Admire the architecture while soothed by waters
The Elizabeth Bath is perhaps the one to visit, the grand building is over one-hundred years old, and offers many wellness treatments alongside the hot-spring waters.
Be sure to step inside the baroque Church of St. Mary Magdalene, impressive in and out with domed spires.
Not content with wowing us with waters, Karlovy Vary is also an incredibly beautiful city. The architecture is grand, intriguing, and non-uniform – with buildings in various styles next to each other creating this very unique layout.
The gardens in-front of the Elizabeth Bath
The Mill Colonnade is perhaps the city’s most famous, with the spring underneath here seemingly popular with the locals. However, my interest was more in the Market Colonnade, carved from wooden in Swiss-style, and the Park Colonnade crafted from cast-iron, transformed from a concert hall.
Speaking of concerts, the Karlovy Vary theatre which opened in the late 1800s is stunning, inside and out (especially in some of the entrance hall areas) so try and snag tickets for a performance, or pop your head in.
Most of the architecture in the city is either neo-Baroque and neo-Renaissance, and the historic centre is compact to explore by foot – mainly following the Tepla river which flows down the centre of the pedestrianised area – with colonnades providing cover from the elements if needed.
The Tepla River running through Karlovy Vary
Visit the city centre Spas
Further along, and an imposing concrete (almost brutalist looking) building with the Thermal Pool overhanging the city might be a nice photo spot in summer, just don’t look behind you at the eye-sore.
Many of the most beautiful buildings are not surprisingly spa-hotels or thermal pools.