Prague

Straddling the River Vltava, Prague looks much as it did hundreds of years ago: an almost Disneyesque assortment of medieval cobbled streets, ornate baroque detailing, fairytale architecture - and music, which pours out of churches, halls and buskers' instruments.

 After a fill of culture, staying at monastery-turned hotel The Augustine, drive an hour and a half into the countryside to Chateau Mcely, palatial former home of the aristocratic Thurn-Taxis family, now converted into an eco spa and surrounded by forests in which to hike, walk and horse ride.