The ideal way for me to 'feel' a new city is to walk it flat, and the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town was my starting point on most days. This over-the-top timepiece has been ticking since 1490 and attracts throngs of tourists with its slightly overrated hourly procession of carved saints.

The Old Town Square, where the clock is located, is a large, vibey space with the impressive Jan Hus Memorial sculpture as its hub. Surrounding the square is an assembly of great architecture and the St. Nicholas Church and Tyn Church with its eerie blackened towers are the most prominent.

A feat of Gothic engineering

When leaving the area, a labyrinth of quaint cobblestone streets opens up and showcases superbly preserved buildings designed in Roman, Baroque, Renaissance, Art Nouveau and Cubist architecture. It seems that every building, whether simple or grand, boasts a fresco, mosaic, painting or statue, and the detail of it all is astounding.

The magnificent Charles Bridge is a feat of Gothic engineering. It was built in 1357 with 16 massive sandstone arches and 75 statues and sculptures lining the way from the Old Town to Lesser Town. It really is a medieval marvel and one of several bridges that span the broad Vtlava River.

Strolling over it to the opposite bank, we headed up the lovely Nerudova Street, the main walking lane that leads to the spectacular Prague Castle — spread over 70 000m² it's the largest castle complex in the world. With its beautifully kept gardens, palaces, churches, Golden Lane and the austere St. Vitus’ Cathedral, the star attraction, it is without a doubt the Czech Republic’s most significant monument.

Frank Gehry's 'dancing building'

From the castle precinct, we walked downhill past the ostentatious Wallenstein, Prague’s biggest palace, with gorgeous roof paintings and statue gardens, and the somewhat macabre dripstone stalactite wall feature. Going back across the river via the Mánes Bridge, tea at the chic café in the Rudolfinum on Jana Palacha Square was a very colonial affair.

The Rudolfinum is home to the Prague Philharmonic and it’s trés fabulous to sip one’s Earl Grey to strains of Vivaldi and Dvôrak. Talking of tea, anyone visiting Prague must indulge at one of its many grand cafés such as the Municipal House with its exceptional art nouveau interior, or my favourite, the Grand Café Orient in the cubist style House of the Black Madonna.

A walk alongside the river with its pretty barges and swans is very picturesque and ultimately leads to Frank Gehry’s contemporary Dancing House in the New Town; also known as the 'Ginger and Fred' building after Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. Between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays, the public is allowed onto the roof deck for a sweeping view of the city up the river towards the Castle and Old Town.

The nearby Globe Café and Bookshop is perfect to catch up on emails over for a latté or cup of rooibos (seriously), before going back up towards Josefov, the old Jewish Quarter in the Old Town. Make a turn en route at the Big Ben Bookshop in the Old Town, and say hello to Renee, the Capetonian owner.

It’s well worth spending a few hours in Josefov, now an upmarket shopping destination, with Pariska Street resembling a mini Champs Elysee. Originally a Jewish ghetto dating back to the 12th century, it is steeped in a highly emotional heritage and incorporates the Old Jewish Cemetery and several synagogues like the Pinkas and the Spanish Synagogue, the latter situated next to the statue of Franz Kafka.

Page 2: Wenceslas Square, Czech food, and off to Budapest

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