Walks around Teplice, the oldest spa town in the Czech Republic: 5 km to 11 km

• Karlovy Vary may be the most famous spa town in the country, but it is far from being the oldest. That honour lies with the north Bohemian town of Teplice, situated in the broad plain between two mountain ranges: Krušné hory (which straddle the Czech/German border) and the remarkable central Bohemian range of volcanic hills – České středohoří.
• Teplice has a recent (and not particularly scenic) industrial heritage. Consequently, Teplice is not normally considered a major tourist destination. However, the town is definitely worth a visit and the suggested itinerary shown in the map below explores some of Teplice’s uniquely rich architectural features.
• Teplice’s warm mineral springs were clearly known about even in prehistoric times. Hunter-gatherers visited the area during the last Ice Age. Celtic and Roman coins were left as offerings in the Pravřídlo spring (map point 4). Legends relating to the Teplice waters date from Slavic times, while the first documented medical uses of the springs probably date to the founding of a Benedictine monastery (part of which was in infirmary) by Queen Judith in 1154.
• The foundations of the 12th century Basilica can be seen in the courtyard of Teplice’s chateau (which now houses the excellent regional museum). The chateau area has an unusual mix of different architectural styles (with every period represented from Romanesque to 19th century Classicist).
• Probably the most striking architectural examples in the town are, however, the grand spa buildings dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries. Several remain in use as spa hotels and medical centres, while others are now private residences.
• Three kilometers east of the center, the volcanic hill of Doubravská hora overlooks the sprawling town and is worth considering for a visit if wanting to extend the trip beyond a walk around the center of town. The hill is topped with the remains of a 15th century castle, which was refortified in a Baroque style in the 17th century and then rebuilt at end of the 19th century in a neo-Gothic style. It is a curious chateau/castle complex, which might not be to everyone’s taste, but the view from the hilltop is excellent.
• The full itinerary shown in the map below starts and finishes at the main station (which has direct connections with Prague). Note that the station is around 1 km from the town center. If driving, there are several parking areas near the center of town.
• The route shown in the map below is just under 11 km long, with around 200m of height to ascend and descend (most of which is on Doubravská hora). Skipping the visit to Doubravská reduces the walk to around 5 km, all of which can be managed with a stroller. There are many restaurants and cafés in town and of climbing Doubravská, there is a snack bar in the rebuilt chateau.

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 train station, join the YELLOW trail heading for Zámecké náměstí, which is reached in 1 km
• Explore the castle square (Plague column, Pravřídlo spring, viewing tower) and then head towards the castle park, with its two ponds (the entrance to the museum/chateau is also from the park)
• After walking around the park join the RED hiking trail which follows the road on the right side of the park, heading back towards the chateau area
• Follow the RED trail along the road for 1.3 km, through the spa area to reach the Hadí lázně junction
• If continuing on to climb Doubravská hora, at Hadí lázně join the GREEN trail heading towards Pod Doubravkou, which is reached after 1 km
• At Pod Doubravkou join the YELLOW trail heading towards Doubravka. There are two options – the left hand (shorter) route to the summit is unpaved, where as the right hand (longer) route is on an asphalt road (best with a stroller)
• After visiting Doubravská hora, return back to the Hadí lázně junction
• From Hadí lázně, return back to the train station by following the RED trail for just over 1 km
• If time, take a small diversion off the RED trail to the left (following the red/white triangle marked education trail) to reach the Havlíčkovy sady park. Apart from more fine examples of turn of the 19th/20th century art nouveau buildings, there are three information boards at the right side of the park with interesting stories of Czech soldiers from the Teplice area who fought in WWII (boards are in English/Czech)