Charmed by Karlovy Vary

Greetings from Karlovy Vary! We are so happy that we decided to visit this town during our road trip in Czech Republic! This beautiful city in West Bohemia, by rivers Ohře and Teplá, is full of amazingly well-preserved Art Nouveau buildings and surrounded by wooded hills. It is an old spa town and has been a center of arts for hundreds of years, hosting visitors like Bach, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky.

The name of the city translates to Charles’ Bath, after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in back in 1370. The hot springs were believed to have healing powers, and the town developed to a famous spa resort during the 19^th century. Still today there are numerous springs in the town center, 15 of them accessible to the public. The mineral water is formed 2 5000 meters below the ground level, and drinking it is said to have a positive effects on your digestive system.

During our short visit here we have, besides just walking around the town admiring the views, jogged along the forest trails above the town, and enjoyed the atmosphere of the 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Had to take a pic also of the towering Hotel Thermal, that seems to be the main venue of the film fest, but actually it is a quite ugly building compared to all the pieces of art around it.

As the city is just about 130 km west from Prague and can be reached by train, it makes an easy and rewarding destination for a couple of days visit, or a day trip, from the capital. So when you are planning a holiday trip to Czech Republic, strong recommendation to add Karlovy Vary in your travel itinerary!

Wider blog posts about our travels and hikes elsewhere in Czech Republic will follow later!