Prague embraces the culture of cool

For a visitor, it's hard to believe it's only 11 years since Prague was released from Communist rule.

The people are indistinguishable from those of any other trendy European city as they sit and chat on sunny terraces with a glass of wine or pitcher of beer, mobile phones just a fingertip away.

My trip to the Czech capital was to celebrate ten years of marriage, but this was no restful, romantic break for my husband, Emmanuel, and me. It was more of a frenzy - a three-day walkabout to soak up as much of this European City of Culture as possible.

Arriving early on Friday morning, we checked into our candy-floss pink hotel near the city centre and re-emerged into brilliant sunshine ready to explore.

We headed for one of the most famous landmarks, the Charles Bridge, named after Charles IV (1346-1378), Czechoslovakia's most famous and progressive king. Charles was educated in France, married to a Frenchwoman and imported French architects to rebuild his native city. Which may possibly explain why Prague looks so, well, French.

It should have taken us no more than 15 minutes to find the bridge... if we hadn't got lost. Yet there's something exciting about losing yourself in a strange city, because it's the best way to discover the little gems that may be off the beaten track. Unfortunately, what we discovered was Tesco. All the magic I had begun to feel was swept away. 'I can do my weekly shop before we get the plane home,' I squealed.

Turning away in haste, we meandered down this road and that, finally coming across picturesque Bethlehem Square and its chapel of the same name. The original Gothic building, dating from 1391, where the religious reformer Jan Hus came to preach, was restored in 1950.

A short walk on and we found the Charles Bridge. Buzzing with craft stalls, its 570 yards of cobbled pedestrian walkway stretch between the Old Town and the Malá Strana. Legend has it that the bridge's longevity is due to the binding power of eggs, which were added to the mortar.

A walk up the hill on this side of the Vltava river took us to the original walled city. Buildings here are outwardly baroque, as elsewhere, but the cores of many of them are much older.

This is Nov? Mesto (New Town), second town of Prague, founded in 1257 to join together the Romanesque settlements that had grown up in the shadow of the castle. There is no longer a castle here; instead, the magnificent St Vitus Cathedral dominates the skyline. The cathedral is worth a half-day trip on its own.

But we moved on and found ourselves in the grounds of the former Strahov Monastery, founded in 1140 by Vladislav II and famous for its library of 900,000 books. As we emerged we were treated to a free concert by a youth group from America in the neighbouring church.

You can hardly walk 50 yards without having a leaflet shoved into your hands for some concert or another - in costume, out of costume, a Dvorak night, a Mozart medley.

Back at the hotel after a good two-course meal and an even better pint or two of beer, all for the princely sum of £7 a head, we fell into bed, exhausted by our day on the march.

Saturday morning and, being a good Jewish girl, I wanted to pray in the Old New Synagogue (the oldest in Europe) in the Jewish Quarter. After sheepishly asking permission of the lads on guard duty, Emmanuel and I walked in.

Men and women don't sit together in orthodox synagogues, so he entered the men's quarter while I went around the back to join the women. Emmanuel got the better view of this impressive Gothic building as the women, hidden behind stone walls, are only able to see via small slots.

Coming back into the sunlight, we headed off down Parizska - that's Paris Street to you and me - a wide tree-lined road with chic shops (Hermes, Yves St Laurent, Dior) and caf?s with very French-looking waiters. Writer Franz Kafka grew up in this Jewish quarter.

From here we joined the throng of people waiting for the midday display of the huge astronomical clock in the main square. On the stroke of twelve we all peered skyward to get a glimpse of the festival of figures that crank their way through a window. It's a display that is supposed to represent time and its relationship with the heavens.

Of course, we had to visit Wenceslas Square - drawn by memories of the TV pictures in November 1989 of the thousands of Czech people piled into it as the Velvet Revolution ended 42 years of Communism.

It was a big disappointment. It is not even a square, but a long boulevard with a central reservation. Here was the tacky side of Prague - fast-food city with KFC, Dunkin' Donuts and the inevitable McDonald's.

However, my lasting memory of the city is not just architecture or excellent beer. It is the smartly dressed, happy-looking people in the streets.

This, to me, was culture and why I felt that Prague deserved its accolade for the year 2000.

Getting there

Tour operators to Prague include British Airways Holidays (0870 2424243), Thomson Breakaway (01233 211808), Sovereign (08702 430635), Cresta (0780 161 0900) and Bridge City Breaks (0870 727 5855). Prices start at around £280 for two nights including B&B, flights and transfers. Flights from regional airports available.