If you are thinking about a short trip to Karlovy Vary, you are at the right place. In this post we will share our best tips about trip from Prague to Karlovy Vary and what to see and do in Karlovy Vary in two days.
The Bohemian city itself is very beautiful, surely one of the most beautiful in the Czech Republic. There are so many things to see and do in Karlovy Vary and its surroundings that for sure you won’t be bored during your next stay there.
Prague to Karlovy Vary: The best two days trip you can do
Water | Cinema | Architecture | Nature | Conclusions
We were living in Prague for some weeks before taking a trip to Karlovy Vary, and it was a great decision. Visiting Karlovy Vary allowed us to rest for a couple of days and also to get to know another super beautiful place in the Czech Republic.
At the end, we realized that Karlovy Vary was full of tourists, but it turned out to be a much calmer and more relaxing city.
In fact, if you already know Prague and you want to see something different during your stay in the Czech Republic, we recommend a short trip or weekend getaway to Karlovy Vary from Prague. We are quite sure that you will like it.
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Karlovy Vary is very well-connected by bus or train with several cities in the Czech Republic and Europe (especially Austria and Germany), so it will not be difficult for you to find the perfect means of transport to get there. For example, we took a bus (super comfortable Flixbus) from Prague, and it took us about two hours to get there.
If this post was short (which isn’t ah, ah) and we had to write in a few words what would stand out in Karlovy Vary and why is it worth taking this trip, we would highlight: water, cinema, architecture, and nature.
Since we are nice people, and we do not want to end this post with two words and four greetings, we are going to share with you a step-by-step guide on why we have chosen these highlights in Karlovy Vary, enjoy the rest of the post.
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1. Water – Prague to Karlovy Vary
In Karlovy Vary everything revolves around water. In fact, this is the main reason why thousands of tourists visit this city every year. Its water, since ancient times, is famous for being curative and used as thermal baths to cure and treat problems. Also, it is demonstrated that drinking this water has a healing effect for the body and health.
In fact, when you walk around the city you will find many sources of drinking water with different temperatures (there is water that reach 70 °C) with a very peculiar taste which you can try for free. We tasted this supposedly miraculous water, it’s not bad, but we don’t know if we feel better after drinking it. The taste was rather strange.
There is one interesting thing that people, usually, use special ceramic jars that allow you to drink the healing water without burning your mouth. In addition to that, the ceramic jars turn out to be a perfect souvenir to take home or as a gift.
Did you know that two of the most famous Czech companies were created in this city and that they use water as the main ingredient?
We are talking about the Mattoni and Becherovka companies, the most famous bottled water and herbal liqueur in the entire nation.
What deserves a visit is an interesting museum of the old Becherovka house, especially if you like herbal liqueur as a digestive since at the end of the tour you can try several types of this liqueur. If you like Becherovka, we recommend you to try an interesting drink called Beton. You can order this cocktail at any bar in the city (or probably in the whole country) and it consists of two ingredients, Becherovka liqueur, and tonic. Even if you don’t like liqueurs, you should at least try this cocktail because it’s super tasty.
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As we mentioned at the beginning, water in Karlovy Vary in addition to being used for drinking is famous for its therapeutic, thermal and healing uses, and that is why people have come to enjoy its incredible thermal baths since ancient times. There are many thermal baths in the city, but the most famous seems to be the Hotel Termal Spa (it is actually where we went).
It is a cozy and renovated place with an incredible outdoor pool with two different temperatures. In addition to that, you will find one of the best views of the city directly from the pool and for this reason we totally recommend this place in your next trip to Karlovy Vary.
2. Cinema – Prague to Karlovy Vary
Yes, this is another valid reason to visit Karlovy Vary, especially if you are passionate about cinema.
The famous “Karlovy Vary International Film Festival” is held in this city every year, which is currently one of the largest and most recognized festivals in Europe and also one of the oldest in the world. It is normally held in July around Thermal Hotel we mentioned before and as you can imagine this event brings together thousands of curious people from all over the world.
Unlike the American festival with its Golden Globe, in Karlovy Vary the most important prize is the equally famous Crystal Globe, which is given only to the best of each cast and to the best film each year.
If you are interested in the cinema, July is surely the most suitable time for you to visit Karlovy Vary. By the way, it is better to organize your accommodation beforehand since the city is full of tourists and everything is sold out. Here you have the link of the festival for more information.
3. Architecture – Prague to Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a super beautiful city and many people fall in love with this city for its beautiful and incredible architecture. Also, famous artists from all over the world decided to show their art in this place.
If there is one thing that differentiates this city from others, it is its beautiful colonnades. They are walkways generally covered with metal, where most of the (miraculous) water sources are found. Probably the most beautiful and famous is the Park Colonnade, where you can find a fountain with a snake statue that seems to spit water. By the way, the water has a temperature between 62-63 °C. Two other colonnades that stand out for their beauty are the Mill Colonnade and the Market Colonnade. Both are located in the middle of the old town. We recommend visiting all three colonnades is since you will find a different architecture style with many fountains of various temperatures.
The magnificent Hotel PUP
Other place which you can visit is the famous Hotel Pupp. In addition to being the oldest and most luxurious hotel in the city, it is a place where famous scenes from Czech movies were filmed.
We think that if you want to live with a bit of glamour in Karlovy Vary, Hotel Pupp is definitely the perfect place for your stay.
If you want to see something curious, we are going to share two interesting places in Karlovy Vary.
The first place is Hot Spring Pavilion. It is a building in the city center with several hot water sources where you can drink the water. However, what stands out in the building is the Vřídlo, an indoor geyser that sprays water at a height of 12 meters and with a temperature of 72ºC, a real blast!
Another interesting thing is the Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, which is well known for its golden domes and white and blue facades.
This church was built thanks to the contribution of many Russian tourists who come here every year to enjoy the healing water.
Other places which are worth visiting in Karlovy Vary are Dorova Park, the City Theater, the Church of Santa Maria Magdalena or simply take a walk along the beautiful Masaryka street.
4. Nature – Prague to Karlovy Vary
The city of Karlovy Vary is located in the middle of several hills and wherever you look you will be surrounded by nature, which gives this city an even more beautiful look. Nature makes this city an incredible destination for lovers of nature, hiking, and mountain walks.
In fact, there is an infinity of paths that allow you to explore the surroundings of Karlovy Vary and the nearby towns. Among all of them, there is one recommended 2-3 hour walk from Karlovy Vary to Loket, a medieval town, which is highly recommended by the locals.
We also visited beautiful Loket, however, we didn’t do the walk due to lack of time as our bus back to Prague was already booked. Even so, we chose to go with a local bus that allowed us to see this beautiful town.
If you have time we advise you to spend a few hours in this town and if you want to share with is what you think and how was the walk, we would highly appreciate it.
An almost obligatory thing that you have to see in Karlovy Vary is the city from a viewpoint. The most beautiful viewpoint to see the whole city from above is the Triana Tower. This 35mt high tower will give you the possibility to see the whole city from above, and you can definitely take incredible photos.
There are two ways of how you can get to the Triana tower. Walking with an interesting and steep climb for about one hour or there is a walk in the forest, which is just behind the Hotel Pupp.
If you are not very keen to climb the mountain, we recommend you the same route we did. Go up with the cable and go down walking, so you can enjoy nature and view without being exhausted.
Be fit with a bit of trekking…
On our way down we discovered several beautiful viewpoints, and even a curious statue of a deer on top of the rock, which has a curious history.
Legend says that King Carlo IV went hunting in this area, and that at some point managed to corner a deer over a rock. The deer was thrown from the peak down, and the king went down with his hunting companions to look for the dead deer.
However, instead of dead deer, he found a water spring. It turned out that the spring had therapeutic properties and discovering this, the king decided to build a city around the spring.
The king also wanted to remember the deer which had made him find this place, so he placed a deer statue on top of the rock, which is now the symbol of the city.
Conclusions – Prague to Karlovy Vary
The city of Karlovy Vary has much more to offer than what we have been able to list in our post, such as its incredible Oplatky (which are incredibly delicious sweet waffles) or its delicious beer and food.
This city is definitely a place to visit on your next trip to the Czech Republic. We recommend you dedicate this place for at least two days to fully enjoy its charm and all its incredible attractions.
We hope that you enjoyed our tips, and we hope that you will be able to visit the Czech Republic and the amazing city of Karlovy Vary very soon.
We continue traveling and enriching our lives and we also hope yours with our blog, if you want to give us some advice or add an anecdote, do not hesitate to contact us, we will be happy to answer you as soon as possible.
A hug and see you soon, your traveling friends and gluttons of Fun Food Travelling.
Our tip: When we travel we always make sure to have travel insurance. Our personal recommendation is Truetraveller as they have great support and health coverage around the world. And don’t worry if you forget about it, you can purchase the insurance during your trip!
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