Taste the water from the mineral spring
Karlovy Vary came into being and became famous for its healing water springs. Twelve springs come outdoors and are free for every tourist to access. Five of them are located under the roof of the Mill Colonnade, a structure originally designed to comfortably transport dignitaries to the springs in rainy weather. Heavy drinking should not be abused, as the water from most of the springs has laxative properties.
To ensure that the minerals are absorbed by the body as efficiently as possible, the doctors at the spa centers in Karlsbad (the German name for the city) recommend drinking water slowly and in small quantities. For this purpose, special drinkers with a thin spout are sold on every corner of Karlovy Vary and have become a symbol of the city.
- Official website of the Karlovy Vary Spa
Stroll along the Tepla river embankment
You can start exploring the city with a stroll along the waterfront. The center of Karlovy Vary is crossed by the Teplá River, along which there are streets with picturesque houses, hotels, stores and beauty salons.
Taste Becherovka at the Jan Becher Museum
The famous Becherovka liqueur is called the thirteenth healing spring of Karlovy Vary: the alcoholic beverage is infused with healing herbs and was originally intended for treating stomach ailments.
What else to try in the Czech Republic: Czech National Cuisine
At the Jan Becher Museum, visitors are given guided tours, during which tourists learn fun facts about the exhibits related to the liqueur, the history of its production and storage. A short documentary film was made especially for the shows at the museum. The program of the tour of the museum includes a tasting of several types of drinks that are produced at the local factory. You can buy Becherovka in its original bottle at the specialty store near the museum.
- Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday — from 09:00 to 17:00, break 12:00 — 12:30, Monday — day off.
- Price: depending on the tour 180 — 345 CZK for an adult. The difference of the excursions is the number of tasting drinks.
- Details on the website
Buy royal crystal at the Moser Factory Museum
The museum displays more than two thousand pieces of crystal made according to the technology of Ludwig Moser, an engraver who became famous for his role as a supplier of tableware to the royal courts of Europe and the East. You can stop by the factory and watch the glassblowers at work. Be warned, it is very hot inside the workshop.
The museum has a café and an official Moser glassware store.
- Opening hours: daily from 09:00 to 17:00.
- Price: 80 CZK — museum, 120 CZK — glassblowing workshop, 180 CZK — visit to the museum and glassblowing workshop.
- Details are on the website.
Take a beer bath
A widely popular spa treatment in Karlovy Vary is the beer baths. A visit to a beer bath is twenty minutes of relaxation in a barrel or bathtub filled with natural warm beer. Often there are cold beer taps next to the keg for consumption. In addition to the bath, beer treatments include wraps and relaxing massages.
- Website První Pivní Lázně Karlovy Vary
- Opening hours: daily from 09:00 to 19:00.
- Price: 1600 CZK/ 70 €.
Take home a piece of Carlsbad
You can buy Becherovka and Moser crystal anywhere, but only here you can buy unique Karlovy Vary souvenirs. Rarely does a tourist leave Karlovy Vary without buying salt, payatka or a jar of cream.
Carlsbad salt
Karlovy Vary salt is produced by evaporating water from springs. As a result, it contains the same minerals, micro- and macroelements as the healing water. It can be used for baths, internal use and for cosmetic purposes. Karlovy Vary salt is bought by tourists and patients of sanatoriums to prolong the recovery of the organism at home.
You can buy it at almost every gift store and cosmetics stores.
Thermal water cosmetics
Beer, salt, natural oils and plant extracts are added to cosmetics based on Karlovy Vary thermal water from healing springs. The cosmetics are of high quality, natural and with a Czech flavor.
There are many specialized stores in Karlovy Vary. Manufaktura has Russian-speaking staff who are happy to advise and help you choose cosmetics.
Opening hours: Mon-Fri from 09:00 to 19:00.
Carlsbad
The famous Karlovy Vary wafers are two thin round wafers with a filling between them. The smell of freshly baked hot waffles fills the streets of the city. They are also sold in souvenir boxes.
You can buy from grocery stores and tents that make and sell fresh waffles.
Price: 25—30 CZK.
Useful
How to get to Karlovy Vary from Prague: all ways to get there.
If you’re staying in Karlovy Vary, don’t miss the capital of the Czech Republic: Prague is a short drive away, but your impressions of the country would be incomplete without it. What to see in Prague in one day.
Are you in the Czech Republic during Christmas and New Year? Don’t miss Prague’s Christmas fairs.
