On our third day in Prague, we got out of the city to visit the spa town of Karlovy Vary. Our professor wanted to show us tourism sites outside of Prague as a way of furthering our knowledge of the country as well as show us other places that tourists can visit when they are in the Czech Republic.
The entrance to the downtown from the train station is very impressive but old until you get further into the downtown.
Karlovy Tourism Bureau and information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karlovy_Vary
We took a train ride out of the city and that was interesting as the train was packed with people both going into the town and leaving the town that day. Getting a seat was an adventure. When we arrived at Karlovy Vary I was not too sure what to expect. What I experienced was a beautiful spa resort town with gorgeous Victorian architecture, excellent restaurants and shops, a extensive history of the spa industry of the area due to the mineral water springs and a whimsical turn of the century luxury hotel right in the center of it all.
Arriving in Downtown Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic
When we first arrived, it was early in the morning. The City was just beginning to wake up and we had the downtown to ourselves. RIght by the train station, the city seemed a bit quiet but when we walked in the entrance to the downtown, I could not tell you how impressed I was with the beauty of Karlovy Vary. The Becherovka bottle statue would be our meeting place at the end of the tour at the end of the day.
The Becherovka Bottle would be our meeting place at the end of the day
The city is row after row of delightful Victorian buildings with the Beaux Arts style looking almost like a wedding cake with all the embellishments.
Touring the picturesque downtown in Karlovy Vary
When we arrived in town, we did not have time to eat breakfast before we left Prague so we stopped at a few places to see what we could find. We came across Coffee Republic, a small funky coffee shop similar to those we see in Greenwich Village and had breakfast.
Republica Coffee at T.G. Masaryka 894/28
https://www.facebook.com/republicakv/
My review on TripAdvisor:
What a great meal we all had! It was fun to stop and just relax on this glorious morning.
Republica Coffee was our savior that morning
It was just nice to stop and relax. We had a nice time talking to the owners who had very different sodas and desserts on their menu.
The inside of Republica Coffee
The pastry selection in the cases
Their drink selection had a the most unusual and delicious local brands to purchase
I needed my sugar fix for the long day of walking. I had a traditional Honey Cinnamon cake and pear juice drink. Since it was such a nice morning, we were able to sit outside in the outdoor cafe. The cake had layers and layers of goodness.
Now this is a breakfast! Honey Cinnamon Cake and a Classic Pear drink by Cappy
The seating was just like New York with the outdoor seating and over head umbrellas. Since it was so early in the morning when we arrived, we were the only ones in the coffee shop and pretty much kept the staff busy for that part of the morning. People loved it when our group arrived with twelve hungry people all the time.
Sitting outside was fun on a warm sunny day
My classmates that morning chilling out before our full day of touring.
After breakfast was over, our group walked the historical downtown on our way to our tour of the Mineral Baths complex. It was one of the most beautiful downtowns I have ever seen and it put Saratoga to shame.
Starting our downtown tour through the beautiful streets of Karlovy Vary
On our way to the tour of the Mineral Baths of the City of Karlovy Vary, which is what gave the town is point of the map for being a spa town, we winded through the Victorian laden streets admiring all the elegant buildings, pocket parks, fountains and statuary of the city. I fell in love with the area in just the first half hour.
The whole town was built after the Civil War and the start of the Industrial Revolution that followed that era. When King Charles IV discovered that the mineral waters cured the wounds on his leg established a spa here and that was the beginning of the town’s development. The Victorian architecture that is now well protected under historical guidelines was built when German, French, Czech and American tourists came here for treatment after the war.
The streets were lined with interesting independent shops, restaurants and bakeries including surprisingly enough a very popular McDonalds that was always busy. I could not believe how popular McDonald’s was in both France and the Czech Republic! Just shows the power of American cultural influence all over the world. Plus people really like the food.
When we reached the center of the town and discovered the most beautiful garden that had the most unusual feature, a garden that in the landscaping had the day of the week. They must have to change this every day but it was fun to look at.
The day of the week is done in flowers
We got such a kick out it that we had to take a picture
Walking through their downtown is just breathtaking with all the beautiful Victorian gardens,statuary, fountains and gorgeous architecture. One block was better than the other and I do not know if the people living here every get tired of this beautiful town.
All the gardens are so well-maintained
All the buildings look like a wedding cake
I just want to jump in their fountains and splash around
Touring the downtown by the obelisk
With every twist and turn of this
I don’t think there was a bad looking corner of this town.
Our first stop on the tour was going to visiting the Mineral baths and where the water flow was controlled.
The entrance to the building
Touring the flow of the mineral baths
Our class observing the flow of the mineral waters to the baths
Our group seeing how the mineral bath systems work in the building
The model of the mineral water system for the city
Mineral Water buildup
Our class group shot with Dr. K, our professor for the class
Walking through the pipes
The mineral water running through the system
What the mineral water does to products during build up
Our group shot when we were leaving the mineral bath tour of the water system. It was an interesting behind the scenes tour of how the whole system worked.
After the tour, we walked outside where the sunny, blue day was in full blaze. The flowering trees made quite the backdrop to the local Catholic Church. It was such a great day.
The beautiful landscaping accented all the beautiful buildings.
After the tour of the behind-the-scenes workings of the mineral baths, we then took a tour of the Hotel Prezident with its noted doctor, MD Sarova, who explained to us how the spa/wellness visits benefit clients from all over the world. This form of luxury spa treatment has been popular in Karlovy for over a hundred years and in a post-COVID world has found a spot of healing people.
Touring the various spa treatment rooms
The spa terrace used after treatments
This is when I just wanted to stop the tour and check in. I thought this was the perfect way to get better from any ailment. This seemed to me to be the perfect place to detox from all the problems that ailed people. With a view like this I would get better.
The relaxing view from the spa terrace
One toured the whole facility, the doctor sat down with us and explained how treatments worked, that there was a three-week treatment period to work with the body and some of the spa treatments that people used during and while having COVID. It was a fascinating lecture on the use of mineral water treatments, diet and exercise that makes people better.
Then we walked around the town and saw the various building that housed the baths, and it was like going back in time. Some looked like the famous Roman Baths and others looked like post-Civil War Victorian of the Gilded Age. It showed me the importance placed on getting better in an elegant and relaxed environment.
The Roman Baths built during the Victorian Age
The Roman baths in the Victorian Age
The Victorian Spa
The inside of the Victorian spa
In any era, I know that I would get better from a treatment like this. I think it is not just the mineral water and diet but the attitude that needs to change as well. Our approach to handle a situation is also part of the therapy that is given. The doctor had a lot of insights that day.
After our tour of the mineral baths and the spa it was off to the luxury hotel, The Grandhotel Pupp, considered one of the premier hotels in the country. What I liked about this town is that everything is within walking distance of everything else, so it was a quick walk to the hotel through the town.
The waterway in the downtown on our way to the hotel
Us touring the downtown on our way to the hotel
On the way over to the hotel we stopped for a sweet waffle or ‘wafer’ that the Czech Republic is known for in Karlovy Vary.
On the way over to the hotel, we stopped, and the Professor treated us to a waffle or known as a ‘wafer’ cookie that the city was known for. These thin little cookies were really good and very sweet. This was a great treat before lunch.
Guest Relations from the Grandhotel Pupp met us at the front door of the hotel and I was just floored by the luxury of the surroundings. Like the rest of the town, it was Victorian picture-perfect. It was like someone had dropped The Plaza Hotel into a small town. What a gorgeous hotel.
Our group arriving at the Grandhotel Pupp
My review on TripAdvisor:
I was struck by just how beautifully decorated each room was and the details on all the features. This was Victorian splendor at its best. When we walked into the lobby, the detail work and molding was something I had not seen in an American hotel.
The Grandeur of the lobby where we met Guest Relations
Our group shot at the Grandhotel Pupp
After the introductions, we started on the tour which continued through the lobby and into the bar area off the lobby in which the staff was setting up for service. They glanced at us as they wiped down glassware that was already sparkling. The whole bar area was set up perfectly. After years in the fast casual dining segment of the business, I was not used to such perfection.
The bar area being set up for service
The bar ceiling
We then walked further inside the room to the Formal Dining Room and got to see the view from the Dining Room into downtown. The room was being set up for dinner that evening.
The Formal Dining Room
The Formal Dining Room set for lunch
The ceiling in the Formal Dining Room
We then moved on to touring a few of the bedrooms. Like in France, we started with the Presidential Suite. It was elegant but not overdone which was nice. It would not intimidate anyone.
The Presidential Bedroom sleeping area
The Living Room
The Bathroom really wowed everyone
We toured two smaller rooms but after seeing all this nothing compared to it. Then we moved to the spa area of the hotel which here was more for Wellness rather than getting over an ailment. We finished the tour on the back terrace where people were outside talking and chatting over drinks.
The Terrace Dining at the Grandhotel Pupp. I just wished we could have stayed over!
After we took a group shot with the Director of Guest Relations, we were off to lunch at Restaurant Diana, which stood above the city on the monorail system called the ‘Funicular’. We got the most amazing view of the city from this point. We took the monorail up the top of the mountain and stopped at a building that looked like one of the old Lodge Hotels in an American National Park.
The amazing views at the top of the mountain should not be missed
Our first stop when we reached the top was Restaurant Diana for lunch. I was not knowing what to expect and what we experienced was an excellent hearty lunch with wonderful service in an beautiful environment.
Restaurant Diana at the top of Diana Karlovy Vary
My review on TripAdvisor:
We sat down in a back table in a sun-drenched dining room and ordered. The waitress could not have been nicer to a large group of people and since it was quiet in the dining room that afternoon, we got a lot of attention. The food and the service were wonderful that afternoon.
The inside of Restaurant Diana
I had the Pan-Fired Pork Cutlets with a side of Bacon Dumplings. The dumplings were rather large and looked and tasted more like a small slice of bread rather than a traditional dumpling either Chinese or Pennsylvanian Dutch. We found out later in the week how they were made but I really enjoyed them, and it was a rather filling meal for a traditional lunch.
The Pan-Fried Pork Cutlet and Bacon Dumplings were delicious that afternoon.
We talked about the hotel tour and all the wonderful things to see in Karlovy Vary over lunch and then afternoon lunch of our tour up the Observation Tower. I could not wait to see the views. All I know was that I was going to take a very long nap when we got back to Prague. This was a heavy lunch.
The views from the tower were breathtaking and you really got to see the City from here. The forests that surrounded the city were just amazing.
Restaurant Diana from the view from the top of the tower
The City with the views of the surrounding forest
More of the surrounding city
The surrounding forest
The city in the distance
After the tour in the Observation Deck, we decided to walk down the hill/ Not the best move when you are wearing topsiders and the path is mostly not paved. It was a treacherous walk down in some spots, but we got back down in one piece. It was a good way of working off lunch.
When we got to the bottom, the Professor let us have the rest of the afternoon to ourselves so we could tour the town. I started to revisit all the streets that we walked down and wanted to see some of the shops and bakeries that looked interesting. I also took my time to admire the architecture in the town squares.
The wedding cake architecture of the buildings
The Repre Bakery at T.G. Masaryka 837/29 is just amazing for Czech pastries!
My review on TripAdvisor:
While walking around on my way back to the train station to meet everyone else I came across Repre, a wonderful bakery featuring the most delicious Czech pastries. What a selection of glazed and cream filled goodies! I could not make a choice on which one I liked so I got two of them. I got a
The excellent selection of pastries that I could not choose from
I was not sure of the names of these delicious desserts but the Chocolate one was filled with Mocha and Whipped Cream topped with a rich milk chocolate sauce and the other one is a glazed doughnut topped with extra thick icing and filled with vanilla and whipped cream.
I chose these two pastries and was in high heaven with each bite. The quality and flavor of these pastries was just excellent, and I could see the women who worked the counter were watching me with a big smile on my face. This is what I love about being an adult and can pay for my own things. You have choices.
After dessert was over, I kept walking back to the liquor bottle that was our meeting point, taking pictures of buildings, parks and fountains. It was just one nice thing to look at after another.
One of the unusual fountains that I came across on my way back to the train station,
Walking around the downtown
We met back at the meeting spot and took one last picture by 5:00pm so that we could take the train back to Prague. From not knowing what to expect to having an absolute ball in Karlovy Vary, I highly recommend this side trip out of the city for a restful and relaxing afternoon of touring and dining.
Another great day of touring! What beautiful weather we had too!
mywalkinmanhattan 