top-notch brews.

The Astronomical Clock has been ticking and pulling in the crowds since 1490, although its party trick is laughably unspectacular. Every hour on the hour, from 8am to 8pm, wooden saints emerge from trap doors, while below them, a lesson in medieval morality is enacted by Greed, Vanity, Death and the Turk.

However look a little longer and try and figure out the complicated zodiac figures on the clock's face, reputedly there are some occult mysteries encoded in them.

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; Basilica 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.