Czechia has long been on the tourist map, but visits are often limited to Prague, a hotspot for Brits who enjoy Gothic architecture just as much as they do a boozy pub crawl. What is lesser known to those outside the country, however, is that Czechia is home to several quaint spa towns, where aristocrats, artists and intellectuals have been flocking for centuries.
Nestled in the forest, near Germany’s border, lies the West Bohemian Spa Triangle, comprised of three towns: Karlovy Vary, Františkovy Lázně and Mariánské Lázně.
The region was added to UNESCO’s world heritage list in 2021, in part due its high concentration of mineral springs, which are said to have healing qualities.
The mineral water in each town is believed to rejuvenate a particular part of the body, targeting everything from infertility to high blood pressure (the Institute of Spa and Balneology is dedicated to understanding advancing scientific research in this area).
Today, Czech doctors frequently prescribe spa stays for sick or convalescing patients, where breathing in the fresh forest air is just as important as the treatments. Guests can hike, cycle and meander into the Slakokov Forest, then wind down at a spa hotel, where treatment menus are expansive (think long, steamy baths in rose petals or chocolate or hemp).
You’ll also find a number of beer spas in the region, where guests can unwind in bubbly beer barrels while downing unlimited brews (however locals are quick to mention that these institutions are not traditional).
Here’s a round up of some of Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázne’s most unique spas and wellness experiences.
Karlovy Vary
Tucked away in a valley, the spa town of Karlovy Vary looks like a scene from a fairytale, with tall pine trees and pastel-coloured houses prickling the emerald hills. The town overlooks the charming Teplá River, where cafes, boutique shops and convivial restaurants abound.
Dozens of mineral springs are dotted across the region, including 13 dozen thermal springs, which are thought to have curative powers. Karlovy Vary is also known for its round, sugary “spa wafers,” which have been sold by a local bakery since 1867, now available in flavours such as chocolate, hazelnut and eggnog.
A bus runs directly from Václav Havel Airport Prague to Karlovy Vary, with a journey time of approximately 1 hour 40 minutes. Book tickets in advance.
Taste the healing water
Strolling around Karlovy Vary, you’ll pass numerous water fountains, where you can drink the thermal mineral water. Every fountain is allotted with a plaque that details the name and temperature of the mineral spring, and each site is laden with legends. Drinking from Pramen knížete Václava, for instance, is said to boost “male potency,” while it’s said that those who can hold two fingers under the hot water of Pramen Svoboda, for a whole minute, will find love.
Visitors are advised to drink the mineral water from special porcelain cups, instead of water bottles, due to the hot temperature.
Drink a beer in a rooftop thermal pool
To get a sense of Karlovy Vary from above, head to Sauna Thermal Resort, a wellness centre on the top of Hotel Thermal, for an evening swim. Two thermal swimming pools offer panoramic views of the town’s Baroque buildings and rainbow-coloured houses, juxtaposing the wellness centre’s brutalist architecture.
The larger pool features 25-metre lanes for serious swims, or you can float about in the steamy green water with a Pilsner or a Kofola (a Czech Coca-Cola type drink), soaking up the majestic views. There is also a “sauna world” with eight different saunas, cold pools and a steam room, as well as a bar, serving up no-frills food like soup, hot dogs and ice cream.
Sauna Thermal Resort. A whole day adult ticket is 899 Kč (approximately £31.50).
Visit an opulent 19th century spa
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Built in the 1890s by Viennese architects, the Imperial Spa is a relic of Czechia’s opulent 19th century spa culture. Guided tours take guests around the historic building, where monarchs, politicians and artists would travel across Europe to bathe. You can explore a former gymnasium, where intricately-sculpted mahogany walls are painted with naked bathers, or The Salon, an ornate bathroom with silk wallpaper and stained glass windows, reserved for the spa’s most elite guests.
The building, which now hosts concerts, has also been used as a backdrop to cult films including Casino Royale and Jackie Chan.
Imperial Spa. Adult entry is 100 Kč (approximately £3.50).
Mariánské Lázně
Mariánské Lázně looks like a town taken straight out of a Wes Anderson film, with tall candy-coloured hotel fronts and faded cocktail bars serving up decadent cakes and elaborate ice cream sundaes. Trailblazing intellectuals such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Sigmund Freud and Franz Kafka have recuperated in this spa town, while the composer Wilhelm Richard Wagner dreamed up the opera Lohengrin during a visit.
Often referred to as “the town of parks”, Mariánské Lázně has numerous pristine gardens allotted with pergolas, ponds, water fountains and manicured flower beds, providing plenty of opportunities for revitalisation.
Direct train runs between Mariánské Lázně and Karlovy Vary, with a journey time of approximately 1 hour 37 minutes.
Relax like a Roman
Tucked away in Nové Lázné hotel, a grand five star hotel, is a Roman-style bathhouse, a regal spa atrium with two turquoise pools, a steam room, a sauna, a cold plunge and more. Built in 1896, the Roman Baths were inspired by bathhouses in Budapest and Vienna, with yellow walls, 21 marble Tuscan columns,
Renaissance sculptures and patterned tiles. After a luxurious bathing session, you might want to finish off at the Wiener Cafe (also in the Nové Lázné hotel), a Viennese-inspired cafe with mahogany counters, tall curved windows and draping gold curtains. Cakes are baked daily (and are delicious).
Nové Lázné. Three hour entry is around €32.69 (approximately £28.22).
Bathe in King Edward VII’s Royal Cabin
Nové Lázné hotel guests and visitors are also able to take a bath in the deluxe Royal Cabin, where King Edward VII, who ruled Britain from 1901 to 1910, once bathed. The chamber is elegantly designed: a capacious stone bath, surrounded by turquoise-patterned tiled walls and vibrant stained glass windows.
Baths are filled with CO2-rich local mineral water, which fizzes and bubbles over the skin, creating a gentle tingling sensation. Lie back, relax and imagine what it would be like to be king.
Nové Lázné. A bath in the Royal Cabin costs €32,28 (approximately £27.87).
