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W e’re on a quest. We’re strolling around Prague’s Old Town (Staré Mesto), mouths agape at the Gothic arches,

and we can’t seem to leave. We walk as far as the glorious medieval Charles Bridge, with the castle lit up behind it. We slip down a cobbled path studded with handmade-jewellery stalls and we’re back at the Astronomical Clock in the Old Town Square, which tells us the current zodiac sign. Czech kings were a superstitious bunch, and I begin to think that there really is a mystical force pulling us towards the synagogues, spires and bars. The clock tells us firstly, that we are in Gemini and secondly, that it’s dinner time, so we can break free.

BOAR AND BEERGetting lost is a pleasure in Prague. We venture away from the Old Town and stumble upon

PragueCZECH REPUBLIC

weather AVERAGES FOR PRAGUE

KEY: Hours of daylight Average rainfall (mm) *Statistics based on monthly averages Weather information provided by weather2travel.com

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9 10 12 14 15 16 16 14 13 11 9 8

MAX 1 4 9 14 19 23 24 24 20 14 7 3

MIN -4 -3 0 3 8 12 13 12 9 5 1 -2

25 23 30 37 66 70 68 71 43 31 34 26

Discover the bewitching city of

Prague without busting the budget WORDS PHIL TANG

BargainBAG ABAG A

The only astronomical thing in

Prague: the clock in the Old Town

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Bargainlocal pubs, with barely a tourist in sight, though most menus are in English. Czech pubs can be bustling, many-roomed catacombs full of families eating Bohemian-style roasted pheasant, duck, boar and, for vegetarians, dumplings. And it wouldn’t be Czech without a helping of purple sauerkraut (zeli) on the side and a mug of beer at hand. We respond to the bill with: “It only cost that much?” (thanks, non-Eurozone), even if at a fancy restaurant.

MORE TO EXPLOREWe see all of the sights in Prague on foot, and ditch any itinerary, which is fine because ancient churches and galleries tower above us at every turn. The country gave in to the Nazis with barely a fight, sparing the ancient buildings. Some are in beautiful decay; others are oversized gingerbread houses in pastel colours on the Disney side of fairytale.

We find hidden cafés that

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WHEN TO GO Eerie and magical under snow; storybook in summer.GETTING THERE Czech Airlines (czechairlines.co.uk) and EasyJet (easyjet.com).GETTING AROUND. A timed transport ticket is cheap and covers everything, but can’t be bought on trams, so carry an unvalidated one.VISAS South Africans need a Schengen visa.CURRENCY Czech Crown. 1 GBP = 28 CZK.LANGUAGE Czech.GOING OUT A pint of beer costs 20 CZK (about 70p).ACCOMMODATION Dorms cost from £13, while private rooms cost from £75.SEE czechtourism.com.

BEER IT ALL

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SHORT BREAKare cooler and cheaper than anywhere in western Europe. That’s the mystery of Prague – cafés elsewhere with ample empty tables and avant-garde stuffed animals would go bust in a month, but in the Czech capital it works.

TOY TOWNWe hop on an old red-and-white tram just for fun – public transport is government subsidised and very cheap. The tram feels communist in its rumbling determination towards Petrin Hill. We ride the funicular up the slope with the same tram ticket and can’t stop uttering “wow” – Prague looks like a toy-town kingdom.

We dash through the free rose gardens to get to our goal, Petrin Tower. It’s an Eiffel Tower lookalike, though cuter and much cheaper. Czechs visited the Paris World Expo in 1889 and were inspired to build their own mini-Eiffel, and the city is bewitching from the observation deck.

SWEET SMELLSWe pass food stalls and hand over our change for boar on a spit. We smell cinnamon – it’s staroceske trdlo, a corkscrew pastry baked in front of us. Then a bell tolls and a mystical power summons us back to the Old Town. It could be emanating from the surreal Kafka statue … or perhaps that delicious, cheap beer.

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Czechs drink more beer per capita than any other country. Here are a few of their best.

PILSENER URQUELL (PLZENSKY PRAZDROJ)In the mid 1800s, Vienna had trains travel from the Czech town of Plzen to deliver Pilsener beer. Down a mug of this heavy, hoppy beer and you’ll know why.

BUDWEISER BUDVAR (BUDEJOVICKY BUDVAR)Not related to the Bud from the US, Budvar is lighter than Pilsener with a sweet fi nish.

GAMBRINUSGambrinus is named after

a king who had mythical brewing skills, though today the fact that it’s the country’s cheapest beer is the most magical thing about it.

Cheap thrill: take a ride on a tram

Prague at night

AUSTRIA

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