Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary takes 1–2 days, because this is a spa town, not a museum: the day is spent walking the colonnades cup in hand, not moving from one sight to the next. The coach from Prague takes about 1 h 50, and every night's stay carries €2.05 per person/night in stay tax, charged apart from the room.

The coach from Prague arrives on the outskirts, from where it's a short ride by local transport into the centre; a single DPKV ticket is €1.23, a day pass €5.33. The centre itself is a narrow valley along the Teplá river, walked on foot only — the colonnades line both banks, one after another.

First on the way is the Mill Colonnade, a neo-Renaissance building of 1871–1881 designed by Josef Zítek, sheltering five mineral springs under one roof; entry is free, and the upper terrace stays open only until the end of September. A little further stands the Hot Spring Colonnade, where the Vřídlo, the town's strongest spring, sends up a jet as high as 12 metres — the view is free summer 6–19, winter 6:30–18, and only a separate underground excursion is ticketed.

To drink the springs like a local, any shop sells a lázeňský pohárek, a spouted cup that keeps the water off your teeth — the mineral concentration is high enough to wear at enamel without it. Above the colonnades, the Diana funicular runs up to the lookout and its tower, a return ticket is €6.76 (return); from the top the whole valley comes into view at once for the first time.

Two factories in town are toured with a guide through production, more than viewed as a museum display. The Moser glassworks runs a glass-blowing demonstration on weekday mornings, Mon–Fri 9–14 (tour); museum Mon–Sat 9–16, admission €15.16; the museum display alone also opens at weekends. The Jan Becher Museum, home of the Becherovka liqueur, walks through production with a tasting, €11.89, open Tue–Sun 9–17, closed Monday.

At the far end of the colonnades, where the valley starts to widen, stands the Grandhotel Pupp — a working hotel since 1701 and a national cultural monument, seen from outside or from the lobby, home also to Becher's Bar. From there the way leads on to day trips nearby: Loket and its cliff-top fortress over the river Ohře are the closest, about 20 min by bus.