Prague

May–June and September–October are the best months: 18–22°C, long evenings, outdoor terraces in full swing, and crowds manageable. July and August are hot and packed with tourists — the Old Town is shoulder-to-shoulder. December is magical: Prague's Christmas markets are among Europe's finest, with glühwein and trdelník in the snow. January–February is the cheapest window, cold (−2–4°C) but atmospheric and almost crowd-free.

Prague's tram network is excellent and the most pleasant way to move around the city. The metro (3 lines) covers longer distances. Night trams run after midnight. Buy a 24-hour or 72-hour pass (about $4/$8) for unlimited tram/metro/bus travel. Walking is viable between Old Town, Malá Strana, and Vinohrady — and is how you discover the hidden courtyards and passages. Uber and Bolt operate and are cheap. Avoid taxi hailing from the street — use apps only.

Czech cuisine is hearty, meat-centred, and underrated: svíčková na smetaně (sirloin in cream sauce with bread dumplings), vepřo-knedlo-zelo (roast pork with dumplings and sauerkraut), and trdelník (chimney cake) at every Christmas market corner. Czech beer is genuinely world-class — Pilsner Urquell invented the pilsner style, Kozel dark is a masterclass, and the local unpasteurised 'tank beer' (tankové pivo) found in traditional pivnice pubs is the finest beer in Central Europe. Budget: you can eat and drink extraordinarily well on $25–30/day.