Five trendy places in Karlovy Vary you shouldn’t miss

No trip to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival will be perfect for dining, drinking and partying at the legendary Czech spa.

Closer to here are five local hotspots.

thermos bottle

Hotel Thermal is the heart of the Karlovy Vary Festival: the pearl of brutalist architecture, designed by legendary Czech architects Vera Maconinova and Vladimir Machonin and built in 1977 specifically to host the festival. Features KVIFF’s return to pre-pandemic glory.

Park KVIFF.TV

KIVFF’s newest architectural addition, located adjacent to the Thermal Hotel, is the venue for the festival’s public forums, filmmakers Q&A and hourly shows. Combined with networking (meeting sessions with guest film delegations every afternoon) and a play area, KVIFF.TV Park is the perfect place to relax between screenings.

Embassy Restaurant

A favorite of VIPs and locals alike, this intimate dining room combines dramatic interiors (vaulted brick ceilings, dark wood, and stained glass windows) with arguably the best Czech cuisine in town. The steak and schnitzel are probably the best I’ve ever had, and a local beer, with a cozy atmosphere, you’ll have to come back for more.

Public casino at Grandhotel Pupp

KVIFF’s main party venue is the Grandhotel Pupp, an 18th-century cult hotel in Karlovy Vary that welcomes VIP festival guests who can regularly visit the hotel at Becher’s Bar or try their hand at roulette at Pupp’s Old-school Casino. In the 2006 James Bond movie Royal Casino.

Promenade Restaurant

No visit to Karlovy Vary would be complete without a minimum of delicious snacks. Specializing in Czech and French cuisine, but with a staunchly Czech (read: friendly) focus, this is the place to end a week-long movie marathon with a perfectly cooked dish of ragout, duck or carpaccio. With dessert crepes that restore faith in humanity.