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Beyond the occasional glance at my watch, I've never given too much thought to clocks. But on a recent visit to Bratislava — the capital of Slovakia, located on the River Danube near the country's western border — I found myself surrounded by the things in a tiny yellow Rococo house nestled just beneath the city's castle. The building, so compact that visitors must walk sideways in its stairwells, houses the Clock Museum — a collection of timepieces that the brochure promised I would find both worthwhile and beautiful. Faced with rainy weather and a couple of hours to kill, I turned up.

	STREETWISE
		BEST ENTERTAINMENT Slovak National Theater This 19th century opera house is worth a visit for the ornate interior alone. But it also offers an interesting program. Visit www.snd.sk for details BEST HOTEL Radisson SAS Carlton hotcel, Hviezdoslavovo Namestie 3. Recently renovated, the hotel is close to both the Danube riverfront and the Old Town. And the leafy promenade along the Hviezdoslavovo Namestie is right outside the hotel's front door. Tel: 421 2 5939 0000 BEST WALK Start at Michalska Brana, Michael's Gate, a watchtower and gateway that forms an ideal northernmost point for a stroll through the Old Town. From the tower, wander down Michalska, and then turn left at Zamocnicka, past the Rococo Mirbach Palace and the Franciscan Church and into the heart of Frantis-kanske Namestie, a grand square in the Old Town MOST HOMEY MUSEUM Check out the tiny folk museum, Expozicia Umeleckych Remeisel on Zidovska, which, with its collection of arts, crafts and 19th century domestic vignettes, offers a glimpse of Austro-Hungarian living. Tel: 421 2 5441 2784 BEST CAKES Cafe Mayer, Hlavne Namestie 7. It's hard to pass the display at the entrance to this old-style café — and even harder to decide between the Black Forest cake, Charlotte's Bomb and several strudels. like apple, cherry and Topfen, a cheese and fruit strudel (€1.18 a slice). Tel: 421 2 5441 1741

Thanks to Bratislava, I've learned something about myself. I'm crazy for clocks. Many of the timepieces on display were made by 18th and 19th century Bratislavan clockmakers, a guild that never heard the dictum, "Less is more." Depending on your perspective, the collection is either a dazzling display of Baroque and pre-Art Deco timepiece artistry or clock vulgarity in the extreme. What can I say? I loved them.

There was a tiny fob watch with red beads glinting on a silver case. A timepiece concealed in a painting of a bucolic 18th century riverbank scene, in which the clock on the church spire in the background was functional as well as decorative. Gauche, dark-wood table clocks that permitted bored aristocrats to cast furtive glances at the time during meals. And a startling, politically incorrect clock, featuring slaves with baskets on their heads standing at the base of a large watch face. On the second floor was the timepiece de resistance: a clock mounted on a chest of drawers and surrounded by gold figures, with a waterbaby to its left, a gnarled tree to its right and an angel hovering above. The shoulder-high structure was signed by Jacob Guldan — a leading 18th century Bratislava clockmaker. Guldan's bio said his work could also be found in the Palffy Palace, a gallery in the Old Town, so I headed down there. The walk took only about five minutes.

Bratislava's Old Town is full of surprises, and one of them is its size. It's tiny — not to mention inexpensive and relatively tourist-free. One can wander through much of the beautiful, pedestrianized center in the space of an afternoon, a welcome relief — especially after driving into town from the airport through the grim, grey high-rises that populate Bratislava's outskirts. The city's heart contains the roomy squares, bronzed statues, soothing tree-lined promenades and cobblestoned lanes of cities like Vienna, but without the crowds, the prices or the distances. The place was so perfect, I half expected to come upon a delegation from the Walt Disney company, measuring the facades and taking notes.

I never did make it to the Palffy Palace. Instead, after a short stroll, and with the light fading and the winding lanes emptying, I went in search of a snack. And at the southwest corner of the Hlavne Namestie — a large, genteel square in the Old Town — I found a buzzing, elegant coffee shop called Café Mayer. In the style of grand European cafés, each cup of coffee is served on an individual tray, accompanied by a glass of water and a biscuit. Cafe Mayer also boasts about 25 cakes in its inviting display cabinet — ranging from Black Forest to summer pudding flan to three different kinds of strudel. Once installed on a plump banquette, I ate my Sachertorte and stared out of the large window, looking appreciatively at a slice of the Old World so pleasantly intact, it was like stepping back in time.

• JENNIE JAMES