Beyond the city
Karlovy Vary: the back story
The back story
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Lubor Ferenc · CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout Karlovy Vary: the back story
Karlovy Vary, in West Bohemia, is one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 2021: colonnades over 15 healing springs, grand spa houses, the Grandhotel Pupp, Moser glass and Becherovka, first sold in 1807. Each summer it hosts the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival; Casino Royale was filmed at the Grandhotel Pupp and the former Kaiserbad spa, as the Czech Film Commission records.
Getting there
By coach or train from Prague; check the operators’ timetables.
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © DIMSFIKAS · CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsThe spa
The colonnades and springs, the drinking cure and the public spas are on karlovyvary.cz, the official tourist website.
Taste the springs from the colonnades: the town’s official site lists all 15.
The table
Grandrestaurant Pupp, Malá Dvorana and Le Marché are in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide.
Our advice: come for the film festival in summer, or for a quiet spa weekend out of season.
Why it's on our list
- Getting there
- The spa
- The table
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Karlovy Vary: the back story before you go.