You may not be a fan of classical music but Smetana's Vltava, a symphonic poem named after the river that flows through Prague, sounds completely different if you listen to it in the magnificent setting of Hradčany. This is the location of the famous St Vitus Cathedral and of Prague Castle, once the home of the kings of Bohemia and today the official residence of the president of the Czech Republic.

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In 1920, as the restoration of the castle was beginning, President Masaryk appointed a Slovene, Jože Plečnik, to serve as chief architect. Prague is a city of remarkable architecture. Connoisseurs will spot Gothic, baroque and Renaissance influences, but all visitors take equal pleasure in it. The city is also famous for its golden roofs, which shine particularly brightly in sunny weather. There is never any shortage of lively goings-on in the streets of Prague. The city has many museums and galleries, and its theatres, opera and ballet performances and classical music concerts attract many visitors.

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Prague is also the city of the great writer Franz Kafka and the setting for the carousing of the Good Soldier Švejk of immortal memory. With his adventures in mind, a visit to Prague's beer halls, where they serve what many claim is the best beer in the world, becomes an extra special event.