Bohemian spa triangle: Cycle tour to the Czech Republic's famous spas
Christiane Bertelsmann
· 17.10.2022
The drinking cure is a serious matter. Strolling through the splendid streets of Karlovy Vary and occasionally sipping on a sippy cup refuelled at this hot spring or that - this has nothing to do with a real drinking cure. "If you do it right, the cure works like an internal shower," explains Jitka, our city guide. The resolute pensioner prescribes a three-week cure for herself and her husband twice a year.
Drinking cure during the cycle tour - more than 80 springs
It works like this: Healing water is only available on an empty stomach at regular times. In addition, there are baths, massages and lymphatic drainage, not forgetting walks in the woods around Karlovy Vary. They drink - slowly - not just any water from any spring, but only what the doctor has recommended. "Last time it was from the Snake Spring in Dvorák Park in the garden colonnade," says Jitka and leads us straight there. The healing water gushes out of the neck of the cast-iron snake at a temperature of 28.1 degrees. "We only drink from the traditional spouted cups, it would be too hot from plastic cups," warns Jitka, "the water cools down to drinking temperature better this way." The Snake Spring contains fewer minerals than the other springs, but its CO2 content is higher. "Good for the brain and the immune system," says the city guide.
Healing water flows from more than 80 springs in and around Karlovy Vary, 15 of which are used for drinking cures. Similar numbers apply to Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně, we learn on our spa trip. Each spring is said to help with a different ailment, such as digestive problems, back problems and osteoporosis - used both internally and externally. ...
The most beautiful pictures of the cycle tour to the Czech Republic's famous spas:
Just a few metres further on, behind a glazed reinforced concrete colonnade, a geyser shoots up, hissing and with a lot of steam - the so-called "Sprudel". "Our landmark," says Jitka, "the bubbler is our hottest spring. You can't drink directly from it, it is drained off and cools down on the way."
Healing water flows from more than 80 springs in and around Karlovy Vary, 15 of which are used for drinking cures. Similar numbers apply to Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně, we learn on our spa trip. Each spring is said to help with a different ailment, such as digestive problems, back problems and osteoporosis - used both internally and externally.
Belle Epoque at the tour stop in Karlovy Vary
Emperors, tsars, kings and dukes with their entourages, poets and thinkers, people with money and a thirst for recognition have always been drawn to Karlovy Vary - and incidentally also to Marienbad and the younger Franzensbad. A small selection of names of prominent spa guests: Friedrich Schiller, Theodor Fontane, Leo Tolstoy, Ludwig van Beethoven, Bismarck, Karl Marx, Atatürk and, of course, Goethe. He loved the spa triangle so much that he made 17 trips lasting several weeks between 1785 and 1823. Goethe spent a good three years in the then up-and-coming spa towns - not only because of the healing waters, but also because of various young ladies and, of course, to be able to work undisturbed and to meet interesting people from different nations.
As we continue to stroll through the colonnades with Jitka, our guide counts down the names of other celebrities who have lent Karlovy Vary even more glamour with their presence: Johnny Depp, Michael Caine, Leonardo DiCaprio, Whoopi Goldberg, Daniel Craig, Queen Latifah - Jitka is almost unstoppable when listing the names. The reason for so many celebrities was film shoots - many of them in the pompous Hotel Pupp - and the International Film Festival, which is still held here today - in a Brutalist building built in the 1970s, the Hotel Thermal. The clunky building, which doesn't fit in at all with the otherwise elegant architecture, hadn't necessarily caught our attention in a positive way beforehand. Jitka explains that the Hotel Thermal is modelled on a film projector and a film reel. It is currently being renovated, including the extensive pool complex on the rocky outcrop. "They actually want to fill the pool with thermal water - can the pipes withstand that?" Jitka doubts.
Cycling tour in the Czech Republic in the footsteps of James Bond
After a café at the Grandhotel Pupp, where we reconstruct which scenes from "Casino Royale" were filmed right here, we say goodbye to our guide and set off for the next spa town, towards Franzensbad, always along the River Eger. We have a small climb to Loket, but the town rewards us with a magnificent castle - also a Casino Royale filming location - and a beautifully spruced-up medieval town centre.
We continue upstream. It's the weekend and a whole host of tourists are drifting down the river in colourful rafting boats. A few hills later, Franzensbad lies before us. What a contrast to the lively Karlsbad or the tranquil Marienbad! The small town spreads out across the plain like a chessboard, as if built from a single mould. When the town was founded, the idea was that nothing in the surrounding area should distract from the actual spa. The plan worked. Franzensbad looks like a backdrop for a historical film, elegant, perfectly renovated - but admittedly a little lifeless.
We park the bikes in front of the Glauber spring and take a cautious sip - quite bitter and salty. The Glauber springs - Glauberuv pramen in Czech - have the highest sodium sulphate content in the world. There are a total of four glauber springs in Franzensbad, and each one is said to help against a different malaise - anaemia, respiratory disease, digestive or kidney problems. Incidentally, you can bathe in Franzensbad on a grand scale: some hotels have large wellness areas, and the gardens at the Hotel Pawlik have even been converted into an outdoor swimming pool with a water slide.
In the evening, we walk through the quiet streets, with no-one else around. Only at the Hotel Savoy does the pianist bravely hit the keys of the out-of-tune piano. And there is even dancing, the atmosphere is great, the average age is 70 plus. The barman can barely keep up with the drinks.
"I immediately fell in love with the lovely little town of Marienbad. The beautiful location in the hilly landscape and the spacious walking and cycling paths, plus the magnificent buildings - marvellous! But I also really liked the chic Karlsbad and the quieter, less touristy Franzensbad." Christiane Bertelsmann, MYBIKE author
Our thoughts turn back to Mariánské Lázně, the loveliest of the three great Czech spas, which were ennobled as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. A total of eleven spas belong to the "Great Spas of Europe". A little Mariánské Lázně splendour is a must: the way the small town is nestled so beautifully in the hilly landscape. Then there are the large hotel blocks, some more, some less well preserved. The airy, light colonnade, which is perfect for a stroll. The guests and their history, at least in the past no less prominent than in Karlovy Vary. And then there are the spa treatments - for which there was unfortunately not enough time on our round trip. The spa treatments at the Hotel Nove Lazne are said to be the most stylish, and we read through the flyers in the foyer (which is of course also very splendid): There is talk of pulsating magnetic therapies and dry gas baths with CO2. Bathing is supposedly good for convalescence after a COVID illness everywhere. Some hotels in our spa triangle offer special corona recovery cures. You could give them a try if you do catch the virus.
Our way back to Bavaria takes us through the boggy Soos nature reserve. Footbridges lead across the moor to the left and right of the road. Carbon dioxide bubbles and hisses from so-called mofettes, small muddy holes in the ground - the last evidence of volcanic activity. The Sooster mud used to be transported as far as Karlovy Vary for spa treatments.
The last 80 kilometres to Germany fly by like nothing. The route is beautiful, varied, we pass lonely meadows and dense forests. When we stop for a break shortly after the border and the fir trees smell so good, the thought occurs to us: it's nice, the bathing and the healing waters - but there's also something about forest bathing. Especially when you can ride through the woods on your bike.
Character of the cycle tour through the spa triangle
The spa triangle - the region around Marienbad, Karlsbad and Franzensbad - is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Ore Mountains in the north, the densely wooded Šumava in the south and the Fichtel Mountains in the west. Once you have mastered the climbs in the border region, it is a pleasant ride to Marienbad. From there, the tour continues over the plateau and quiet roads to Karlovy Vary. Then follow the River Eger to Franzensbad. Back to Germany, a varied route without too many technical challenges awaits us. Overall, the tour is easily manageable for trained cyclists without e-bike support on mostly well-maintained gravel roads or tarmac. The route avoids major motorways with heavy traffic.
Tour itinerary
Weißenstadt - Bischofsgrün - Fichtelberg - Tröstau - Wunsiedel - Bad Alexandersbad - Marktredwitz - Waldsassen - Neualbenreuth - Lázně Kynžvar - Mariánské Lázně - Krásno nad Teplou - Karlovy Vary - Loket - Sokolov - Kynšperk nad Ohří - Cheb - Františkovy Lázně - Vildštejn - Hazlov - Selb - Schwarzenbach - Weißenstadt
The GPS data for the cycle tour to the Bohemian Spa Triangle
You can download the GPX track for the cycle tour to the Bohemian Spa Triangle download here for free or find them in the MYBIKE Collection "On a stage tour in Bavarian Bohemia" on komoot.
Cycling travel information Bavarian Bohemia
Arrival
By car: The starting point and destination of Weißenstadt is somewhat off the beaten track. The nearest motorway junction to the A 9 Nuremberg-Hof-Berlin is about 15 km away, either to Gefrees (coming from the south) or Münchberg (coming from the north).
By train: Weißenstadt itself can only be reached by bus. The nearest railway stations are in Marktredwitz, Wunsiedel, Hof and Bayreuth. Some hotels also offer a shuttle service. Bus connections with bicycle transport: www.bayern-fahrplan.de/de/auskunft
A good alternative is the Cycle buswhich you can even pre-book individually: www.fichtelgebirge.bayern/natur/radfahren/radbus-fichtelgebirge
Accommodation
Weissenstadt: Hotel Siebenquell. A world of its own with a lavish spa and wellness programme (eight saunas!). www.siebenquell.com
Waldsassen: Hotel zum ehemaligen Königl.-Bayerischen Forsthaus in a central and quiet location directly opposite the collegiate basilica and monastery. www.koenigliches-forsthaus.de
Marienbad: Swisshouse. Nice little hotel in a villa, only twelve rooms. Very worthwhile dinner. www.swisshouse.cz
Carlsbad: U Šimla. On the outskirts of the city, right next to the Karlovy Vary racecourse. www.usimla.cz
The large Hotel Imperial, with bicycle storage facilities, is somewhat more central. www.spa-hotel-imperial.cz
Franzensbad: Spa Hotel Pawlik Aquaforum. Typical Art Nouveau hotels with a large hotel spa centre. https://pawlik.hotel.cz
Food and drink
Bohemia is more than just roast, dumplings and gravy - but also these three. Hardly any menu is without soup as a starter. Especially savoury: cabbage or potato soups. Followed by gúlás or the famous Moravian sparrow (moravský vrabec) - not a roasted bird, but diced pork with garlic. Very important: dumplings. There are several variations: houskový knedlík (sliced flour dumplings), bramborový knedlík (potato dumplings) or špekové knedlíky (bacon dumplings). Desserts such as lívance (yeast dumplings with plum spread), fruit dumplings or palačinky (sweet pancakes) help to stave off hunger in between meals.
And to drink? Beer, almost like the national drink in the Czech Republic. Cold snacks are on the menu in many beer bars, for example utopenci (meat sausages in vinegar and onions), nakládaný hermelín, a Camembert cheese marinated in oil, spices and garlic, or topinka, toasted bread spread with garlic.
Sightseeing tips
Waldsassen: Mighty abbey basilica with impressive holy bodies (ornately decorated relics in even more ornately decorated display cases), library in the Cistercian monastery with its rococo wood carvings, monastery and nature adventure garden
Bad Alexandersbad: Ultra-modern Alexbad built in 2017, https://alexbad.dehistoric bathhouse with healing spring
Mariánské Lázně/Marienbad: New colonnade with a singing fountain and more than 40 cold springs, Nové Lázně (new spa), where non-hotel guests can also enjoy spa treatments.
Karlovy Vary/Karlsbad: Grandhotel Pupp
Cheb/Eger: Cheb's market square with its top renovated burgher houses from the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque periods, retro museum. www.retromuseum.cz
Bike service
Fichtelrad in Weißenstadt, www.fichtelrad.de
Cyklo Vondráček in Karlovy Vary, www.cyklo-vondracek.cz
Sport Blažek in Mariánské Lázně, www.sportblazek.cz
Budbiker in Franzensbad, www.budbiker.cz
Literature
Western Bohemia & Spa Triangle, Michael Müller Verlag, 16.90 euros
Information on
Tourism Centre Fichtelgebirge e.V., www.fichtelgebirge.bayern
Czech Centre for Tourism, www.visitczechrepublic.com
In 2021, specialists from Germany and the Czech Republic have created an extensive cross-border cycle tour network - the Bavarian-Bohemian Spas cycle region. Further information and even more tour suggestions: www.radregion-bayern-boehmen.de
Downloads
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