Outside Dvorak Park
Karlovy Vary has more health spas than it does mineral springs, but that’s to be expected. But the spa experience lasts just so many hours in the day. Actually, that’s only half true: some people take all-day treatments and simply lounge around the pools, drink water, nap in their robes on teak loungers, and generally have the look of playful sea creatures. I didn’t see many exercise machines in the “health” spas.

Speaking of which, horse carriages are a fun alternative to sharing the narrow sidewalks with window-shopping tourists. You can bargain for short, medium, or long rides around town, throughout which the coachmen will explain the notable sites that you pass.

When you become the window shopper, you’ll find many glassware boutiques around Karlovy Vary. Artisan glassblowers offer unique stemware sets, vases, ornamental flowers, and carafes.

The perfect complement to spa days are outdoor restaurants. Along the Ohre River that cuts through town you’ll find cafés serving a variety of cuisines. If you visit in wintertime, find a window table for a postcard setting to a romantic meal. Most of the hotels that have spas also have restaurants and bar-cafés, so if the weather should turn sour, you need not worry about going out. For a full list of recommended restaurants, and nightlife entertainment, jump to the Karlovy Vary city page.

Directions to Dvorak Park
You can walk from one end of Karlovy Vary to the other in about 35 minutes. Dvorak Park’s entrance is at the meeting of Zahradni Street (that runs parallel to the Teplá River through town) and Mlinské Nabr, three blocks north of Karlovy Vary’s main square, Trzni Kolovada.

(return to Dvorak Park main page here)

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