In the Czech Republic, a country of many spas, Karlovy Vary is the biggest spa town of all. Situated 80 mi/130 km west of Prague in a winding river valley huddled between verdant hills, the town has a wonderfully evocative, aristocratic feel, left over from the days when the nobility would spend time there taking a cure for gout, tuberculosis or indolence.
The town is filled with beautiful parks, mansions, promenades and grand hotels. Stroll down the Park Colonnade or climb the hill for spectacular views of the city.
While the beginning of the spa area is marked by the large, modern-looking Thermal Hotel, the rest of the area is lined by rows of pastel baroque buildings, with the top of each row peeking over the row in front—like people in a group photograph. You can almost imagine bumping into Goethe, Bach, Beethoven, Peter the Great, Brahms, Wagner or Thomas Mann (all of whom frequented the area at one time or another).
Along the main walkway, a colonnade shelters a number of fountains gushing—or, in some cases, dripping—hot-spring water (the temperature of each fountain is noted on a plaque).
The specialty there is a hot-springs treatment for internal ailments. If you don't have time for a full cure, try the drinking cure, where you imbibe piping-hot mineral water from teapot-shaped mugs made of special porcelain or ceramic, and nibble on sweet wafers to cut the strong salty taste of the water.
One of the best hotels in town, the Grandhotel Pupp, located at the far end of the spa area, is worth a look. It was built by Viennese architects Hellmer and Fellmer, and the public rooms are stunning—pillars, a stained-glass atrium, massive chandeliers and stucco cherubs.
Karlovy Vary is also the home of Becherovka, an herbal liqueur first concocted by a physician named David Becher in the 18th century. Outside of town is the Moser glassworks factory and museum, which has been producing the country's best crystal since 1893. Also nearby is the Pirkenhammer Porcelain Factory, which produces high-quality hand-painted porcelain.
Karlovy Vary has also become known internationally for its annual film festival. Held in early July, it attracts some of the biggest names in world cinema.
Southwest of town is Cheb, a medieval city with a wealth of its original buildings intact and a complex history of German occupation and identity. If you go there, be prepared for glaring signs of the city's notorious sex industry.
For those taking the spa tour, be sure to visit the small, relaxing Frantiskovy Lazne, the archetypal spa town once a favorite of Goethe's, just 3 mi/5 km north of Cheb.
About 6 mi/10 km west of Karlovy Vary, a sharp turn of the Ohre River provides a dramatic setting for the well-preserved 13th-century castle of Loket, sitting on a hilltop above this cute cobblestoned town. The castle houses a porcelain museum that showcases the region's fine hand-painted porcelain. Loket also boasts excellent hiking trails.
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