Places in the region
Castles, spas, viewpoints and more trip ideas
- Landmark
Three Crosses Lookout
Three crosses from around 1640 and a wooden arbour on Three Crosses Hill (554 m) overlooking the whole spa centre. A 1.9 km yellow-marked walk from the Hot Spring.
- Landmark
Camera Obscura Lookout
Wooden lookout arbour on a plateau below Three Crosses Hill, overlooking the spa centre in the Teplá valley. Freely accessible; 1.6 km from the Hot Spring.
- Landmark
Basalt Fan on Hirtstein
A 15-metre basalt “palm fan” in an exposed quarry on Hirtstein: a nationally recognised geosite, broad Ore Mountains views and an easy geological stop beside the mountain inn.
- Landmark
Kapellenberg Lookout Tower
A wooden lookout tower on 759-metre Kapellenberg, combining a short forest walk, sweeping views across the Czech-German borderlands and history stretching from St Ursula’s chapel to the tower’s 1993 reconstruction.
- Activity
Kletterwelt Erzgebirge
The largest indoor climbing facility in the Ore Mountains: walls up to 14 m, more than 50 routes, bouldering, a kids' area and beginner courses at CVJM Strobel-Mühle between Pockau and Marienberg.
- Landmark
Klínovec Lookout Tower
A stone lookout tower on the highest mountain of the Ore Mountains: a 17 m tower from 1884, reopened after restoration in 2013, with wide views across Bohemia and Saxony.
- Activity
Plešivec Rope Park
A forest rope park in AREÁL Plešivec near Abertamy: adult routes 4-12 m above ground, a children's netted course, instruction, safety gear and a mountain day below the lookout tower.
- Activity
Fly-Line Fichtelberg
A 1,550 m Flyline above Oberwiesenthal: a gentle suspended glide from the Fichtelberg side into the valley, with a chairlift ride up and clear weather and weight rules.
- Activity
Climbing Arena Jirkov
The largest climbing centre for miles around — 50 belay lines, 150 routes of every grade, a big bouldering wall and a café. Indoor, open year-round.
- Place
Svatý Linhart Game Preserve
A forest game preserve above Karlovy Vary with elevated walkways up to six metres high — watch sika deer, fallow deer and wild boar. Free, year-round.
- Place
Zoo Plasy
One of Czechia's smallest zoos, north of Plzeň, where a white tiger, white lions and a white kangaroo share one site woven into a Fantasy Golf park.
- Place
Zoo Hof
The only full-scale zoo in Upper Franconia: 1,600 animals of 100 species, gibbons, lynxes, meerkats, prairie dogs and a walk-through Australian aviary – 50 km from Cheb by train or car.
- Place
Wildpark Waldhaus Mehlmeisel
A nature-close wild park in the heart of the Bavarian Fichtelgebirge with guided animal-feeding tours twice daily – dogs welcome and free, fully accessible.
- Place
Wildpark Osterzgebirge
A unique blend of native wildlife and exotic species in Hartmannmühle near Geising: wallabies, Asian dwarf otters, meerkats and coatis sharing a natural mountain forest with local lynx and wild boar.
- Place
Tierpark Klingenthal
A small but surprisingly varied animal park right on the Czech-Saxon border: alpacas, rhesus monkeys, dwarf goats and a petting area – just 20 minutes by train from Kraslice.
- Place
Wildpark Waschleithe
Five and a half hectares of wild park in the idyllic Oswaldtal valley, with over 250 animals in forty species, a petting area, natural history museum and cold-water aquarium – all for a very modest fee.
- Place
Wildtiergehege am Pöhlberg
A freely accessible wildlife enclosure in the recreation park above Annaberg, home to lynx, raccoon, fallow deer and ponies – free entry, perfect for families.
- Activity
Drei-Talsperren-Marathon Anytime
A permanent running and MTB challenge in Eibenstock: six routes from 8.35 to 96.5 km, smartphone checkpoints, results, medal and certificate. It complements the live Drei-Talsperren-Marathon held on the third Saturday in September.
- Activity
14 Eight-Thousanders in the Eastern Ore Mountains
A long-distance mountain challenge around Altenberg: 71.8 km over fourteen Saxon “eight-thousanders” measured in decimetres, with GPX/KML/FIT tracks, stamps, and a finisher T-shirt via the starter backpack.
- Activity
Fichtelbergbahn Steam Train: Oberwiesenthal-Cranzahl
A historic narrow-gauge steam railway just across the border from Boží Dar. The Fichtelbergbahn runs between Kurort Oberwiesenthal and Cranzahl, turning a simple train ride through the Saxon Ore Mountains into a proper family outing.
- Activity
Kozodoj Farm
A farm and environmental education centre in the Rolava valley near Karlovy Vary. Come for a pre-booked animal tour, school programme or horse experience; arranging the visit in advance is essential.
- Activity
Boží Trail – MTB Singletrack above Boží Dar
A short, playful MTB trail by the Za Prahou slope: berms, smaller jumps, tabletops, and a start below Boží vyhlídka just above Boží Dar.
ActivityVia Ferrata Bečov nad Teplou
A short bio-via-ferrata at the western end of the Bečov Botanical Garden, ideal for a quick climbing stop in the Karlovy Vary Region.
- Activity
Via Ferrata near Aš – Devil's Rocks
A new protected climbing route on Devil's Rocks between Podhradí and Háj Hill: 80 m of secured climbing graded A to C, accessible from the Háj sports complex or Podhradí bus stop.