Course in Karlovy Vary and Marianske Lazne: how much a week of treatment costs

Western Bohemia gets cheaper in the fall. From mid-September to early November, resort hotels in Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně drop their prices below spring levels, while treatments run at the usual pace. What a package includes, who prescribes it, and what you'll pay for a week, let's break it down step by step.

A Czech spa package is not like a spa weekend with a massage. It's a medical program for 7-21 nights with a fixed structure: doctor, treatment plan, meals, and the hotel's spa area (official Karlovy Vary tourism portal). The local spa tax for accommodation is a separate line item, up to 50 crowns per person per night.

Below you'll find how the package works, fall 2026 prices, the difference between the two towns, monthly weather, and how to get there from Germany and Austria.

Ad: this article contains affiliate links, we earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you.

What a Czech spa package is

💡 In short: you buy a spa stay here as a package, not as individual treatments.

• The classic stay is 14-21 nights; anything under 7 nights is considered a trial stay by the hotels.
• The initial examination is done by a doctor on the day of arrival or the first morning.
• Prices and opening hours: 09/2026, verified on the official Karlovy Vary tourism portal.

In Czechia, a spa stay is sold as a paid service, not as an automatic insurance payout. You don't need a referral from home, but there's also no default cost coverage. The structure looks like this: a stay of at least 7 nights, an examination by a spa physician, treatments Monday through Saturday, Sunday off. Basic packages include 5-9 treatments per stay, full medical packages up to 18 per week. Meals depend on the program: half board or full board, often with dietary adjustments. The pool, sauna, and the hotel's spa area are already included in most packages, so you're choosing a whole program, not individual treatments.

There are three spa towns in the West Bohemian triangle: Karlovy Vary, Mariánské Lázně, and Františkovy Lázně. Packages with treatment are sold in the first two towns; the third is more often visited as a day trip from Karlovy Vary.

What determines the treatment plan

The initial examination is not a formality. The doctor decides which treatments you'll receive, in what order and at what dosage, and also rules out anything that's contraindicated for you. With hypertension, heart disease, a history of thrombosis, or recent surgery, the plan will be different. What to bring: a list of medications, medical reports from the last 1-2 years, an ECG, and lab results. German-speaking doctors are common in Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně, and a folder with documents saves half the clarifying questions. The second rule: don't insist on one specific treatment from the catalog. The plan is based on your diagnosis, not on the guest's preference. Additional treatments can be purchased on site and are billed separately.

The drinking cure and its rules

Mineral water is drunk according to a schedule: the spring, volume, and time of day are determined by the doctor. It usually happens before meals and often while walking along the colonnade. Spring temperatures vary widely. In Karlovy Vary, the range goes from cool waters to the hot Vřídlo spring at over 70 °C; the hottest springs are drunk cooled or diluted (tourism portal data). The drinking cure is not self-dosed. As a day visitor, you can try the water at the colonnade, but as a system it's prescribed by a specialist. One effect is rarely mentioned: the local waters act as a laxative. This is an expected result of the treatment. Anyone who drinks three times the prescribed amount will spend the first day in their room. The cup with a spout (Kurbecker) is sold in shops near the colonnades. Buy it there, not in advance: you can only see the price and selection in the shop.

Where to drink the water:

• Marianske Lazne: Křížový pramen, Ferdinandův pramen, Rudolfův pramen and Lesní pramen. Křížový pramen in its classicist pavilion is usually open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (city portal).
• Karlovy Vary: Vřídelní kolonáda, Mlýnská kolonáda, Tržní kolonáda and Zámecká kolonáda stand along the Teplá River within walking distance of each other.

Spa tax: how much it costs

Every guest pays the spa tax (Kurtaxe, poplatek z pobytu) for each night. The law allows towns to charge a maximum of 50 crowns per person per night, roughly €2 (as of 09/2026, local fees, Karlovy Vary municipality). Major spa towns, including Karlovy Vary, charge this maximum. Three things surprise guests:

• The tax is often not included in the online price. Hotels bill it separately and collect it at check-in, sometimes in cash. For 14 nights for two people it comes to about 1,400 crowns, or €55-60 (50 crowns × 14 nights × 2 people, city rate).
• Some packages include the tax. Full medical programs often list it as part of the services, so check what is included before booking.
• The tax is not tied to treatments. It funds the spa park, colonnades and promenade concerts, not treatment. Paying the tax does not entitle you to any treatment.

Exemptions usually apply to children under 18 and certain groups; each town sets the details.

What a week-long course really costs

The figures below apply to the autumn 2026 season and are per person in a double room, with meals and treatments.

The ranges above are compiled from autumn 2026 offers at spa houses. At lower-category houses the price is lower, but the set of treatments is also shorter. Guests from Germany, Austria and Switzerland pay out of pocket. Subsidies from German health insurers for preventive treatment abroad are possible, but only with prior approval: expenses are not reimbursed retroactively. If you are counting on your insurer, get written agreement before booking. Trip.com is a convenient way to compare prices for specific dates: see hotels and sanatoriums in Karlovy Vary.

Karlovy vary or marianske laznie

© LenkaSvasek · CC BY-SAPhoto: LenkaSvasek, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

Karlovy Vary keeps an urban pace, Marianske Lazne lives to the rhythm of its park. If you want coffee shops, glass manufactories and the atmosphere of a film festival, choose the first town. If you plan to spend a second week in a spa park, choose the second. The towns are about 50 km apart (on the map), so a day trip to the neighboring town takes under an hour.

Fall: weather and what's open

In September, daytime temperatures are usually 18-21 °C, in October 12-15 °C, in November 5 to 8 °C. Marianske Lazne sits at about 600 m above sea level, so it's usually a couple of degrees colder there (ČHMÚ). Fog in the valley in October is normal, as are clear cold mornings. What this means for your plans:

• The foliage in Kaiserwald and in the Marianske Lazne spa park usually turns yellow in the second half of October.
• The Singing Fountain (Zpívající fontána) in Marianske Lazne plays every odd hour, and at 9 and 10 p.m. with colored lighting. The season opens on April 30 and closes on October 31 (official city website). Sometimes the fountain is stopped earlier, so check the date before you leave.
• The colonnades and springs are open all year, and the drinking cure runs in November too.
• Promenade concerts and the street program run until about the end of October, then everything moves indoors.
• Warm layered clothing is essential. In the morning you walk through the park with a cup at 6 °C, and at lunch you sit on a terrace at 18 °C.

© Effenberger · CC BY-SAPhoto: Effenberger, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0), Wikimedia Commons

How to get there from Germany and Austria

By car, Karlovy Vary is the closest to Germany. From Nuremberg via Bayreuth and Marktredwitz to the border near Cheb, the drive takes about 2.5-3 hours; from Munich it's about four hours (on the map). From Vienna the route is longer and goes via Prague. Czech highways require an electronic vignette. You buy it online and link it to your license plate; no sticker is needed. Prices for 2026: 10 days 300 crowns, 30 days 480 crowns, annual 2,570 crowns (as of 09/2026, official eDalnice e-shop). By train, the usual route goes via Nuremberg and Marktredwitz to Cheb, then on to Karlovy Vary or Marianske Lazne. From Munich the trip takes about 5.5-6 hours (České dráhy). Marianske Lazne is on the Prague-Plzen-Cheb rail line, so it's easy to reach from Prague by train. It's convenient to buy tickets in advance: see trains to Karlovy Vary on Trip.com. By bus, there are services from Munich and Nuremberg with a transfer, and the trip takes about the same amount of time. From Prague, buses run several times a day and the journey takes a couple of hours. For those flying into Prague, the bus is usually the simplest option. If you fly into Prague and don't want to deal with transfers, there's an easier option: a transfer with pickup in the arrivals hall. The driver takes you straight to your hotel; the form is below.

Money: the Czech Republic uses the crown, not the euro. Cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants, and pharmacies; cash is needed for the spa tax, small cafes, and the market. Currency exchange at the station and at exchange offices with flashy signs is a bad deal: withdraw crowns from an ATM and let your bank handle the conversion.

Practical tips before you go

Four things worth checking before you book:

• Bring your medical reports, a list of medications, and your European health insurance card. The card covers acute care, but not the treatment program itself.
• Dose your drinking cure as prescribed by your doctor, and buy the spa cup on site.
• Bring layered clothing and shoes for the spa forest. The trails around Marianske Lazne are longer than they look on the map.
• Before you leave, it's worth comparing travel insurance options.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

How many nights do I need for a first treatment program?

Plan for at least a week. The classic option lasts two to three weeks. If you're limited on vacation time, take a week of treatment and leave a day for travel.

Can I go without a doctor's referral?

Yes. The treatment program in the Czech Republic is sold as a paid service; no referral from another country is required. A doctor on site does the examination and puts together the procedure plan.

Is the spa tax included in the package price?

Not always. Full medical programs often include the tax, while simple packages and individual hotels charge it at check-in.

What documents should I bring?

A list of medications, medical reports from recent years, an ECG, and recent lab results.

When should I go in the fall?

The best time is September and the first half of October. There are fewer tourists than in summer, prices are already lower, and the weather still allows walking without a heavy jacket. The foliage turns yellow in the second half of October, but by then it's colder and gets dark earlier.

In short: what's worth booking

• If you have two weeks and want treatment: a classic package at a 4* spa house in Karlovy Vary, with examination and procedures.
• If you need quiet: Marianske Lazne, a spa house by the park, with walks starting right at the entrance.
• If you're on a budget: a 3* hotel with half board, and add procedures one by one.
• If you're flying into Prague: a train or a transfer to the spa town; you don't need a car once you're there.

You can book in parts: browse hotels and sanatoriums in Karlovy Vary on Trip.com, trains to the resort.

For trips around the West Bohemian triangle, car rental comes in handy.