Karlovy Vary or Carlsbad

Prague to Karlovy Vary

From one of the smaller stations in Prague (Praha Florenc) I managed to hop on the bus about five minutes before it left. The Student Agency bus lines have a great service around Prague and I can definitely recommend their busses.
The very comfortable bus took me 160 Czech crowns, or about six euros / 7 dollars. With excellent internet connection I even had a sea of time to search for what I absolutely had to see and do in Karlovy Vary.
Once that was done, I put away my phone and I watched a movie on the built-in TV-screen in the seats.

The Carlsbad bus station is very centrally located and actually brings you to the center in only two minutes. Please note: the bus makes two stops.
The first stop is the easiest to get off, because this one is closest to the city. But the second stop is where you must go back and you should buy your tickets if you want to return to Prague.
The second stop is about five hundred meters away. You basically can’t miss the big building where all busses come and leave.

Karlovy Vary sights and must do’s

Personally, I think you just should walk through Karlovy Vary instead of taking a bus or car. In my opinion this is the only way to really get the best view over the gorgeous city.
Because it already is november, it’s already quite cold in the Czech Republic.
This also means that the air is not as blue anymore, but rather gray and overcast. That color is in stark contrast with the bright colors of the lovely houses throughout the city.
It seems that the inhabitants of this city wanted to give a permanent cozy atmosphere to heir spa city by painting the houses.

If you go further through the city, you’ll soon meet some of the ‘kolonadas’. These metal pavilions show the (past?) Grandeur of the city in the best possible way. They are already beautiful in winter, but I think the Vridelni kolonada must be at its best when the surrounding park is in bloom.

When you walk a little further you’ll see some picturesque walkways. Again, while passing next to some exceptionally beautiful kolonada’s. While strolling through the city you’ll see many more of the colorful houses and beautiful churches which are definitely worth some short stops for taking pictures of them.

Almost at the end of the city, there is a fountain permanently spouting water from the hot springs. The warm mist feels good when you walk along, but it’s especially nice to see this natural spectacle in the middle of the city.

Definitely keep walking until the end of the town and there turn right into one of the small roads. Here you’ll find a small station where you can buy a ticket (80 crowns go and return) to be hoisted towards the Diana tower with the help of a funicular.
Once you get there, you’ll get an incredibly beautiful view of the city and the surrounding nature. When you climb up (or take the lift) to the Diana tower, you’ll get the best view, however.

From this tower, I saw a monument that I had not seen in any other guidebooks or websites. The Orhtodox St. Peter and Paul church.
With its bright blue hues and golden domes, it is hard not to miss, and if I’m honest I found this one of the most beautiful churches I had seen yet.

Once I took the funicular back down, I went in search of this mysterious church to inspect it a little closer. And after about thirty minutes, I let out several ‘wows’ when I saw the majestic building appear.
Hidden behind a few hotels and houses the phenomenal building started rising slowly. Inside, you can’t take pictures, but the sober interior is absolutely not comparable to the lush exterior of this beautiful church.

Healing water

Nearly four hours later, I had seen the small Carlsbad. Small but beautiful! When I returned to the bus I filled my bottle with a little bit of healing spring water, because well… You can’t leave Karlsbad without at least trying out the magical water, can you?!
During my brief visit, I found it quite funny that people constantly walked around with a small, porcelain jug, which they constantly filled with the water from one of the fountains and then sipped it slowly like it was some kind of magical elixer. In my opinion it was nothing more than salty, slightly acidic water. But perhaps… I’ll feel reborn in a couple of hours? Who knows!

Cheers!

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