Czech Republic

Prague’s Old Town area, around Charles Bridge, is dense with actual medieval buildings, not restorations built to look old. The Augustine Hotel dates back to 1284, part of a complex of some of the neighborhood’s oldest buildings. The Golden Well is smaller and quieter — 19 rooms total, built at the end of the 16th century, tucked below the castle.

Aria Hotel takes a different approach entirely — a music theme running through the whole property, an Apple TV loaded with tens of thousands of songs in every room, and a dedicated music concierge if you can’t decide what to play. And The Icon, right in the actual city center rather than the tourist core, is where we found restaurants without English menus.