You can check in, but you can't Czech out
Western travel in the Czech Republic is comparatively new. Democratic since the "Velvet Revolution" of 1989, its capital, Prague, was once something of a traveller's secret, with breathtaking medieval buildings, handsome residents, and beer cheaper than cola. Today, one of Europe's most picturesque cities is also one of its most visited. It comes as no surprise that the country that gave the world Pilsner and the original Budweiser (and Dvorak and Kafka, too) is also the world's highest per-capita beer drinkers in the world (160 litres a year). Whether you're in a trendy café in Prague or a tilting a pint with villagers in Moravia, this is the place to develop a taste for the golden brew.