This might be a surprise but the Czech Republic has quite a lot of spa towns. They are dedicated both for health retreat and to relax as well. These towns usually have some sort of natural mineral water around, that is rich in vitamins and minerals. They are also very often visited mainly by locals, so there aren’t too many tourists and generally, it is not a crowded place and yet, all of the Czech spa towns have a beautiful atmosphere and architecture and like a lot of other towns in Czech republic, they are also quite cheap.
Best Czech spa towns to visit
Mariánské Lázně
Mariánské Lázně is one of the most visited spa towns in the Czech republic. The town itself is surrounded by beautiful green mountains and it is full of parks and noble houses. Most of the architecture originates from the golden era of local spas, the second half of the 19th century. And as I mentioned before, you can find here lots of mineral springs to taste. The most famous one is Cross spring that has a strong laxative effect and is used both for baths and for drinking. You can also visit here the Singing fountain on the main colonnade. The fountain doesn’t work over winter, but you can see it from April till October. Because Mariánské Lázně is a well-visited town, you can find here some high-class hotels with still pretty attractive prices.
Karlovy Vary
This town is also situated in western bohemia like Mariánské Lázně. The town is named after Roman emperor Charles IV. from Bohemia. He founded the town in 1370 when he found one of the healing spring here in the forest. The town has a lot of hot springs – usually meant for drinking as they are too hot for bathing in nature. The city is now also known for its film festival. This means that the big stars came here to visit the town as well. The festival is usually the first week of July if you want to visit it. Because Karlovy Vary has such a big history of spa and recently movie industry as well, you can find here some really nice and modern hotels with spa options right there.
Františkovy lázně
The last ones from the region of Western bohemia that is rich in hot springs and underground waters. The historic center is under monument protection, so you can see that there is some rich history going on already. It was nominated for the UNESCO heritage list. The local springs have salutary effects that were known from the 14th century. All the springs have a high content of dissolved carbon dioxide so a lot of people are coming here to treat their cardiovascular system. For example, my grandpa spent here some time treating his low blood pressure. The town is full of neoclassical buildings so you can very well find a hotel in that style as well!
Teplice
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Teplice is perhaps the second biggest spa town in the Czech republic. Unlike all the previous towns mentioned, Teplice is part of the northern region in the Czech Republic, not too far from the German border. They are also known for a lot of local political history connected both with communism and with the era after communism. But anyway, the town is surrounded by Ore mountains, so there is a lot of hiking places around that are worth to try.
Luhačovice
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This spa town is in the southeastern part of the Czech republic. The town is surrounded by a lot of hills around, the minimum elevation from sea level is 250 above the sea level, the biggest hill around is something around 700m, so it can be quite a steep hike. Like most of the towns that I mentioned, there is also mineral water, this one is actually bottled and sold in some pharmacies in Czechia as well. That’s how popular it is. The mineral water is one of the most mineralized waters that there is. It helps with diseases of vocal cords and breathing issues. As this is also one of the very popular destinations for relaxation, you can find here a lot of great hotels cheaper than in other places that are listed here.
Lázně Jáchymov
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Possibly the newest spa town in the Czech republic as it got its spa status just in 1906. The spa here a bit special as they are using radium for healing. Don’t worry it is not dangerous, they know what they are doing. Every year this place is helping about 16 thousand of people to heal their illnesses. Noting that, this spa is mainly for healing. Specifically, people are healing here their nerve system, movement issues like joint pain. These spas are also specializing in muscle spasms treatment. If you are not so much interested in healing but want to know more about modern history, this city has a rich but very sad history from both narcism times and communism times and you can certainly find here some interesting buildings from that era.
More info about Czech spa towns
As I mentioned previously, most of the towns have a rich tradition in treatment and relaxation. That means that there is plenty of hotels. Most of the time there is no off-season and main season, these towns are widely visited all the time. But since a lot of international tourists don’t know about them, it is not like you need to be too worried about whether you manage to find a hotel.
However, if you want to have a proper experience, I would book a hotel that is offering some sort of relaxation. It doesn’t necessarily need to be bathing in fancy healing springs since that can actually be rather expensive. Also, a lot of these places have very fancy accommodations, so you can actually find accommodation in very old fashioned building.
For adventure seekers, all of these places are located in the mountains, so you can see here a lot of hills. Don’t expect to get same hikes as you would in Nepal, but there are enough scenic views.
One last piece of advice. These towns are usually about 100 km from Prague. So you can make it a day trip. But I would recommend staying overnight since there is a lot of things to do.
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January 17, 2019
I somehow didn’t know that there were Czech spa towns!! That sounds so relaxing and they all look so beautiful. This is a really lovely guide.
Sadly I don’t really know much about the Czech Republic at all, but definitely didn’t know they had so many beautiful spa towns! These towns look so pretty and sound really relaxing. Thanks for the wonderful guide!
Hannah | https://getlost.blog/
To be honest, I had never heard of any of these towns so thanks a lot for providing more information about them.
Wow, so many Czech spa towns! I would love to visit one of these. They look so beautiful. I am curious about the radium healing at Lázně Jáchymov and the cure for joint pain. I should give it a try.
I’ve yet to visit Czech but would love to go just to see these spas!
These towns look so lovely! I would love to visit all of them some day. Thanks for sharing this round up of places.
These spa towns all look so pretty! It’s interesting how many different ailments the various waters can potentially treat, and how many people visit for healing purposes. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to visit one and try it myself 🙂
I love the idea of not only going to the Czech Republic to drink fantastic beer and see some of the most beautiful architecture in Europe, but I can also go to one amazing spa after another. Love it!
I love a good spa! When I took my mom on a UK trip, I think we had 3 different massages lol
Wow! I’ve never heard of Czech spas, only of Budapest baths! I need to find out more!
I had no idea that Czech Republic is known for its spa. I am now wondering how expensive would an average spa visit cost. 😀
Good point! I’ll update the post about it during the weekend, thanks!
These just make me want to visit Czech even more. I always love a good spa experience.
What a lovely post! I didn’t make it out of Prague the last time I was in Czech Republic but I’d really love to explore more, particularly Karlovy Vary and Teplice, as I wanted to visit the nearby national park.
Wow this sounds wonderful! It looks beautiful there. Thanks for the lovely post 🙂
I never knew the Czech Republic had all of these spa towns! I visited Prague briefly about 20 years ago but I obviously need to plan a trip back. I would love to visit many of these towns for both relaxation and healing.
That’s really awesome! Thanks for sharing. Love your article.