Cheb was a free imperial city long before it was Czech, and it still looks it: steep gabled houses, a Romanesque imperial castle, and at the heart of the square the Špalíček — a cluster of eleven crooked medieval houses fused together like something from a fairy tale. Ten minutes away, Františkovy Lázně adds pastel spa architecture in butter yellow.
1. The Špalíček
Cheb main square · Map ↗
Eleven medieval merchant houses grown into a single leaning block — the most distinctive silhouette in West Bohemia and unlike anything else in the country.
2. Cheb Castle & the double chapel
Above the Ohře · Map ↗
An imperial castle with a rare two-storey Romanesque chapel and a black tower of volcanic stone. Ramparts look out over the river valley.
3. Náměstí Krále Jiřího
Main square · Map ↗
A sloping square of tall painted gables, arcades and cafés — German in character, Czech in calm.
4. Františkovy Lápně colonnades
10 minutes north · Map ↗
Ranks of butter-yellow neoclassical pavilions in a spa park — symmetrical, serene and superb for styled photos.
5. SOOS nature reserve
15 minutes north · Map ↗
A boardwalk over bubbling mineral springs and mud volcanoes — an otherworldly landscape almost nobody uses for portraits.
A border town's double character
Cheb feels half Bavarian, and it is: the border is ten minutes away, the architecture is Franconian, and the town changed hands more than once. That mixture is exactly why it photographs unlike anywhere else in Czechia — and why couples travelling from Germany often find it their easiest option.
Pairing with the spa triangle
Cheb sits at the corner of the West Bohemian spa triangle: Františkovy Lázně is 10 minutes away, Mariánské Lázně 30, Karlovy Vary 45. A weekend can take in all four with almost no driving.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Cheb from Prague?
About 170 km, roughly two hours by car or by direct train — but only 15 minutes from the German border, so couples coming from Bavaria often reach it faster than from Prague.
Is Františkovy Lázně worth adding?
If you like symmetry and pastel architecture, yes. It is one of Europe's UNESCO-listed great spa towns, and the colonnade park is spacious, calm and beautifully proportioned for photos.
What is the SOOS reserve like for photography?
Strange and wonderful — a boardwalk over a peat bog with bubbling mineral springs. Stay on the walkway (it is a protected reserve), and go on an overcast day when the pale ground doesn't blow out.
Best season for Cheb?
Late spring and early autumn. The square is stone-heavy and looks its warmest in low sun; the spa park next door is at its best when the flowerbeds are planted, roughly May to September.