Prague

Work on this stone crossing began in 1357, and thirty saints stand along its parapet. By day the press of people slows every step, so many cross it before sunrise instead.

Enlarged since the ninth century, the grounds hold a cathedral, palaces and a lane of tiny craft houses. Tickets are split by section, and walking the courtyards alone needs none.

Built in 1410, and on the hour the apostle figures pass across two windows. The whole procession lasts about forty five seconds, which leaves some of those who waited feeling short changed.

A gothic church with twin spires and baroque palaces enclose a single square. In December wooden huts go up as a market with a tall fir raised in the middle.

Six synagogues and an old burial ground sit within a few short streets. Space ran out in the cemetery, so graves were stacked up to twelve deep and the stones now lean on each other.

On the left bank a funicular calls halfway and then at the summit. The iron tower up there copies the Eiffel, and 299 steps take you to its gallery.

An old fortress on the cliff south of the centre, quiet enough that there is still room to sit on the grass. Beside its church lies the cemetery holding the country's composers and writers.

On the rise north of the river, one spot lines up five bridges one behind another. The beer garden in the park opens for summer only, and people drink standing with the glass in hand.

Finished in 1996, its glass tower pinches inward at the waist. The rooftop bar takes bookings, and the floors below are offices closed to visitors.

A narrow side channel under the bridge cuts off this island, where a mill wheel still turns. Take the steps down from the crowd on the bridge and the noise drops away.

Library of a Premonstratensian monastery founded in 1143, with a Theological and a Philosophical Hall. Shelves rise to painted ceilings, yet visitors only peer in from the doorway. It crowns the hill just west of the castle, a short stroll away.

A pilgrimage site built around a copy of the Holy House of Loreto in Italy. Its 27 tower bells play a Marian hymn on the hour, and the treasury holds a monstrance set with 6,222 diamonds. From the castle, walk past Hradcany Square; it takes 10 minutes.

A boulevard of a square, topped by the National Museum and the St Wenceslas statue on horseback. Hundreds of thousands rallied here in 1989, in the Velvet Revolution. A cross in the paving below honours Jan Palach and Jan Zajic, students who self-immolated.

Art Nouveau landmark completed in 1912 and joined to the Powder Tower. Czechoslovak independence was declared here in 1918. You need a guide to enter Mucha's Mayor's Hall, but the ground-floor cafe shows off the interior to anyone.

Baroque garden of Wallenstein Palace, where the Senate now sits. A lumpy wall like dripstone fills one side, and peacocks wander the lawns. Admission costs nothing; the gates open only April to October.

Young people began painting lyrics and slogans here under the communist regime after Lennon's death in 1980. It stands by Grand Priory Square in Mala Strana, and the Knights of Malta own the wall. New paint covers old within days, so it changes every visit.

A Baroque church whose green dome rises over the Mala Strana roofs. Mozart played its organ in 1787. The bell tower has its own entrance, and in communist times the secret police watched the nearby embassies from its top.

Former Jesuit college at the eastern end of Charles Bridge. Its Baroque library hall, lined with gilded globes, and its astronomical tower open only to guided groups. Weather has been recorded in the tower without a break since 1775.

A 216m broadcast tower whose shafts are climbed by David Cerny's faceless baby sculptures. The 93m viewing deck looks over the side of Prague the Old Town crowds never see. Walking from Jiriho z Podebrad metro station takes 10 minutes.

A theatre built with donations from ordinary Czechs, with the words The Nation to Itself over the stage. It burned right after opening in 1881, was funded again and reopened in 1883. The golden roof shows best from the Legion Bridge side.

Cobbled promenade along the Rasin embankment, on the Vltava's eastern bank. Farmers bring their stalls on Saturday mornings, and boats tied along the edge open as bars and cafes. Summer nights see the embankment packed with people sitting along it.

A memorial on Vitkov hill, where the Hussites beat back a crusader army in 1420. The statue of Jan Zizka out front is among the largest bronze equestrian statues in the world. The roof terrace lines up the towers of the Old Town in one view.

Opened in 1931 on the Troja hillside north of the Vltava. Because the ground climbs so sharply, a chairlift joins the lower and upper sections. Plenty of people combine it with the gardens of Troja Chateau next door.

Gothic castle founded by Charles IV in 1348 for the crown jewels and relics; trains from Prague take some 40 minutes. The Chapel of the Holy Cross, lined with 129 panel paintings, needs its own booked tour. From the station the way climbs through the village.

An 18th-century fortress town the Nazis turned into a Jewish ghetto and camp during the occupation. The Small Fortress served as a Gestapo prison, and the Ghetto Museum hangs drawings by children held there. Buses from Prague Holesovice take about an hour.

David Cerny's portrait of Franz Kafka, whose 42 steel layers turn separately to break up the face and rebuild it. Find it in the square behind the shopping centre beside Narodni trida metro station. Reassembly takes several minutes, so stay put and wait.