A 1906 building
A neoclassical front and high halls from the height of the spa era.
Dobroš — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lubor Ferenc — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lubor Ferenc — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lubor Ferenc — CC BY-SA 4.0
The largest thermal bathing establishment in Karlovy Vary, built in 1906 and named after the Austrian Empress Elisabeth, known as Sisi. Karlovy Vary exists entirely because of its hot springs: kings, tsars and writers came here for treatment throughout the nineteenth century, and this building belongs to the height of that era. The front is neoclassical and the interior halls are wide with high ceilings. What distinguishes it is that it still performs its original function: it is not a museum but a working treatment establishment offering mineral baths, hydrotherapy and massage, along with a public pool. That means the visit is participation rather than viewing: you go in to bathe rather than to look, and you need to book treatments and bring a towel and swimwear for the pool. You should know that a mixed bathing setting may not suit everyone; separate times or sections sometimes exist, so ask when booking if that matters to you. It stands in a park at the edge of the spa district, a short walk from the colonnade of springs.
A neoclassical front and high halls from the height of the spa era.
Hydrotherapy and massage with the spring water the city was built on.
Alongside the treatments, a pool you can use without booking therapy.
Smetanovy sady, Karlovy Vary
Passage T. G. M.A covered shopping arcade in central Karlovy Vary, cutting through a block betwe4 minutes walk4.9
The Karl Marx StatueA bronze statue of Karl Marx on Petra Velikého street in Karlovy Vary, and the r9 minutes walk4.1
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge ColumnA commemorative column in the forests of Karlovy Vary, raised in the nineteenth 10 minutes walk4.1
The Mill ColonnadeThe spa city's icon: a 132-metre Neo-Renaissance gallery of 124 columns on the T11 minutes walk4.8
Camera Obscura GazeboA wooden viewing gazebo standing on a slope in the woods above Karlovy Vary, on 11 minutes walk4.6Separate times or facilities may be available for some treatments, but the pool is normally mixed. Ask specifically when booking about the arrangements available if that is a condition for you, rather than assuming. Establishments in Karlovy Vary differ on this.
Walking the spring colonnades and tasting the water from the special cups — the city's tradition, and the strongly mineral taste surprises many people. Beyond that, the Diana funicular for the view, the Moser glassworks, and the walk along both riverbanks between the coloured buildings.