Grandhotel Pupp

About Grandhotel Pupp

Whether you know it as Karlovy Vary or Carlsbad, chances are you’ve heard of this most famous of Czech spa towns — for hundreds of years it played host to everyone who was anyone, from Peter the Great to Karl Marx. Now it’s in the ascendancy again, and the top lodging in town is among the most storied in Europe, the 300-year-old Grandhotel Pupp. They come from all over Eastern Europe and beyond, mostly for the legendary mineral waters, but they stay for the Pupp, an absolute palace of a hotel, made from the old mold. To be frank it’s not going to bowl you over with high-tech amenities, nor with interior design — this place gets by on pure atmosphere. Modern health spas have taken on a distinctly medical ambience, but not so the almost baroque Pupp. Likewise the modern luxury hotel has become a clinical operation — this place, by contrast, drips with character and idiosyncrasy. Here you’ll experience treatments rarely found anywhere else, as well as chandelier-festooned dining rooms and clubby, wood-paneled dining rooms. If you’re here for your nerves, take in the view of the city from the hilltop behind the Pupp; otherwise an evening in the Pupp’s casino, one of Eastern Europe’s classics, may be indicated.

Recognized By

2025 Michelin Selected Hotels

Michelin

2025