Czech Republic

Prague is one of Europe's most beautiful capitals, and yes, it's busy — go early and walk past the Old Town Square. The payoff is real: a castle complex, riverside bars, and the world's best beer for the price of water. Český Krumlov and the spa towns make easy escapes. Central, cheap, and very walkable.

Prague does the heavy lifting: mornings on Charles Bridge before the tour groups arrive, the castle district, then afternoons drifting through Malá Strana and Vinohrady with a pivo that costs less than a coffee. Trains make day trips painless — Kutná Hora's bone church in an hour, Český Krumlov in three. Your money goes mostly to a room in the center; food and beer stay cheap by Western European standards, especially once you leave the Old Town.

Central Prague is a tourist machine: currency-exchange traps, overpriced Old Town restaurants, and stag parties owning the weekend nightlife. The food is heavy — pork, dumplings, repeat — and November is grey enough to test anyone. If you're chasing dramatic landscapes or beach weather, this is the wrong country. But as a two-to-four-day city break with real history, river views, and the best beer culture in the world, it's hard to spend this little and get this much.