Nowadays, Karlovy Vary is a popular tourist destination. The year-round favour of the Czech and foreign guests is enjoyed by the dozens of spa hotels, guest houses, separate spa facilities, wellness centres.

In the early 20th century Karlsbad was the most famous spa town in Europe. But both world wars had lowered the attendance to a fraction of the pre-war situation. After the war, Karlsbad (Karlovy Vary) did not enjoy freedom for a long time. The spa sources and sanatoriums were nationalized in 1948. The clientele was mainly restricted to the citizens of countries of the former Soviet Union bloc. Western tourists started to come back to Karlovy Vary only after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. Since that time the number of spa tourists has been increasing.

The town of Karlovy Vary is located in the western part of the Czech Republic at the confluence of the rivers Teplá and Ohře (Eger), about 120 km from Prague. It is the largest and most famous spa town in the Czech Republic.