Karlovy Vary: top attractions & road trip guide
Karlovy Vary, known internationally by its German name Karlsbad, is a spa town in western Bohemia founded in the 14th century around a set of naturally hot mineral springs. Its riverside promenade is lined with elegant 19th-century colonnades and pastel Belle Époque hotels that once drew European royalty, composers, and writers for the healing waters.
Set in a narrow valley along the Teplá River, the town is a favorite stop for road trippers heading toward the German border, roughly two hours west of Prague. The surrounding hills are covered in forest, and the town's compact spa quarter is easily explored on foot after parking nearby.
Top attractions
Mill Colonnade (Mlýnská kolonáda)
The largest of the town's colonnades, a Neo-Renaissance structure built in the 1870s with 124 columns sheltering five of Karlovy Vary's mineral hot springs.
Hot Spring Colonnade (Vřídelní kolonáda)
A modern glass-and-concrete hall built in the 1970s, enclosing the town's most powerful geyser, which shoots hot mineral water up to 12 meters into the air.
Diana Lookout Tower
A late-19th-century observation tower atop a forested hill above the spa quarter, reachable by funicular, with panoramic views over the town and surrounding valleys.
Church of St. Mary Magdalene
A Baroque church designed by architect Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer and completed in 1736, its twin towers forming a landmark of the town's skyline above the colonnades.
Grandhotel Pupp
A historic luxury hotel dating to 1701, whose grand facade and ballrooms have hosted European aristocracy and served as a filming location for several international movies.
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