Tag Archives: Karlovy Vary

Hotel Spa Imperial, Karlovy Vary, Czechia

October 3, 2026Czechia, Travelfunicular, Goethe Tower, Hotel Spa Imperial, Karlovy Vary, mineral springs, wall artkarenfranza

Sep 29 – When we are on vacation, Jim usually books us into one place a week. He made an exception here in Karlovy Vary, where we moved to three place in the same week to compare different Karlovy Vary experiences.

When doing his research, Jim found a robust online debate about which was the finest hotel, the Grandhotel Pupp, or the Hotel Spa Imperial? Knowing that we will probably never get to experience a five star hotel in Paris or New York, Jim decided to give us two extravagant experiences in Karlovy Vary.

The Hotel Spa Imperial is way up in the hills, so we have a gorgeous view off our private balcony. It has fewer service people (we had to fetch our own coffee), but the breakfast buffet was equally sumptuous. The pool here is bigger, but the lounges are wooden, so a bit less comfortable.

But, the Hotel Spa Imperial has its own funicular, a glass elevator, a bidet, and its own indoor mineral spring! We declare the winner to be the Hotel Spa Imperial!

Cool topiary gardens – we spoke with the gardener and thanked him for his lovely work

Odd statues on the front lawn reminded us of standing stones

A great glass elevator – just like Willy Wonka!

The Hotel Spa Imperial has its own funicular to ferry guests up and down the big hill

I just knew we were going to get a funicular ride in this town

The view from our balcony. You can see the Grandhotel Pupp way down below (with the green roof) and the Diana Tower atop the far hill…

For our last hike, we climbed another excruciating hill to the Goethe Tower

The staircase inside boasted a large number of stuffed /dessicated local wildlife

As always, the view makes the climb worthwhile

So long, Karlovy Vary. We had a grand time!

Obora Svaty Linhart, Karlovy Vary, Czechia

October 1, 2026Czechia, TravelBecherovka, fallow deer, Karlovy Vary, Obora Svaty Linhart, wild boarkarenfranza

Sep 27 – After two nights at the Grandhotel Pupp, we moved across town to an apartment. Although we will miss the extravagant breakfasts, our new place comes with a full kitchen and its own marvelous indoor pool.

Now it is a beautiful, sunny Sunday, crisp but not cold. Today we will take our longest hike, up into the hills to the St. Leonard Nature Reserve.

Why do our mornings always start with an uphill climb?

Evidence of wild boar activity – we must be getting close to the nature reserve

Sure enough – dozens of adult boar inside the fence

…but some babies were able to crawl under the fence to root around to their heart’s content. Others were trying to pet them – I don’t think that’s a good idea.

…including several males with their large antler racks

On the way home we found a little chapel in the woods

…and the ruins of an old St Linhart’s church

…where it feels less crowded but no less stately, with boutique hotels and apartments at every turn

At the Premier, we not only got a great apartment, but a heated pool and jacuzzi that we had all to ourselves

We purchased a bottle of Becherovka, an aperitif made with a secret mixture of herbs and the local mineral water. If you ever get the chance, we recommend you try it!

The Art Museum and the Charles Tower, Karlovy Vary, Czechia

September 30, 2026Czechia, Travelart museum, Charles Tower, Karlovy Varykarenfranza

Sep 26 – Another beautiful day to see more of the hills surrounding this town. This time we’re heading in the other direction, to find the Charles Tower.

Lots of what seem to be testimonials from famous people who came to Karlovy Vary for the mineral water cure

Walking on the outskirts of town to the art museum

Rudbeckia and coneflowers still blooming here

At the Art Museum, disturbing photographs from Czechia’s past

The exhibit behind Jim was a series of newspapers with black blotches partially painted over them, entitled Darkness is Necessary for Seeing

Diana Tower, Karlovy Vary, Czechia

September 29, 2026Czechia, TravelDiana Tower, hot springs, Karlovy Varykarenfranza

Sep 25 – So the way this spa town works is that you purchase a special sipping cup to partake of the mineral waters coming from the 15 hot springs, while walking slowly in a contemplative manner. Do not drink too much, and do not think negative thoughts.

The hills around the city are marked with nature trails for contemplative hiking, and the hotel will rent you trekking poles for this purpose (we brought our own, of course). What we saw was loads of people sipping and shopping in the city center, and very few people on the trails – more trails for us!

Lots of upscale shops in the city center

Shops and stands all over town sell the special ceramic cups with long sipping spouts to cool the hot spring waters so you don’t burn your mouth

Here is ours, which conveniently lists the 15 springs and their temperatures

Some springs are steaming hot, and others just lukewarm. They all taste sort of metallic and unpleasant, but we dutifully sipped a little from each.

With our newfound health and strength, Jim had planned that we ride the funicular up into the hills to the Diana Tower, then walk gently down.

Of course, the funicular was being repaired, so we decided to walk up instead. Just as well – got to work off those calories from the sumptuous breakfast! First we climbed many flights of steps…

…and the funicular tracks that we didn’t get to ride

The view from the tower was worth the climb

On the walk down, we spied some mushrooms that looked like dinner rolls

There’s that funicular track again – maybe some day we’ll get to ride!

Karlovy Vary, Czechia

September 27, 2026Czechia, TravelGrandhotel Pupp, hot springs, Karlovy Vary, spakarenfranza

Sep 23 – On the map, Plzen and Karlovy Vary are so close together that it was just unimaginable that there was no direct route from one to the other without having to go back to Prague. Yet online, not only could we not find a train or bus, but there did not seem to be any tickets at all, through Prague or otherwise. We spent an anxious evening exploring FlixBus, Omio, Rome to Rio, and every other site we could find online, then determined to walk to the train station in the morning and see what was what.

It turned out that there were plenty of buses and trains, even a direct train that would get us there in less than two hours! We purchased the tickets gladly, and it made us wonder if we could have made better choices in other cities if we had not relied on the internet. A word to the wise for our fellow travelers!

So now we are in Karlovy Vary, the northernmost and last stop on our tour. We are almost at the German border, and, in fact, this city used to be part of Germany, once called Carlsbad or Karlsbad. Karl for King Charles IV, and “bad” the German word for bath. In Czech, Karlovy for King Charles, and Vary meaning boiling. The hot springs here healed King Charles’ wounded leg in 1342. In the 1800s, it is where the wealthy came to relax and partake of the medicinal hot springs, purported to cure just about any disease and disability you can think of.