9 Best Sights in Karlovy Vary, Western Bohemia

From Kostel svatého Lukáše, take a sharp right uphill on a redbrick road, then turn left onto a footpath through the woods, following signs to Jelení skok (Stag's Leap). After a while, steps lead up to a bronze statue of a deer looking over the cliffs, the symbol of Karlovy Vary. From here a winding path threads toward a little red gazebo opening onto a mythical panorama that's worth the strenuous hike to the top.

Built in the late 1960s as the communist idea of luxury, this oversize modern hotel is the main venue of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in early July. Many people, though, consider it an eyesore that's out of step with the rest of the city.

To the right of the Vřídlo Colonnade, steps lead up to the white Church of Mary Magdalene. Designed by Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer (architect of the two churches of St. Nicholas in Prague), this is the best of the few baroque buildings still standing in Karlovy Vary.

If it's open, try to visit the crypt.

A five-minute walk up the steep Zámecký vrch from the Market Colonnade brings you to the Victorian, redbrick St. Luke's Church, once a gathering point for the local English community.

Six domes top this splendid Russian Orthodox church. It dates to the end of the 19th century, and is decorated with paintings and icons donated by wealthy Russian visitors.

You can usually peek inside, daily 9–6.

This neo-Renaissance pillared hall, along the river, is the town's centerpiece. Built from 1871 to 1881, it has four springs: Rusalka, Libussa, Prince Wenceslas, and Millpond.

Give your feet a rest. You won't need to walk to one of the best views of the town. Even higher than Stag's Leap sits this observation tower, accessible by funicular from behind the Grandhotel Pupp. There's an elevator to the top of the tower, and a restaurant at the tower's base.

Laced with white wrought iron, this elegant colonnade at the edge of Dvořákovy sady was built in 1882 by the Viennese architectural duo Fellner and Helmer, who sprinkled the Austro-Hungarian Empire with many such edifices during the late 19th century. They also designed the town's theater, the quaint wooden Tržní kolonáda (Market Colonnade) next to the Vřídlo Colonnade, and one of the old bathhouses.

Shooting its scalding water to a height of some 40 feet, the Vřídlo is indeed Karlovy Vary's hottest and most dramatic gusher. Built around it is the jarringly modern Vřídlo Colonnade. Walk inside the arcade to watch patients take the famed Karlsbad drinking cure. The waters (30°F–72°F) are said to be especially effective against diseases of the digestive and urinary tracts. They're also good for gout (which probably explains the spa's former popularity with royals). If you want to join the crowds and take a sip, you can buy your own spouted cup from one of the souvenir vendors throughout the town.