Prague

I arrived in Prague just as a soft autumn mist was curling off the Vltava River, settling into the opulent Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons Hotel Prague. My private balcony looked straight across the water toward the illuminated silhouette of Prague Castle, glowing like a fortress from a gothic fairytale against the indigo sky.

At 6:30 AM the next morning, I threw on a cashmere wrap and walked down to Charles Bridge before the crowds arrived. The bridge was practically silent save for the cooing of river gulls; the thirty baroque saint statues stood like regal sentinels against the pink dawn. Crossing over into Malá Strana (Lesser Town), I stopped at Café Savoy for a decadent breakfast—soft-boiled eggs in a glass, sourdough with creamy Czech butter, and a delicate hot chocolate infused with cinnamon (450 CZK).

From there, I climbed the historic Nerudova Street up to Prague Castle. Touring the towering St. Vitus Cathedral with a private historian (€140) revealed intricate stained-glass windows designed by Art Nouveau master Alphonse Mucha, which cast pools of ruby and sapphire light across the stone floor. We slipped through Golden Lane, peering into the former house of Franz Kafka before descending the castle stairs for lunch at Villa Richter, perched right in the middle of St. Wenceslas Vineyard with panoramic views over the terracotta rooftops.

My afternoons in Prague were filled with musical and cultural treasures. I secured a private box at the Estates Theatre for an evening production of Mozart's Don Giovanni—the very theatre where Mozart himself conducted its 1787 world premiere. Afterward, I slipped into Hemingway Bar for an exquisitely crafted absinthe drip and vintage rum cocktails (320 CZK). Dinner at La Degustation Bohême Bourgeoise was a revelation: seven courses elevating traditional Czech ingredients into high art, from smoked beef tongue with horseradish to sweet yeast dumplings paired with local Moravian pinot noir. Prague holds a seductive, haunting magic that lingers long after you leave.