Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary (also known as Karlsbad, its German name or Carlsbad, its English name) is a historic spa town in West Bohemia, in the western Czech Republic. It's famous for its mineral springs and its gorgeous Belle Epoque architecture.



Understand
Karlovy Vary, meaning "Charles' Bath", was named after Charles IV, King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, who founded the city in 1370. It is famous for its hot springs and its colorful and whimsical architecture. For these reasons, it was a popular tourist destination starting in the 18th century with guests including Tsar Peter the Great, Emperor Franz Josef I, Beethoven, Goethe, Wagner, Brahms, Leo Tolstoy, and Karl Marx. Tourism ground to a halt during World War I and the city never fully regained its former glory. After World War II, the largely German-speaking city was cleared of its inhabitants and replaced with Czech settlers. Czech remains the major language today but the signs of German culture and heritage are still very evident. The three spa towns in West Bohemia – Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně – are known as the West Bohemian Spa Triangle, and all three are part of the "Great Spa Towns of Europe" UNESCO world heritage site shared with eight other cities around the continent.

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

Tourist information

 * Karlovy Vary Tourism website

By bus
Student Agency operates hourly buses from Prague's Florenc and Dejvicka stations 05:00-20:00. The trip takes 2 hours and costs 155 Kč for adults. FlixBus also offers near hourly service, for roughly €10.

Other bus companies also run services from Prague's Florenc station but they are more expensive and not as comfortable as Student Agency's buses. Czechshuttle.com offers daily transport between Karlovy Vary and Cesky Krumlov, among other places.

By train
Karlovy Vary is well connected to the regional and long-distance train network. The vast majority of trains in Karlovy Vary Region are modern and very comfortable. Also, some of the railways are quite scenic. When planning your journey, use journey planner IDOS. For more details see Rail travel in the Czech Republic.
 * Prague: 3 hr 10 min, long-distance Rx trains on line leave Prague Main Train Station every 2 hours, 7 times a day, trains on this route are slower than buses, however, you can experience the diverse character of the Czech Republic: industrial areas in North Bohemia and scenic sections like Lovosice - Ústí nad Labem or Kadaň - Karlovy Vary. SuperAction ticket costs from 159 Kč, Ordinary ticket costs 331 Kč.
 * Nuremberg: 2 hr 40 min, 1 change, regional RE trains on line depart from Nuremberg Main Train Station every 2 hours, in Cheb you have to change to long-distance Rx train on line, 5 times a day. First Minute Europe ticket costs from 235 Kč, Basic international fare ticket costs 981 Kč.
 * Dresden: 3 hr 30 min, 1 change, long-distance EC trains on line leave Dresden Main Train Station every 2 hours, in Ústí nad Labem you have to change to long-distance Rx train on line, 6 times a day. Includes scenic sections like Dresden - Ústí nad Labem or Kadaň - Karlovy Vary. First Minute Europe ticket costs from 235 Kč, Basic international fare ticket costs 746 Kč.

Also, regional trains operate on railway lines nr. 140 (Klášterec n/O - Karlovy Vary - Cheb), 141 (Merklín - Karlovy Vary), 142 (Johanngeorgenstadt - Karlovy Vary) and 149 (Mariánské Lázně - Karlovy Vary). Railway routes to Johanngeorgenstadt and Mariánské Lázně are pretty scenic as line 142 leads through Ore Mountains and line 149 through Slavkov Forest.

All long-distance and most regional trains arrive at, which offers modern facilities. Although, all trains from Mariánské Lázně and some other regional trains terminate at This station is on the western edge of the city centre next to the intercity bus station.

By plane
If you're arriving from a place not connected to KLV, it will likely make more sense to fly into Prague. Other airports in reasonable geographic proximity include Nuremberg, Leipzig/Halle and Dresden. Out of all of these, Prague offers the most comprehensive selection of destinations, and is the hub of Czech flag carrier Czech Airlines.

Get around
The town can comfortably be covered on foot, but a car or motorcycle is useful for exploring the surrounding areas.

Bus travel is very cheap. A week ticket for 220 Kč also gives you a trip on the Diana funicular. A ticket can be useful if you need to make trips up and down the river for whatever reason.

Sports

 * FC Slavia Karlovy Vary. Third tier football.
 * HC Energie Karlovy Vary. Top tier ice hockey.
 * HC Energie Karlovy Vary. Top tier ice hockey.

Eat
Karlovy Vary is famous for its spa wafers. 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.



Drink
Jan Becher invented the liquor that bears his name (Becherovka) in Karlovy Vary. However, it is an acquired taste.

Some establishments on the river charge twice the price of places 20 m or more off the main drag, so shop around for a place to drink.



Connect
As of Sep 2021, Karlovy Vary has 4G from O2 and T-Mobile, and 5G from Vodafone. Wifi is widely available in public places.

Go next

 * Prague
 * Loket
 * Cheb
 * Plzen