The best day trips from Mariánské Lázně: Karlovy Vary, Plzeň, Loket Castle, Kladská and Teplá Monastery.
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A stone lookout tower from 1876 above the spa quarter. The forest walk up from the colonnade is a treat in itself — at the top, the view opens over the rooftops of Marienbad.
A freely bubbling mineral spring deep in the forest north of town — the destination of a classic spa-walk through the woods. Tasting a cupful is part of the ritual, just as in Goethe’s day.
The Czech Republic's landmarks at 1:25 scale — dozens of lovingly detailed models of castles and monuments in a park above the town. Reachable on foot through the forest or by the tourist train.
A peat bog that bubbles and smells of sulphur: a short boardwalk takes you right over the mofettes — vents of volcanic gas that earned the place its nickname, "the Stinker".
A family brewery with centuries-old rock-hewn cellars, a brewery restaurant and a genuine beer spa. A different kind of cure — and by train it is just one stop from Marienbad.
An extinct volcano rising to 847 metres — the highest point in the area. The summit rocks offer a sweeping panorama of the Slavkov Forest; Goethe himself came here for his geological studies.
Chancellor Metternich's neoclassical chateau, home to a world-class cabinet of curiosities and a vast landscape park. Its daguerreotype collection is inscribed in UNESCO's Memory of the World register.
An enchanted stream valley of old mills and footbridges, winding down from Michalovy Hory to the Mže river. A hike for those who seek silence — you are more likely to meet herons than people.
Wooden boardwalks circle a still lake amid the upland peat bogs of the Slavkov Forest, passing a picturesque hunting lodge from 1875. The most beloved walk among spa guests — level and lovely in every season.
The Premonstratensian monastery founded in 1193 — its abbots once founded Marienbad itself. The highlight is the magnificent library of some 100,000 volumes, among the largest monastic libraries in Bohemia.
A thermal spa just across the Bavarian border: mineral baths, saunas and wellness in Neualbenreuth. The perfect rainy-day complement to a Marienbad cure.
At 940 metres, a legend-shrouded peak on the old Iron Curtain border zone. The hike through deep frontier forests is demanding but wonderfully solitary.
Georg Dientzenhofer’s baroque masterpiece on a hill near Waldsassen: the Trinity church is built entirely on the number three — three towers, three apses, one perfectly circular plan. One of the most original churches in Central Europe.
A stone tower from 1935 whose path spirals up around the outside — unique among Bohemian lookout towers. Wide views over the old mining landscape of the Slavkov Forest.
A Romanesque-Gothic keep above Černošín, its round tower stump recognisable from afar. A short climb up the Vlčí hora slopes rewards you with wide views over the Mže valley.
Once one of the richest tin-mining towns in Europe — it gave the Slavkov Forest its name. A Gothic church, Renaissance burgher houses and a mining museum recall its silver and tin glory.
A Cistercian abbey just across the border, with a splendid basilica and one of the most beautiful libraries in Bavaria — the carved atlantes of its Stiftsbibliothek are world-famous. Worth the detour nearby: the Kappl pilgrimage church.
A medieval castle above the Teplá valley, home to the Reliquary of St Maurus — the most precious goldsmith work in the country after the crown jewels. The train ride from Marienbad through the river valley is a journey worth taking in itself.
A thousand years of history around one market square: the timbered Špalíček houses, an imperial castle with a rare Romanesque double chapel, and the place where Wallenstein was assassinated. A direct train ride from Marienbad.
Bohemia’s youngest volcano — and the site of a famous scientific dispute that Goethe tried to settle by having an exploratory adit dug. Today a gentle walking hill with an astonishing story.
The ancestral castle of the lords of Švamberk crowns a free-standing hill above open fields. A short climb rewards you with one of the finest panoramas in western Bohemia.
The smallest spa town in western Bohemia — quiet, green and blissfully unhurried. A spa park, a naturally carbonated spring and gentle walking and cycling trails all around: an afternoon of slowing down.
Perhaps the most romantic ruin in western Bohemia, perched above the quiet Hadovka valley. Freely accessible, wildly picturesque, and best reached on a circular hike from Konstantinovy Lázně or Okrouhlé Hradiště.
A royal mining town above the Mže river whose name means “silver”: a sgraffito Renaissance town hall, old gates and an open-air mining museum by the historic bridge. On the direct rail line towards Plzeň.
A town ringed by an almost complete medieval wall, with a chateau and a lively square. The real star stands just outside at Světce: the second-largest riding hall in Europe, a neo-Romanesque colossus in the woods.
Germany’s largest archaeological open-air museum, just across the border: an entire medieval village with a Slavic settlement, a motte tower and craftspeople in period dress. Hands-on history for the whole family.
One of Bohemia’s foremost pilgrimage sites: the baroque provostry of the Knights of the Cross, its twin-towered church visible far across the Ohře valley. A place of quiet power with 700 years of pilgrim history.
Straight out of a picture book, the castle grows from massive granite boulders above the Waldnaab river. A museum inside tells its eventful story — and down in the village, a Zoigl tavern serves Upper Palatinate beer culture.
Santini’s masterpiece of Baroque Gothic: the abbey church of the Assumption, among the largest in Bohemia, fuses Gothic forms with baroque imagination into a space that takes your breath away.
A Gothic castle above a tight bend of the Ohře river, with a perfectly preserved medieval town below. Goethe celebrated his birthday here — today the castle, the lanes and the riverside amphitheatre do the charming.
The little sister of the West Bohemian Spa Triangle: imperial-yellow façades, colonnades and spa parks straight out of the Belle Époque. Rubbing the toe of the little bronze boy František is said to bring luck.
A moonscape in Bohemia: boardwalks lead across a mineral peatland of bubbling mud volcanoes and mofettes — the ground steams, hisses and shimmers with mineral colours.
One of the oldest surviving castles in Bohemia (c. 1200), right in the village of Skalná — with a Romanesque chapel and vaulted cellars that today house a castle tavern. Small, authentic, welcoming.
A Romanesque castle on a rocky spur in the Cheb region, a stone’s throw from Františkovy Lázně. Exhibitions of period furniture and Egerland folk culture make it a rewarding half-day trip.
An 800-year-old castle being brought back to life stone by stone by volunteers from around the world — castle bakery included. Visitors experience heritage restoration up close, and can even lend a hand.
The remains of Bohemia's oldest stone castle (c. 1121) stand watch on a striking hill above the Bohemian Forest. A short, brisk climb leads to Romanesque masonry and views deep into Bavaria.
Granite towers above the Ohře river — a petrified wedding party, according to legend. The level riverside path is a delight even with a stroller, and there is a restaurant right beneath the rocks.
The grand sister among the spa towns: the 72 °C Hot Spring geyser, opulent colonnades, the Diana observation tower and the home of Becherovka. A full day of spa tradition and film-festival glamour.
A Gothic ruin on a steep rocky cone near Karlovy Vary with one of the finest panoramas in the region — from the Ore Mountains to the Slavkov Forest. The short, steep climb rewards in every season.
Alexander von Humboldt called it “the most beautiful basalt cone in Europe”: an exposed wall of towering basalt columns crowned by a chapel, with a modern volcano museum in the village below. Geology as theatre.
The “baroque pearl of western Bohemia”: a chateau, church and a whole small town lined with sandstone statues, as if the 18th century had never ended here. The density of sculpture is unmatched in Bohemia.
Where Heinrich Mattoni built his mineral-water empire: Swiss-style pavilions and colonnades above the Ohře, restored piece by piece after years of decay. Plus a museum of Bohemia’s most famous mineral-water brand.
The smallest town in Central Europe: a handful of houses, a monastery church, castle remnants and a Gothic stone bridge deep in the Střela valley. A place like a painting — and almost without tourists.
Santini’s pilgrimage church of the Annunciation, its radiant dome completed only in our own time — following his original plans. The cloisters house the Museum of the Northern Plzeň Region.
The city where Pilsner beer was invented in 1842: a brewery tour with cellar tasting, St Bartholomew’s Cathedral with Bohemia’s tallest church spire, and a market square of royal proportions. Direct train from Marienbad.
