Saying that you’re off to Prague for the weekend comes with the assumption you’re going on a stag do.

But, as my two-night stay in the Czech capital showed me, there’s far more to it than seeing Brits down lagers followed by doner kebabs and chips.

It is easily one of the most beautiful cities I’ve been to and within 24 hours of arriving I already loved it.

There’s so much character and history in what is quite a small area, with the old town dating back some 800 years.

But avoid the ‘main strip’ and you won’t see a stag party all weekend except for the morning departure and Sunday night arrival back in Blighty.

The Czechs are very proud of their gastronomic and brewing abilities.

Beer and brewing has been at the heart of the Czech story for 1,000 years. Historians recently found evidence of a brewery at the Brevnov Monastery dating back to 993AD.

There are bars on practically every street, including 28 microbreweries and brewpubs – which mostly only serve their own craft.

This is what makes Prague such a special place for anyone who likes their beer. Everywhere you go there will be something different.

If you want to find the best places try either the Klasterni Pivovar, at the Strahov monastery, which only serves its own beer and does not export it, or the equally exclusive U Fleku, thought to be the only place to have been constantly brewing in central Europe over the last five centuries.

It is home to various connecting beer halls and courtyards, with one reminiscent of the great hall at Hogwarts.

If beer tasting isn’t quite up your strasse then there’s so much to see and do in the old town and castle area – which was the first settlement in Prague and is now home to the presidential offices.

It is simply beautiful and offers stunning views over the city from one of Prague’s seven hills – Czechs are keen to remind you that Prague shares that geographical trait with Rome.

At the foot of the old town is the historic Charles Bridge, crossing the Vltava river. Cruises offer another fantastic viewing angle.

The Corinthia Hotel is one of the best connected hotels in the city for the metro (underground railway) links, with a station right outside the front door and just 10 minutes from the city centre.

The hotel itself has a fascinating history.

Opened in 1988, it was the last building built under the Soviet era in the then Czechoslovakia.

It served the conference centre next door and was where delegates would stay. A nuclear shelter is in the basement, now used as a car park, and when the hotel was renovated in the late 1990s by the Corinthia Group more than a million bugs and listening devices had to be removed from it and its 539 bedrooms. All very James Bond.

The trip was rounded off with a spa treatment with a twist – a beer spa.

Used since the Middle Ages, the hops and yeast are said to possess healing qualities when kept at a steady 37 degrees and the continuous bubbling releases vitamins and proteins which are good for the skin.

It was a perfect way to unwind after two days of sightseeing. It didn’t disappoint.

Corinthia Hotel is a five-star hotel a 25-minute drive from Prague airport, offering accommodation with twin rooms or queen size beds.

The hotel has three restaurants and two bars.

Rooms cost around £80 per night but package offers are available including the Beer Spa Experience, which includes access to the hotel’s spa and treatments at the nearby Beer Spa Bernard.

Prices start from £134 per room including a night’s stay at the Corinthia Hotel.

Flight time from London Gatwick is approximately two hours.

For more information visit www.corinthia.com/hotels/prague