The German poet Johann Wolfgang Goethe, the brilliant composer Ludwig Van Beethoven, the mysterious Italian Giacomo Casanova, the Russian Tsar Peter the Great, Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev, Yuri Gagarin, Leonid Brezhnev - all these famous people could meet in one place that each of them once visited. them for treatment and relaxation - in Karlovy Vary.
How did the sources come about?
The city is located among the hills in a unique beauty valley, at the confluence of two rivers, Teply and Ogra. According to legends, in the 14th century, the king of Bohemia, Charles IV (aka the emperor of the Roman Empire) discovered a healing spring while hunting a deer. The wounded animal plunged into a small body of water and rushed to run with new strength, hiding from its pursuers. The ruler was astounded and gave the order to found a city where, with the help of wonderful water, he and the nobles regained health and regained strength. The city was named after him, Carlsbad (later renamed Karlovy Vary), and the symbol was a deer or chamois.
To whom and why it is useful to visit
Today, rest in Karlovy Vary for recovery is chosen by people with digestive tract problems and excess weight, diseases of the spine, joints, to restore the nervous system. Modern methods of treating with water from thermal springs are based on many years of experience, works and research of balneologists. Mineral water is used internally for therapeutic purposes; it is used to make water massage and take baths.
Sources of the city are arranged in small groups:
- Three - in the Garden Colonnade: Serpent Spring, Park, Freedom.
- Six - in the Mill Colonnade: Rock, Libushe, Prince Wenceslas I, Prince Wenceslas II, Mill Spring (radon), Mermaid.
- Two - in the Market Colonnade: Source, Source of Charles IV.
- Two - in the Castle Colonnade: Lower and Upper Castle.
- One is in the Geyser Colonnade (Vrzhidlo).
The chemical composition is similar in all sources. For those who remember the periodic table, it is carbon dioxide-sulphate-sodium water with calcium, lithium iron, bromine, potassium. The water in the springs differs in temperature (from 30 ° C to 72 ° C) and carbon monoxide content (0.3 - 0.7 g / l), which has a different effect on the body and is taken into account when prescribing treatment.
Sources are not a panacea, moreover, under certain conditions, treatment is prohibited. Contraindications are:
- the presence of the disease in an acute form,
- infections
- alcoholism and drug addiction,
- malignant tumors
- acute heart failure.
But even in such cases it is not forbidden to come to rest in Karlovy Vary and enjoy the atmosphere of this city. For people who prefer outdoor activities - golf, tennis, horse riding, cycling. These classes will help to relax and improve the body, because the air is also saturated with healing minerals.
Where to stay
Hotels, pensions, apartments, motels - the choice is sufficient for the discerning tourist and budget traveler. Travelers with experience in holiday reviews in Karlovy Vary with treatment recommend paying attention to some particularly attractive accommodation options.
Aparthotel
Revelton Suites Karlovy Vary. This is a complex of spacious apartments in the city center, a ten-minute leisurely walk to the hot spring. Visitors agree on impeccable cleanliness, comfort, comfortable beds and bedding. The kitchen was equipped with the necessary equipment: stove, coffee maker, toaster, dishwasher, slow cooker. For music lovers installed a high-quality stereo system. By agreement, pets can be taken to this apartment - pets are allowed here.
SPA Apartments Bulharska. Duplex apartment with an excellent location, one kilometer from the Mill Colonnade. Residents note stylish design, cleanliness and comfort. This is a good option for a large family with children and grandmothers - the apartment has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Lazne spa complex with a swimming pool and a wide range of services is located directly opposite.
Apartment Luxury Nostalgia. Housing in this complex is well-deserved; vacancies here very often do not exist. And this is understandable: a convenient place is in the middle between the Mill and Market Colonnades, one and a half kilometers from the hot spring. The kitchen is fully equipped with appliances. The owners have provided every detail for a better stay in Karlovy Vary: there is a bedroom with a fireplace, a sauna in the bathroom, a computer, cable TV.
Boarding houses
Penzion Valkoun-Lilienfeld. Pleasant guesthouse with a view of the Teplá River, rated by visitors at 9.5 points out of ten. Five minutes walk - and you are at the Colonnade. Guests noted delicious continental breakfasts, cleanliness, silence, staff responsiveness.
Pension Dvorak. This guest house is 900 meters from Mill Colonnade and a five-minute walk from Alzbetina Lazne, where treatment is convenient. High ceilings, spacious rooms are simply and tastefully decorated. Nearby are inexpensive restaurants and supermarkets.
Hotels
Hotel Ontario. Ontario knows a lot about receiving guests - after all, he has been doing this for 150 years. The hotel offers stunning views of the city and the river due to its location in a quiet area above the Mill Colonnade. A short walk will lead you to the swimming pool, to the mineral spring, restaurant or shop. Local chefs create varied and tasty breakfasts: pastes, sausages, cheese, fresh pastries, juices and aromatic coffee. Nearby is the Moser crystal plant and the Becherplatz museum.
Retro Riverside. The hotel is located in Březová, on the edge of the forest near the Tepla River. Guests have free access to the wellness and spa center with pools, saunas, a hot tub and a gym. A choice of standard rooms and suites. Hotel guests in reviews compare the hotel with a fabulous castle surrounded by greenery and water, peace in this place is guaranteed. But for mineral water in Karlovy Vary will have to travel by transport.
Sanatoriums
Imperial. This hotel is a landmark of the city. It was built in 1900 and since then has maintained the level of service and comfort at the highest level. Guests of the hotel who visited Karlovy Vary in 2018 noted an excellent choice of dishes in the restaurant, silence, impressive services of spa professionals, and a well-built system of spa services. The source of mineral water is right at the hotel.
Vienna House Dvorrak Karlovy Vary. Specialists of the sanatorium "Dvorak" will help cleanse the body and reduce weight. It will offer a therapy developed by Franz Mayr, an Austrian physician. Dishes in the restaurant are prepared both as part of the main menu, and according to special diet recipes. The spa has a choice of 16 treatments, including oxygen, relaxation therapy.
Bristol. Wellness Hotel Bristol is part of a complex of six resorts. Very well located relative to the springs and the natural park. If you are in the mood for serious therapy, this is a great option. Competent doctors who have worked here for 10 years or more will conduct an examination and prescribe the right treatment, all procedures can be completed in the building of the sanatorium. The restaurant advises a diet sister who will help you choose the right dishes from the variety of buffets. The hotel provides an indoor pool, spa services (body wrap, Thai massage), a sauna and a fitness center.
Sanatoriums of no less high level, such as Windsor Spa Hotel, Parkhotel Richmond, Cajkovskij Palace, also offer excellent treatment and relaxation in Karlovy Vary .
What to do with the child
Have you come to rest in Karlovy Vary with your children? This is its pluses. If stories about magic water and healing air, which give health, did not add optimism to your offspring, organize an entertainment program for him in Karlovy Vary with outings in the area.
Amusement park "Plon"
Located near the Czech-German border, the distance to Karlovy Vary is 72 kilometers, but the trip is worth it. Behind the gate you find yourself in the world of German fairy tales. Puss in boots, sleeping beauty tell their stories, trees talk, dragons growl and blow smoke - not only children will be impressed. It is better to arrive in the morning, as the choice of attractions is rather big: a children's railway, a roller coaster, go-karts, trampolines, a walk on the river on a raft, an obstacle course, a maze. Reindeer, donkeys, goats walk with pleasure in the park and enjoy talking with children.
Observation tower and funicular ride
Not a single child will refuse to take the Lanovka Imperial or Lanovka Diana funicular to the observation decks "Deer Jump" and "Diana", from where the city will appear, in full view. Of the interesting things on Diana, kids will find a mini zoo with ponies, goats, pigs and peacocks.
Loket Castle
In the medieval castle of Loket, children can feel like real knights and princesses. The torture chamber can be skipped, and the wedding and ceremonial halls, the arms room cannot but interest a curious teenager.
Add to a family vacation in the Czech Republic in Karlovy Vary, a trip to Pilsen to visit the Dino Park and the zoo, where the young naturalist will definitely like it. Two hours away - Prague with an aquarium, a zoo and other activities. Visit the pools of Karlovy Vary - open with mineral water at the Hotel Termal, closed complexes in Lazne. Kids will be delighted with the trip on a carriage drawn by three horses.
Which hotels to stay for families with children
You should carefully consider the choice of hotel when traveling with children for treatment. The fact is that not all sanatoriums are ready to accommodate families with children up to a certain age. In the specialized hospital, Manes accept children older than two years. If the kid is five years old, Carlsbad Plaza Medical Spa & Wellness hotel, SmetanaVyšehrad, Krivan hotels are waiting for you. After another year, from six years old, you can go through the procedures at the Tchaikovsky Hotel and Ostende. The main group of sanatoriums will accept children 10-12 years of age and older. Therefore, if the plans are only relaxation, the best choice would be an apart hotel or a good hotel.
Especially for men (and not only)
While mothers relax in the spa and have fun with children, dads can diversify their holidays in Karlovy Vary by stopping by the European Center for Natural Beer Baths, which is located just six kilometers from the city along a picturesque forest road along the river. The interior of the first half of the 19th century was recreated in the building. In the courtyard there is a reservoir with carps, which even an inexperienced fisherman can easily catch. Nearby is another pond with the trout that lives in it. The catch is baked according to an old recipe in a beech wood stove.
Beer, which is brewed here on German equipment, is poured into special wooden containers for procedures. Beer heated to a comfortable temperature brings an amazing effect: the skin becomes soft, the body is saturated with vitamins, acids and trace elements. Toxins are removed and a person is charged with energy. Beer baths are recommended for strengthening the circulatory system, cardiac activity, weight loss and restoration of potency.
Where else is there the opportunity after a walk in the woods with a fishing rod over your shoulder to take a beer bath with an air massage and a glass of fresh beer, which each guest is treated to, have dinner with homemade dishes with a smoke? Rest and treatment in Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic) will undoubtedly bring benefit and pleasure to all family members.