Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

Karlovy Vary was known as Karlsbad to Beethoven when he went for walks there with Goethe and when it was one of the leading spa towns of Europe. The names literally mean "Charles Bath" after Charles IV, the founder of the town in the 14th century. Beethoven and Goethe (and just about every other famous person) stayed at the Grandhotel Pupp, shown above. Nostalgia is the town's main appeal these days, but none of the spas from Beethoven's time survive today and, no, the film Royal Budapest Hotel was not shot there.

The town winds along the Teplá River before flowing into the larger Ohře River. Below is a postcard from around 1900 showing the town along the river bank - the streets are under the trees. Below that is a contemporary photo taken from Karlovy Vary's famous Grand Hotel Pupp.

Just along the river a bit is the town's most famous spa - that Beethoven would not have used, since it was built in the 1890's. It is now known as Lázně I, formerly Kaiserbad, then Císařské lázně or Imperial Spa. It has been restored recently but to mixed reviews. A better bet is to walk around the town like Beethoven did and see the spectacular colonnades and colorful homes.