*A long circuit to the very best viewpoints and landmarks in and above Karlovy Vary: 23 km*

A long circuit to the very best viewpoints and landmarks in and above Karlovy Vary: 23 km

Karlovy Vary is the largest spa town in the country and one of the eleven most famous European spas that were collectively added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2021. It is a grand resort, in every sense, full of elegant Art Deco and Classicist architecture that has attracted film stars and royalty for centuries. In the 14th century, Bohemian king (and Holy Roman Emperor) Charles IV established Karlovy Vary, to enable his subjects to enjoy the many unique hot mineral springs that line the valley.
The suggested route shown below is an attempt to capture all the best viewpoints (and cafés!) in the hills ringing Karlovy Vary, in a single day trip… The route starts and finishes at the iconic Grandhotel Pupp and initially winds its way up to the neatly restored Goethe tower, where the first excellent café awaits. The tower has had several names, which offers an interesting perspective on recent Czech history. For more information on this intriguing tower, glance at this page. The viewpoint on the tower can be accessed for free.
From Goethe’s tower the suggested route heads southwards to reach the viewpoint of Vítkův vrch, which overlooks the surprisingly large regional airport. The Hotel Vítkova Hora on the summit of the hill has a good restaurant with a large summer terrace and is open to non residents. Take a moment to stop and watch the private jets arriving, usually from the east.
From Vítkův vrch, the trail descends into the Tepla river valley to arguably the best known landmark in the hills above Karlovy Vary: the Diana lookout tower. In addition to the tower, which offers a nice 360 degree panorama, there is a unique tropical butterfly house, a mini zoo for children to explore and a popular restaurant with a terrace. From the Diana tower it is a short walk into the forest are behind the tower to reach the extensive Svatý Linhart deer park, with its viewing platforms to observe the animals.
The education trail in the park trail passes the interesting ruin of the church of Sv. Linhart (St. Leonard) – just off the main trail at map point 11. This former Romanesque building dates from the 13th century. The village it was attached to disappeared in the 16th century after the foundation of Karlovy Vary.
After returning to Karlovy through the Linhart forest, take the time to visit the remarkable Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St Peter & Paul (map point 17). This extraordinary church was funded by the Russian aristocracy – long time visitors to Karlovy Vary. It was consecrated in 1898.
The total route shown in the map below is approximately 23 km long with 700m of height to ascend/descend. None of the trails are difficult, although the trail up to the Diana tower is quite steep.
As noted above, there are various refreshment options along the route, including the pleasant café at the end of the Sv. Linhart game reserve (map point 15). For a special treat after completing the walk, consider a stop at the restaurant Tusculum (map point 18), situated in a quiet side street in the stunning Westend residential quarter of Karlovy Vary. This area has the most spectacular ‘Belle Epoque’ villas in town. Tusculum is this author’s favourite restaurant in town for casual fine dining (and is also a Hejlík recommendation). As a possible final stop in the summer months the hotel Pupp usually has an ice cream stall outside the hotel, serving probably the best ice cream in town.

Note: click ‘Show on Mapy.com’ to go to a full screen version of the route directly on the mapy.com site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file.

Directions

Starting at the Hotel Pupp, head into the town and after (optionally) exploring the spa area, join the YELLOW trail heading up to Goethova vyhlídka which is reached in 3.4 km
From the tower, stay on the YELLOW trail heading in the direction of (and past) Hvězdárna for 3.3 km to reach the Pod Vítkovým vrchem junction
At the junction take the marked diversion trail (blue triangles) to the left to reach Vítkův vrch after 400m. Return back to Pod Vítkovým vrchem junction after vsiting the viewpoint
From Pod Vítkovým vrchem, continue on the YELLOW trail down into the valley and then back up towards Diana’s tower, reaching the Pod Dianou junction after 4.7 km
At Pod Dianou, turn left onto the BLUE trail to reach the Diana tower in 500m
From the Diana tower, continue on the BLUE trail for 800m to reach the Nad lesní pobožností junction
At the Nad lesní pobožností junction, turn right onto the forest road and continue straight on for 600m to reach the ‘Giant furniture’
Join the game park nature trail at the giant furniture clearing. The trail is mostly unmarked so is best followed with gps and mapy.com or a good paper map. The route can be taken in either direction (clockwise or anticlockwise) visiting the animal lookout towers on the way
Return back to the giant’s furniture after completing the loop and head gently down hill on the forest road to reach the GREEN trail after 400m
Head down into Karlovy Vary on the GREEN trail – it leads directly into town in 2 km. Take the time to look around the Westend residential and hotel area (including the Orthodox Cathedral) if not visited on a previous trip