# Day trip to Karlovy Vary from Prague: colonnades, funicular and thermal bath

Two hours by bus from Prague, a stroll along the colonnades with the spa cup, Becherovka, the funicular up to the forest and an hour in the open-air thermal pool before heading back.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/czechia/karlovy-vary/itineraries/colonnades-funicular-and-thermal-bath · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 08:00 · Salida: 2 h by bus (direct bus from Prague · you arrive around 10:00)
- 10:15 · Colonnades and thermal springs: the cup walk (buy a spa cup and try the springs)
  - 15 min on foot
- 12:15 · Becherovka Museum: the liqueur museum and tasting (45 minutes with a tasting · from 290 CZK)
  - 15 min on foot
- 13:15 · Restaurant Embassy (on Nová Louka, by the river · book by phone) · Restaurant Embassy, €€€
  - 10 min on foot
- 15:00 · Diana funicular and lookout over the spa forests (leaves every 15 minutes next to the Grandhotel Pupp)
  - 30 min on foot
- 16:30 · Hotel Thermal outdoor thermal pool, with views of the town (an hour in the outdoor pool · open until 23:00)
- 18:30 · Vuelta: 2 h by bus (bus to Prague · you arrive around 20:30)

Karlovy Vary can be done in a day from Prague if you leave early: two hours by bus and you are at the spa. The plan brings together the essentials: a stroll along the colonnades tasting the springs with the porcelain cup, the town's liqueur, the funicular up to the forest and, before going back, an hour in the open-air thermal pool of the Hotel Thermal.

## The day, hour by hour

8:00 · Bus from Prague. Direct, about two hours. Buy your ticket online.

10:15 · Colonnades and springs. Walk down the bank of the Teplá: the Mill Colonnade, the wood and iron ones and, at the end, the Vřídlo, the hottest spring. Buy a cup at a stall and taste a little of each spring.

12:15 · Becherovka Museum. 45 minutes of the liqueur's history, with a tasting for over-18s.

13:15 · Lunch at the Embassy. On Nová Louka, by the river. Book by phone.

15:00 · Diana funicular. It leaves every 15 minutes next to the Grandhotel Pupp; at the top, the viewing tower. Walk down through the forest.

16:30 · Thermal pool at the Hotel Thermal. An hour in the outdoor pool at 32 °C and in the spring-water bath at 38 °C, with the town in front of you.

18:30 · Return. Bus to Prague.

## With children or on a weekday

With children, make the pool longer, as it has a children's one, and skip the Becherovka. From Monday to Friday you can swap the liqueur museum for the Moser glassworks, by reservation: watch glass being blown in front of them.

## Cómo llegar

### Car-free
Direct bus from Prague, about two hours; in Karlovy Vary, everything is on foot except Moser.

### By car
About 120 km along the D6 motorway, around an hour and three quarters. Parking in the centre is difficult: look for a paid car park at the entrance to town.

## Consejos

### Bring swimwear and a towel
The outdoor pool is paid by the hour: arrive ready.

### Drink in sips
The spring water is very mineral.

### Buy the return bus
The last ones fill up at weekends.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Prague to Karlovy Vary?
About two hours by direct bus.

### Can you bathe without booking a treatment?
Yes, in the outdoor pool of the Hotel Thermal, paying by the hour.

### How much does the day cost?
The pool from 699 CZK an hour, Becherovka from 290 CZK; the springs are free.

### Is it worth it in winter?
Yes: the outdoor pool is open all year.