Until 1989, what is now the Czech Republic was divided from Germany by a pretty heavily protected frontier.

Fast forward 22 years and the EU's open borders present some touristic opportunities not to be passed up in an area steeped in history.

Prague and Nuremberg, once divided by the Iron Curtain, are now connected by coach - but although much has changed since the end of the Cold War, these two near neighbours still have hugely different atmospheres.

But the past is inescapable in both, and nowhere is this truer than at the museum to the Nuremberg Trials.

Still a working courtroom, visitors can now see where 19 of the main Nazi war criminals were found guilty and sentenced in the aftermath of the Second World War - and it is also possible to visit the Nazi Party rally grounds further out from the city centre.

But while Nuremberg certainly doesn't hide from its dark past, it works hard to show it gentler side, with a steady stream of events through the year, the highlights being May's Blue Night of late-opening museums with blue lights across the city, and Germany's most famous Christmas market.

While Nuremberg recovered from heavy bombing in the Second World War to regain much of its classical look, Prague, on the other hand, is still undergoing rapid change after the fall of Communism.

For so long allied to Moscow, the Czech capital so close to the German border is now a truly cosmopolitan centre - you'll see a handful of very familiar shops, but the city remains proud of its world-famous castle, Astronomical Clock and the bustling Charles Bridge.

Another thing uniting these two nations though is an excellence at producing - and, it has to be said, a penchant for consuming - beer.

Although of course they are on tap all year round, there's no better time to sample the local brews than during a beer festival.

The Prague Beer Festival, held in May, is surprisingly just four years old, but it looks capable of rivalling Munich's Oktoberfest with its tents, food, entertainment and an array of beers from Czech brewers large and small.

A far longer standing celebration of drinking culture is Bergkirchweih festival, attracting 1.3 million people to the city of Erlangen, a short train ride from Nuremberg, over 12 days each year in May or June depending on the timing of Pentecost.

The world's oldest beer festival, it turns a respectable Bavarian city proud of its culture and top-end university into a Mecca for beer drinkers, although the festival site's Bierkellers are worth a visit at any time. Be sure to try the beer alongside the giant pretzels - and the unique Nuremberg sausages.

Long nights of eating and drinking or long days of exploring, this part of the world something for everyone.