Prague
Prague is one of those cities which looks good at any time of year. Its jagged medieval skyline impresses in the depths of winter, when the trees are bare and the light pale, as much as it sparkles in the summer sun. Even in the pouring rain the cobbled streets which doubled as Paris in the 1998 film of Les Miserables glisten romantically.
By day the Czech capital wears a cheerful face. The streets bustle with tourist-filled trams, Porsche Cayennes and rusty bicycles, and the numerous well-preserved Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings fall straight from the pages of a fairytale.
By nightfall, a more forbidding side of the Bohemian city emerges. The magnificent St Vitus Cathedral illuminates the surrounding hilltop enclave of Prague Castle. On Charles Bridge, which crosses the River Vltava, 31 stone saints stand guard in the gloom watching with sinister expressions as people wander past.
In the last 15 years Prague has successfully shaken off the shackles of its communist legacy and the subsequent stag party following and become a rival to Paris and Barcelona for city-break chic. It may not have the Michelin-starred restaurants of the French capital or the after-hours stamina of the Catalan port but it can match either city for architectural beauty, political dramas and cultural heritage. It’s better value for money too.
Useful links
Official Prague Website
Added 2007/12/18 @ 21:56:47
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