One of the most picturesque cities in Europe, Prague is sometimes called The City of One Hundred Spires, and on a recent visit there I could see why. The city is full of beautiful old churches and Cathedrals.

Built in a broad valley along the banks of the River Vltava and on the surrounding hills, the river has many bridges, of which the most famous is the Charles Bridge. The traditional heart of the city is the cobbled Old Town Square, which is where we stayed in a quaint hotel. Dominating the entire city is Hradschin Castle, formerly the home of the kings of Bohemia, and now the residence of the President of the Czech Republic. Next to it is the Gothic-style Cathedral of St Vitus, which contains the tombs of many Bohemian kings. One of the most striking things about the city is its cleanliness.

How refreshing to walk down a cobbled street and not be tripped up by McDonald wrappers, cigarette butts and discarded chewing gum. Similarly, the hospitality was of a high standard. Every restaurant and bar we frequented, we received warm welcomes and plenty of helpful advice on places to visit. After visiting the beautiful Cathedral of St Vitus, we decided to enter the Torture Museum. Probably not a good idea after a night of sampling Prague's cheap local beer.

Apart from our penchant for littering, Dublin's exorbitant food and drink prices are the shame of Europe. Not that this is a new revelation– but it is fully appreciated when you find yourself in a new city with enough money to spend on visiting places of interest. If there was any downside to the trip, it had to be the weather.

We landed in thick snow, which was festive and pretty but when it turned to slush, it made the cobble stones treacherous to walk on. As well as this, it was freezing as temperatures had reached below zero at night. A walk around the city meant a lot of pit stops along the way, just to keep warm. The food was traditionally beef ghoulash and dumplings and according to the more adventurous eaters, it was most delicious. But most places offered a typical European menu.

The language barrier was a bit of a problem as we found that a lot of Czechs didn't have very much English. One of the most magical aspects of the Old Town was the number of handcrafted toy shops that dotted its streets. The toys were an array of babushkas and marionettes and at times it felt you had wandered onto the set of Pinnochio.

For the more sophisticated shopper, there was the usual high-brow branded stores like Prada and Louis Vuitton. As we had travelled there midweek, we did not meet one stag or hen party. Prague is typically renowned for attracting such parties.

If you are looking to go somewhere clean, rustic and cheap, I would advise you to visit Prague. It really is one of Europe's most beautiful cities. Main picture: Hradschin Castle in Prague. You can also do numerous tours such as the Skoda factory, pictured.