West Bohemia - Lonely Planet

© Lonely Planet
174
West Bohemia
Life’s meant to be about balance, right? Relatively cocooned from Prague’s tourist commotion, West Bohemia is the ideal destination to explore a balance of virtue and vice, good
and (not so) evil.
Virtue is effortlessly on tap at the region’s elegant spa towns, where visitors can immerse
themselves physically and emotionally in the waters bubbling under the classy streets of
Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně and Františkovy Lázně. And when you’re looking for an extra
kick of spiritual guidance, take a bracing sip of Becherovka liqueur, the so-called ‘13th spring’
of Karlovy Vary.
Balance is provided by the hearty and hoppy vice of West Bohemia’s liquid gold. Plzeň’s
brewing alchemists created Pilsner Urquell, the world’s first lager, way back in 1842, and
there’s no better spot for your first (or 100th) Pilsner Urquell than the underground caverns
of the town’s famous brewery. A passion for brewing infuses the entire region, and another
essential stop is the Chodovar beer spa in the nearby village of Planá, where both of West
Bohemia’s famous effervescent liquids combine in glorious harmony.
WEST BOHEMIA
By now you’ll be ready to get active, and the town of Klatovy provides a convenient
gateway to the rugged and rustic woodlands of the Šumava region bordering Germany.
Welcome to the biggest national park in the Czech Republic, and scores of opportunities
to hike, cycle and camp. Complete your West Bohemia sojourn with a couple of nights in
the delightful town of Loket nad Ohřě. There’s even hiking, river rafting, and an excellent
local microbrewery if you’re still seeking true balance in life.
HIGHLIGHTS
 Becoming a cosmopolitan ‘culture vulture’
at an elegant summertime music festival in
Mariánské Lázně (p177)
Karlovy Vary
Loket nad Ohåê
 Discovering Karlovy Vary’s other, more
vibrant, face at the spa town’s July
International Film Festival (p186)
 Going underground to explore the heritage
of Plzeň (p191), the original hometown of
golden Pilsner
 Easing off the travel accelerator in the sleepy
riverside town of Loket nad Ohřě (p188)
 Discovering the best way to sample Bohe-
mia’s golden brew at the Chodovar
Brewery’s beer spa (p181) in Planá
Mariánské Láznê
Planá
Plzeñ
lonelyplanet.com
W E S T B O H E M I A • • F r a n t i š k o v y L á z n ě 175
WEST BOHEMIA
0
0
ὈὈὈ
ὈὈὈὈὈ
ὈὈ
ὈὈ
ὈὈ
GERMANY
o
M
E49
O
s
in
t a Bo¢í Dar
un
ho
é
7
Most
Chomutov
NORTH
BOHEMIA
27
Oberwiesenthal
E442
Louny
e
hå
Ostrov
O
Karlovy
Vary
Kyselka
Schönberg
Vojtanov
Slavkov
Forest
E48
Protected
Landscape
Region
Horní
Slavkov
E49
Cheb
To
Prague
Loket nad Ohåê
Sokolov
Soos
Františkovy
Láznê
Schirnding
Beàov n.
Teplou
Jesenice
E49
Mitter Teich
27
Teplá
Plasy
Mähring
Broumov
Be
ro
u
Mariánské
Láznê
nk
a
Láznê
Kyn¢vart
Waldsassen
Konstantinovy
Láznê
Planá
Kåivoklátsko
Protected
Landscape
Region
ian
em
h
Bo
e
D5
Rozvadov
To
Prague
(40km)
D5
Štåibro
E50
Rokycany
Plzeñ
CENTRAL
BOHEMIA
Starý Plzenec
Kladruby
Fo
t
res
Neustadt
Beroun
M¢
Tachov
Waidhaus
db
a
s)
Le
uz
To Tabor
Švihov
Poståekov
Lísková
Waldmünchen
E49
Úhla
ský
Ra
va
26
(Àe
Weiden
ry)
Jáchymov
re
Chodov
Aš
šn
u
Kr
(
Selb
40 km
20 miles
Doma¢lice
Chodsko
Mrákov
Klatovy
Folmava
Všeruby
Furth im Wald
E53
Nýrsko
Šumava
Protected
Landscape
Region
Cham
4
Sušice
To Strakonice
GERMANY
SOUTH
BOHEMIA
Grosser Arber
(1456m)
¤elezná Ruda
Beyerisch
Eisenstein
Šumava
NP
Š
u
m
Prachatice
a
v
a
To Deggendorf
(6km)
Strá¢ný
FRANTIŠKOVY LÁZNĚ
pop 5400
With a buttery veneer of yellow paint, welltended parkland with statues and springs,
and spa patients and tourists walking unbearably s…l…o…w…l…y, Františkovy Lázně
(frantish-kovee larz-nee) is the archetypal
spa town.
Beethoven and Goethe were Františkovy
Lázně’s most famous guests, but with the
spa best known for the treatment of female
infertility, they were more likely drawn by a
lively cafe society. Today, the sidewalk cafes
are relaxingly soporific, and late-night action
is sound asleep. So, make a visit here just for
a sleepy day.
WEST BOHEMIA
Eschlkam
Pocínovice