Your Ultimate Guide to West Bohemia in Czech Republic

Welcome to West Bohemia, a region where relaxation, refreshment, and adventure come together in perfect harmony. Known for its world-famous spa towns like Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně, West Bohemia invites you to unwind in healing mineral waters that have drawn visitors for centuries.

But it’s not all about taking it easy—this is also the land of legendary Czech beer and scenic landscapes made for active escapes. Whether you’re hiking through lush forests, cycling rolling hills, or exploring charming towns, West Bohemia offers a perfect blend of wellness, culture, and outdoor fun, all with a refreshing pint never far away.

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For your information, all these pictures were taken in May 2025.

Summary: West Bohemia during a 5-Day Trip

Discovering West Bohemia in the Czech Republic during 5 days was perfect to see the highlights of the region. You will discover why in this blog post, but first, I want to share a summary.

Day 1: Arriving at the airport in Prague and transferring to Karlovy Vary
Day 2: Discovering the Ore Mountains
Day 3: Loket
Day 4: Karlovy Vary
Day 5: Mariánské Lázně and transfer back to the airport

Best hotels to stay at

Best restaurants to eat

Some information about West Bohemia

West Bohemia is the westernmost part of the Czech Republic. It’s a well-known spa region, with towns like Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Františkovy Lázně, forming the spa triangle together. All three have been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2021. For more than 650 years, people have come to these towns for spa treatments as they use natural resources like mineral water, peat, and gas.

These beautiful towns are surrounded by thick forests and green hills, which are perfect for hiking and biking. It’s also relatively quiet, despite the tourism, and you can get enough rest here. The Slavkov forest between the spa towns is not only known for its nature, but also for cozy villages like Loket.

As West Bohemia borders Germany, it’s also possible to visit the Ore Mountains, where there was mining for many years. It’s possible now to visit some of those old mines.

And lastly, this region is also known for its beer. You can visit the city of Plzeň, which is home to the world-famous Pilsner Urquell beer. Around the region are many more breweries you can visit!

How to get to West Bohemia?

The Czech Republic is in the center of Europe, bordering Germany, Austria, Slovakia, and Poland. Because of its central location, the country is quite easy to visit.

1 | With the plane

There are two different airports nearby West Bohemia, with one being the best option. The first one is the Václav Havel Airport Prague, which is the airport for the capital of the country. This airport is for domestic and international flights, making it easy to fly into. From here, it takes around 1 hour and 30 minutes by car and around 1 hour and 40 minutes with public transportation.

The other airport is the smaller one called Karlovy Vary Airport. It’s closer by, but as it’s a small airport, there won’t be as many flights as with the airport in Prague.

2 | With public transportation

The train system is well-handled and a good way to travel around the Czech Republic! As there is a dense rail network, you can get to every corner of the country.

From other neighboring countries, it’s possible to reach the Czech Republic via Prague. After that, I would recommend renting a car to explore the region.

3 | By car

You can also come to the Czech Republic by car, depending on your starting point. The Czech Republic is a great destination for a road trip!

How to get around West Bohemia?

As lots of activities and attractions are a bit widespread from each other, I can only recommend renting a car when arriving at the airport in Prague. It would make everything a bit too complicated to travel around the region with public transportation, so save yourself the hassle and book a car!

Where to stay in West Bohemia?

1 | Hotel Termal in Karlovy Vary

Hotel Termal is located in Karlovy Vary, making it the perfect base for traveling around the region. It’s one of the biggest hotels in the city, and even though it doesn’t look that nice from the outside, most rooms offer a stunning view of the city.

You should stay for the stunning view and the many spa facilities, like an outdoor swimming pool, saunas, and sauna ceremonies. And the best thing is that it is open until 11 PM, making it perfect to relax after a day of exploring.

2 | Hotel Hvězda in Mariánské Lázně

Another option to stay is Hotel Hvězda, located in Mariánské Lázně. This hotel is one of the spa hotels of the Ensana Hotels, spread across the city. The entrance of the hotel is very stunning, and it has a few spa facilities as well, like treatments with mineral water, local mud, and CO2 treatments.

West Bohemia Itinerary

Best things to do in West Bohemia

1 | Go to Jáchymov for a visit at the Royal Mint Museum

After driving to Jáchymov – a historical town inhabited by miners until the 16th century—the goal was to learn more about silver, minerals, and uranium at the Royal Mint Museum. The museum has the largest collection in the world of different minerals from the region and a large silver collection, all coming from the mines.

Another important discovery in this region is radium: Marie Curie got pitchblende to isolate polonium and radium, and this came from the ore mountains in Jáchymov. Even though she never visited this region, it became very important in her discoveries.

As a result of these discoveries, the town opened the world’s first radon spa, as people began using its radioactive waters for therapeutic purposes. Ironically, the radiation contributed to serious health problems for miners and spa workers over time.

This museum gives you a very variated and interesting look into the history of the region and mining.

2 | Visiting the Mauritius Mine

After learning all about the importance of mining, it was time to take a look at one of them itself. The mine we went into is 460 years old and is a tin mine. This profession must’ve been hard as they mined 2 to 3 centimeters in 12 hours, as it’s hard material, and it takes 100 to 200 years to make a big court in the mine.

The Mauritius Mine is open from 1 May to 30 September, and the reason is that the rest of the year, bats live there. The tour lasts about an hour, and boots, helmets, and raincoats will be lent here. Lastly, it’s about 7°C in the mine, which is quite cold, so bringing an extra sweater wasn’t a bad idea.

3 | Wandering around the Boží Dar Peat Bog Nature Trail

The Ore Mountains – bordering the Czech Republic and Germany – were a significant region for the mining industry. But it also has some stunning nature reserves, like the Boží Dar Peat Bog Nature Trail. This 3.2-kilometer trail brings you along marshy areas with peat bogs via footpaths. It’s a perfect activity after eating at Červený Vlk brewery, as this is the starting point of the hike.

4 | Picking up our mountainbikes at Trail Park Klínovec

If you want some adventure in your trip, this activity is for you! Downhill mountain biking on a mountain in the Ore region is a fun way to get your adrenaline up. But first, take a look at the Lookout tower Klínovec for a stunning view over the region.

Once that is done, there is a cable car lift that will bring you to the top of the mountain, where the mountain biking can start. The bikes are at the top, and after a bike fitting, it was time to go down! There are different routes, and we took the easiest one, as I had never done this before. It was perfect to get into this sport!

5 | Walk up to Camera Obscural from Karlovy Vary

I love it when a city also has access to some hiking trails, where you don’t need to take a car or public transportation. And that’s exactly what Karlovy Vary has with Carmera Obscural. This 40-minute hike to the top gives you a stunning view over the city and over the Diana Tower, which we visited later.

6 | Enjoy a peaceful bike ride next to the Eger River to Loket

A fun way to discover the region is on a bike, and what better than to bike on the most picturesque bike trail to the nearby village, Loket. This bike trail is part of the 223-kilometer-long trail, going from Cheb all the way to Litoměřice, which can be completed in 5 etapes of 40 – 60 kilometers per day. But if you think that’s a bit much, the route from Karlovy Vary to Loket, a 15-kilometer ride, is perfect to get a taste of this adventure.

The trail is relatively flat and goes along the river, the Eger. It is said that this part of the trail is the most beautiful one, as you pass narrow gorges with majestic rocks, like the Svatoš rocks.

7 | Visiting the Spa Cups Museum

As we just had lunch at the St. Florian Brewery, we discovered that they had the biggest collection of Spa Cups. They saved around 4000 cups, divided over 3 etages. It’s a very vast collection and is fun to wander around and see all the different spa cups through the years.

8 | Visit Loket and the Castle of Loket

Loket is a picturesque town that lies in the meander of the river Eger. It also has a castle, dated from the 12th century, that can be visited. The castle is a more than 800-year-old settlement, located on a granite rock, and served as a frontier fortress.

Since 1989, it’s been open to the public and has been ever since. The castle has a wide range of information and exhibitions. It leads you through an exposition about armor, porcelain, and torture chambers.

9 | Wander around Karlovy Vary with a Spa Town Tour

Karlovy Vary is one of the three towns of the spa triangle in the Czech Republic, and has been said to be one of the most beautiful spa resorts in Europe. It’s full of stunning architecture in the form of colonnades, which contain medical springs.

One of the biggest and warmest springs is located in the Vřídelní colonnade. It goes up to 10 meters and is 72°C. If you bring a spa cup, you can drink the healing water yourself. These healing springs, in total 12, are spread across the city. The water all tastes different because of the diverse composition and temperature.

10 | Have lunch at the Diana Restaurant after visiting the Diana Lookout Tower

Directly from Karlovy Vary, there is a cable car that brings you to the top of the Diana Lookout Tower, where the restaurant is located as well, making it perfect as a combination. The cable car goes up and down every 15 minutes, but there is also a possibility to hike up to the Diana Lookout Tower.

After conquering 150 stairs (as an alternative, there is an elevator), this tower gives a spectacular view over the city and the region! But not only can you have an amazing view, there are also a few hiking trails that bring you back to Karlovy Vary.

11 | Visit Mariánské Lázně

Mariánské Lázně has around 13.000 inhabitants, making it the second largest spa city in the Czech Republic. The city is surrounded by almost 100 water springs and the Slavkos forest. It’s a relatively young health resort, developed at the beginning of the 19th century, but it’s still the second oldest. The locals were already aware of the springs in the 1200s; however, in the years 1805 – 1807, Dr Johann Josef Nehr founded the first spa health resort. The city has typical spa parks, unique architecture, medicinal springs, colonnades, and picturesque buildings.

Best places to eat in West Bohemia

1 | Pension V Polich - close to Prague

As we arrived at the airport around 6 PM, the logical next step was to eat dinner before checking into our hotel for the next few days.

We decided upon Pension V Polich, which is only a 10-minute drive from the airport, and a hidden gem as well! It had a cozy atmosphere and delicious traditional food, making it the perfect stop for our first day in the Czech Republic!

5 | Červený Vlk brewery - Boží Dar

As our afternoon was filled with lots of active activities, it was good to have a delicious and filling lunch. And what other place is better than a brewery, with its own unique beer? This is also the starting place of the hike – Boží Dar Peat Bog Nature Trail – for the afternoon, making it the perfect base.

Červený Vlk brewery is relatively new and opened in 2020. The theme of their beer is a red wolf, which can be seen in their interior and on their glasses. The Gnocchi was flavourful and gave me loads of energy to start hiking!

3 | St. Florian Brewery - Loket

Nothing better than a delicious lunch after a 15-kilometer bike ride in the legs. As beer and a brewery fit the region of West Bohemia, it seemed fitting to stop at the St. Florian Brewery. The history behind this is that King Jan Luxemburg gave the city of Loket the privilege to brew beer at the beginning of the 14th century. This brewery was open until 1953, when it was closed by the communist government. The tradition of brewing beer returned in 2006, and it has never gone away again.

The St. Florian Brewery opened in 1352 and is therefore older than the one in Prague. The family owns 3 hotels and their own distillery with local schnapps. And they serve their own local beer, which you can’t find elsewhere.

Another unusual thing is the huge collection of Spa Cups they own. After lunch, we decided to check it out and it seemed that they have 4000 cups, divided over 3 etages.

4 | Plzeňka - Karlovy Vary

In the middle of Karlovy Vary is a very good restaurant, serving lots of traditional and international cuisine. Plzeňka also serves the famous Pillsner Urquell and has a wide range of beer snacks, making it a great place to get to know the cuisine of the Czech Republic.

5 | Diana Restaurant - Karlovy Vary

Before or after the climb up the Diana Observation Tower, the Diana Restaurant is the perfect place to eat something delicious. The history of the restaurant goes back to 1914 and has served selected dishes of Czech and international cuisine for over 100 years!

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Travel blogger

Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!

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