From Wikitravel

Karlovy Vary (also known as Karlsbad, its German name or Carlsbad, its English name) is a city in Bohemia, in the western Czech Republic.

[edit] Get in

From Prague you can take a bus from Florenc main station by Asiana [1] or CSAD the connection and then purchase the ticket at some ticket office, for example at main hall at Florenc). It takes little more than 2 hours and costs about 150 CZK (students with ISIC card have about 15% discount). Student Agency [2] offers hourly buses from Florenc and Dejvicka for 100 CZK.

Trains from Prague (Holešovice nádraží) to Karlovy Vary take over 3 hours, and take a very long winded route to the city via Ústí nad Labem. As train fares in ČR are calculated via kilometer, this also makes the train far more expensive than the buses, with a single ticket costing 294 CZK. However, rail enthusiasts may wish to make this journey as it is (as noted in the Thomas Cook european rail guide) one of the most scenic train routes in the country, with much of it meandering alongside rivers.

[edit] Get around

Unless you're on an organised tour, in which case you already have your transport taken care of, to get to, explore and see Karlovy Vary's surrounding areas, having a car or motorcycle is your best option. If you're staying in town, the town can comfortably be covered on foot.

[edit][add listing] See

Karlovy Vary is a picturesque spa town ("Karlovy Vary" or "Carlsbad" means "Karl's Bath"), featuring colorful and whimsical architecture. Simply walking the streets can be a treat.

The town, along with Prague, was the filming location of many scenes identified as being in Montenegro in the 2006 movie Casino Royale.

From different viewpoints of Carlsbad you can see the golden towers of St. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church.

It is the jewel of this part of Karlovy Vary in Krále Jiřího Street, completed in 1897 and built in the typical Byzantine style, inspired by a church nearby Moscow.

The interior of the church is decorated with paintings and icons, gifts of wealthy Russian aristocrates. One of the decorations is a relief representing Russian Tsar "Peter the Great".

[edit][add listing] Do

Swim in one of Karlovy Vary's mineral pools. Popular with locals, these pools are much like any municipal pool but feature natural mineral waters that are said to be beneficial to one's health.

The thermal, the large prefabricated building dominating the town's skyline, has an open-topped swimming pool on its roof, which is open to the public.

Sample the mineral waters--If full immersion in mineral waters is not on your agenda, you can instead taste the local waters. Be forewarned that it can be an acquired taste.

Get a massage--Massage and other spa services are available.

Nordic Walking

[edit][add listing] Buy

[edit][add listing] Eat

Karlovy Vary is famous for its spa wafers [3]. They come in various flavors and are best when warm. The wafers are sold at street stands in Karlovy Vary, and can also be purchased at grocery stores throughout the Czech Republic.

• Bernard is in Ondřejská 14. You can find it by going up to the steep small street opposite to the end of the Mlynska Colonnade. Quite cheap, but quality is better than in the expensive restaurants. Rustic interior, small, nice Czech food and good beer. Also serves as a Jazz Club with live music (not when I was there but there are many photographs of past Jazz events).
• Jean De Carro restaurant, -insert-exact-address-here, very good and spacy inside, however dishes served are of a low quality, despite being high priced.

[edit][add listing] Drink

It is very easy to pay excessive prices for beer in Karlovy Vary, as all the river-side establishments will charge around 55CZK or even more. To get a beer under 30CZK, look for the pubs 20 metres (or further) away from the main tourist strip.

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Carlsbad Plaza is the first 5star spa & wellness hotel in Karlovy Vary, opened in December 2005. Hotel Carlsbad Plaza is in the quiet ambiance of the spa zone, in the vicinity of the spa facility Lázně I. (Spa I). Here, you will find everything what you expect from a deluxe and top class international hotel, including a swimming pool and conference facilities and equipment.

• Pension Fan, Opened in May 2004, is a two-storied building, situated in the town of Karlovy Vary-district Bohatice. Friendly atmosphere, lot of programmes available: cycling with or without a cycling guide, golf, golf-school, wellness and relax programmes

• Hotel Thermal, the biggest hotel in the centre of the city, was used by USSR's political elite for recovery. However, now (in 2007 and 2008) the quality of the service significantly decreased (rooms, restaurant, treatment, cases of robbery inside the hotel building are reported, unfriendly reception).

• Hotel Palatin is a very nice place to stay, it is ideal if you take a mineral water drinking course, because the range from this hotel to the closest spring is roughly 20 meters. The hotel is modern furnished, and despite being given only 3 stars looks like a typical four stars hotel. The only disadvantage is absence of a restaurant (breakfast is possible though).

• Villa Basileia, avoid this "hotel"! It's not a nice place to stay. It's located at the absolute end of town but that's not the worst part. They charge CZK 2150 for a double room for a night and what you get for the money is a joke. It's a family run pension. The parking lot is only open until 8PM. The rooms are not very nice. There's a weird atmosphere because the only person that speaks English or German is gone most of the time. They mention spa treatments on their web site suggesting that they are available at the hotel. Forget it. All they have is an exercise machine in the stairwell. I guess it could be an OK place if you knew beforehand that it's not a real hotel -- but then for half the price. For a few crowns more you can go to a real hotel (4 stars).

[edit] Get out

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