Karlovy Vary

So you made the 2 hour trip to Karlovy Vary from Prague?  You won't be disappointed.  If you plan your trip right, you'll get here right around the biggest film festival in the Czech Republic.  When I was working at the Embassy in Prague, they needed a representative to go to the festival to welcome John Travolta, but since he decided to come at such a late time no one had time to go.  So I volunteered, but for some reason they didn't think an intern was senior enough to welcome Mr. Travolta...probably had a point.  But still, this festival is amazing and tons of famous actors from all over the world come.  It's usually the first part of July, and a great time to visit.  That is unless you plan to do what it's really famous for.

Why Visit?

There are a lot of reasons to visit this amazing city.  Probably the most prominent nowadays is it is a big piece of Russia in the Czech Republic.  It was a favorite vacation spot of Soviet elites, and even now, nearly everything in the city is written in Czech and Russian, some places just have Russian writing though.  It is a very unique place, and if you're like me and wish you could go to Russia more often but can't because of visa issues, this is where you can get your great Russian food, including my favorite juice Mors.  But this isn't why the Soviets would visit. No the real reason is the hot springs. Karlovy Vary is a spa town, which means Czech wafers too.

How to Get There

The easiest way to get there from Prague is to take a direct bus, once again check the Student Agency website for buses.  You can also take trains, but if I remember right, you need to switch trains on most ways to get there.  You can use idos.cz to plan your trip by bus or train.  It's about a 2 hour trip from Prague.

What to Do

This all depends on how much time you have.  You could make Karlovy Vary into a pure hiking visit as it is tucked into mountains and hills and has a huge multitude of hiking and biking trails.  Or you can spend your days soaking in the hot springs, or plan a full vacation and just do both.  But whatever you end up doing, you won't regret doing it in Karlovy Vary.

If you have any suggestions or would like to contribute click here to send me an email.  If you would like to sponsor my trip somewhere to showcase your business or to work with me please send me an email as well.

Additionally, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, or check out my photography website at A River Runs Through It Photography.