The best time to visit Karlovy Vary
The colonnades run all year, but the KVIFF film festival in mid-summer raises prices and crowds, and the Bečov and Loket lines only run for part of the year.
- Best
- May, June and September
- Mid-summer
- The KVIFF film festival
- Day-trip season
- 1 April – 30 October
The best months for Karlovy Vary are May, June and September — warm enough for long walks along the colonnades, and outside July, when the town hosts the KVIFF film festival and rooms get pricier. The day-trip season is narrower than the tourist one: the buses to Loket and Bečov nad Teplou only run 1 April – 30 October, each on a single day of the week.
Month by month
If you only pick one month — September. Temperature is the mean over the whole day (not the daily high), and a rainy day has at least 1 mm of rain; averages for 2021–2024.
In this table May, June and September are the months when the day can be spent outdoors without a break — warm enough for an hour at Diana and a queue at the wafer stand, without the August crowds. September also comes after KVIFF, once room prices settle back down.
KVIFF raises prices and crowds
Karlovy Vary has hosted the KVIFF film festival since 1946, held every year in mid-summer, in and around the Grandhotel Pupp and the Hotel Thermal. That week, rooms cost more and the colonnades fill up; outside the festival days, summer stays good for walking, just with more people at the Hot Spring Colonnade.
1 April – 30 October
The tourist lines to Bečov nad Teplou and Loket only run in that window — line 91 to Bečov on Saturdays, line 92 to Loket on Sundays. Outside that period, those lines don't run at all, not just less often. Jáchymov, Mariánské Lázně and Cheb have no such restriction and run all year.
Open all year, each on its own schedule
Moser and the Jan Becher Museum are open all year, but each in its own way. The Moser tour with the glass-blowing demonstration runs weekdays only, Mon–Fri 9–14 (tour); museum Mon–Sat 9–16, while the museum display is also open at weekends. The Jan Becher Museum is open Tue–Sun 9–17, closed Monday.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
When is the best time to visit Karlovy Vary?
May, June and September, warm enough for the colonnades and outside July, when the town hosts KVIFF and prices climb.
Can Loket and Bečov nad Teplou be visited out of season?
Not on those lines — they only run 1 April – 30 October, each on a single day of the week. Outside that window, Jáchymov, Mariánské Lázně and Cheb remain.
Are the factories open all year?
Yes, but the Moser tour only on weekdays, Mon–Fri 9–14 (tour); museum Mon–Sat 9–16, and the Jan Becher Museum is closed Monday.
Ready for Karlovy Vary?
Where to next
Karlovy Vary in 2 days
→Day one runs the colonnades to the glass and liqueur factories, day two picks a trip by the day of the week…
Pilsen · 65 km
→The brewery that gave the world pilsner is the reason to come; the country's tallest church tower and the tunnels under the square hold a second day.
How well does Karlovy Vary suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
Front row for the next trip
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