Karlovy Vary

Karlovy Vary is one of Europe's best-known spa towns, and in 2021 joined Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně among UNESCO's Great Spa Towns of Europe. It is known for its hot mineral springs and colourful classical buildings along both banks of the Teplá.

Its best-known spring, the Vřídlo, bursts out at about 73°C to a height of several metres inside its own colonnade. Along the river the colonnades follow one another, the finest being the Mill Colonnade with its classical columns, where visitors sip spring water from special porcelain cups with a spout in the handle.

The town is about two hours from Prague by car. It has been known to Arab visitors for decades, offers medical mineral-water cures under doctors' supervision, and hosts the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival every summer.