Karlovy Vary is a beautiful spa town in the Czech Republic which doesn't get very many British visitors - even though it's only a couple of hours out of Prague. In fact when I was there I didn't hear a single British accent for over a week, which was pretty nice actually.
 
Legend has it that the Czech King Charles IV discovered a spring in the region whilst deer hunting in the mid 14th century. Since this time, there has been a permanent settlement and the present day spa town is like stepping into a beautiful Slavic fairytale.

The town lines the slopes of a valley along a curving river which steams in the cold evenings. There is an active geyser inside a modern glass building and beautifuly ornate colonnades that lead you from spring to spring, at which you can take the 'cure' in your Karlovy Vary sipping cup. Each spring has a different mineral content but they are all luke warm to hot and kind of metallic, sulphurous and salty tasting. The cure is particularly famous as a remedy for those with intestinal/gastric problems.
 
It doesn't take long to get to know your way around Karlovy Vary and it's all very accessible and the people are friendly. It costs about three quid to spend many hours in the spas, and treatments are around a quarter of the price that you would pay in the UK.

The food is good, simple, cheap and generally produced locally. Definitely try the local tipple Becherovka - named after Dr. Becher who spent his life developing effective remedies for those coming to take the waters of Karlovy Vary. It's an intoxicating blend of herbs, spices and waters from the springs. The waters are also used in production of the Karlovy Vary wafers. These are huge head sized wafers that street vendors sell, warm and flavoured with cinnamon, really delicious!