9AM: Start the day with a latte at a balcony table in Grand Café Orient, the coffeehouse that time forgot, situated in the House of the Black Madonna, a museum and gallery celebrating the Cubist architectural style wrought by Josef Gočár in 1911.

10AM: Look over an antique butterfly brooch from the days of the First Republic at Art Deco Galerie, a rewarding discovery on a quiet Old Town lane where collectors may discover intricate handmade pieces featuring Czech garnets or a mouth-blown tinted vase with an inlaid floral finish.

NOON : Determine planetary hours and sidereal time at Prague’s most celebrated astrolabe, the Orloj, or Astronomical Clock, on the Old Town Hall tower. On the hour until 8pm, a parade of saints rolls by above the intricate clock face, while Death, Vanity, Greed and the Turk wag their heads.

1PM: Let the Dark Ages in as you explore the Gothic triptychs at the Convent of St Agnes (Klášter sv. Anežky České), the National Gallery’s 13th-century venue and the Staré Město district’s oldest intact religious building, built for the pious sister of Wenceslas I.

3PM: Catch the Czech contemporary design wave at SmetanaQ, the city’s most progressive collective of fashionistas, artisan jewellers and interiors mavens. Daring, fresh and not quite like designs from anywhere else.

4PM: Shop for a special relic of Prague’s bad old days at Terryho ponožky, a movie poster shop named after a sock left behind by Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam on a visit to Prague. Czech graphic artists created stunning original versions of posters for Hollywood films and copies of the best are here.

5PM: Find a billiard table in the back room of the historic Café Louvre, where Einstein and Kafka, among others, came to smoke, drink and debate back in the day. While shooting pool, you may well land a movie deal; this is still the place where Prague’s artistes gather to swap ideas.

7PM: Have cocktails in discreet, clubby setting at L’Fleur in Old Town, settling into a quiet corner amid wood paneling away from the sometimes-raucous goings-on in the streets around. The 1920s-style décor and remarkable champagne collection make for an elegant respite.

8PM: Dine on sea bass with parsnip and fennel overlooking the Vltava as it flows under the Charles Bridge at the city’s best-located gourmet dining room, Kampa Park. At Nils Jebens’s flagship, Scandinavian chefs partner with Czech talents to create superb cuisine.

9PM: Surely the city’s coziest cellar jazz bar – and that’s saying a lot in underground-loving Prague – is the well-worn-in American-owned U Malého Glena, a short walk from the Charles Bridge. It’s all but invisible but cognoscenti know the country’s hottest groups try out their new material and inspired standards here nightly.

11PM : Drift back to Old Town for a nightcap at Bokovka, this hidden wine bar located in a quiet courtyard off the party-centric Dlouhá Street boasts a remarkable collection of vintages and is a fave with Prague filmmakers. And if you’re in luck, the upstairs speakeasy 2.patro, may also be open late.

11AM : Catch the art and artisan currents descended from old Bohemia at this contemporary design gallery, set just off touristy Old Town Square, where a collective of Czech creatives showcase their inspired decorative arts pieces, ranging from wearable finery to minimalist glassware.