Late-afternoon summer sun turns the city's ochre buildings a glorious golden colour - the perfect time to sit in a cafe on the Old Town Square.Forthcoming events include Mikhail Baryshnikov and the White Oak Dance Project at the Prague State Opera on 8-9 December, and the composer Michael Nyman and his band at Prague Castle on 18 December. The winter months coat spires and steeples in snowflakes and the run-up to Christmas is arguably the most atmospheric time to spend a weekend in the Czech capital. Vive La Velvet Revolution! When to goThe Prague Spring Festival, in mid- May, is the city's biggest and best- known music event, with street processions and classical music concerts commandeering every palace, church and hall in the city Hotels become crammed, so book ahead. It is also full of surprises, a medieval city with a rock'n'roll vibe, from the dazzling graffiti of the John Lennon Wall to the appointment a decade ago of the late Frank Zappa as the city's cultural attache. The past ten years have seen Prague dragged into the 20th century.

And yet, despite a rash of estate agents' boards, the city still retains a wonderful sense of its own history. Prague is rich in saintly statues, fairytale castles, cobbled courtyards, dreamy spires, and a cafe society that makes you wonder why the paranoid Kafka didn't get out more. The next day I bounced in a little plane over the clouds in search of something more authentic: the small northern island of Taveuni, where the first roads were being built, and where the interior was a jungle. The best people in Fiji, I soon discovered, were the Fijians, who smiled, and shouted warm greetings to perfect strangers.

Today, some dervish orders still survive as religious fraternities and Konya's dervishes have been whirling in worship for some 700 years to seek spiritual union with God.31 DECEMBERWorldwideAt 4.46am local time, Gisbourne, on New Zealand's North Island, will be the first city to glimpse the dawn of the new millennium. For those who do not want to travel too far into the French hinterland, on 19 December there is a one-day traditional medieval Christmas market taking place in Boulogne-sur-mer and Dieppe has markets running until Christmas Eve.7 DECEMBERGuatemalaThe sort of thing that nasty nannies used to tell bad British children to scare them into eating their sprouts actually takes place in Guatemala. Christmas shoppers in New York take heed: Chanukah closes down the city's best delis, so don't bank on a salt beef sandwich for sustenance between rounds at Bloomingdales.UNTIL 24 DECEMBEREuropean Christmas marketsOf all Germany's legendary Christmas markets the oldest and largest is in Nuremberg. UNTIL 11 DECEMBER Jewish communities worldwideChanukah: the Jewish festival of lights and the happiest holiday in the Jewish calendar. Deep in the undergrowth one encounters small clusters of Australians in sunglasses, sitting at outdoor tables drinking chardonnay.

I pushed foliage aside in search of tarmac and concrete, and saw exotic birds swooping about in pine trees. Otherwise the capital of Australia may simply have to rank as a rather beautiful park instead I am amazed by this place. Reduced price is pounds 749 per person and includes accommodation at the luxurious Chalet La Marsa, scheduled flights from Heathrow, private transfers, champagne, canapes and gourmet meals each evening.STEPHEN ROE. If you don't mind sleeping in close proximity, a minimal Pierre et Vacances self-catering studio is available, based on four people sharing, at self-drive rates from pounds 199 per person per week, including ferry crossing.New Year in NorwayIf you are still looking for a different millennium holiday experience, Crystal (tel: 0870 8487000) has cut more than pounds 100 off brochure prices to the Norwegian ski resorts of Geilo and Hemsedal. This is certainly this year's most significant sporting publication. Rugby Union had its World Cup, but the literature which arrived to accompany the event was, like the competition itself, uniform, drab and, apart from a couple of exceptions, instantly forgettable. We communicated through Braille.When it was all over I asked, "How was it for you?""Well, your English is definitely improving," she said.BO FOWLER.