From Leipzig to Plzeň

It was absolutely brilliant to be on the road again. Being able to decide at any time what you want to do, where you want to go and when you want to leave. That's exactly how we'd imagined it. Okay, sometimes you have to base your decision on the weather, but that's fine.
As we wanted to be back in Augsburg by mid-November for various appointments, we looked for a suitable route that offered plenty to see and was best suited to the weather forecast.

Leipzig to Chemnitz

Altenburg

After the dreadful weather in Leipzig had put us off, we decided to make a detour to Plzeň before turning off towards Augsburg. There are various places you can visit along the route there. We chose Chemnitz - or, as it was known in GDR times, “Karl-Marx-Stadt”.
On the way there lies the little town of Altenburg. Some people may know Altenburg for being home to Germany's oldest playing card factory. Playing cards were already being produced in Altenburg as early as 1509. After the Second World War, the company's assets were confiscated by the Soviet Union and taken away. Similarly, all the exhibits from a playing card museum were taken to the Soviet Union and have not been returned to this day. Nevertheless, playing card production resumed. After German reunification, the company was sold on several occasions, including to F.X. Schmid and Ravensburger. Today, the factory belongs to Cartamundi. Visitors can now learn about the eventful history of card production in Altenburg at the Playing Card Museum.
As of 2025, this is located in the town's second major attraction, Altenburg Residential Palace. The castle was first mentioned as early as 976. Since then, the complex has been remodelled and extended. In today's museum, visitors can admire the ducal apartments dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. If you take part in a guided tour, you will be treated to a demonstration of the world-famous Trost organ in the castle chapel. The Trost organ, named after its builder Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost, was inspected and highly praised by none other than Johann Sebastian Bach. Following an extensive restoration, the organ now sounds just as it did in its heyday.
An impressive experience.

If you're ever in Altenburg and still feel a bit like a child at heart, you really mustn't miss the Labyrinth House. Hidden behind the façade of a former factory, a multi-part maze has been created across several levels. We managed to complete three of the four mazes. Not only did we find the stamps, but we also found the exits - or rather, the passages to the next level - in each one. But the fourth level is a real challenge. Even after several attempts, we couldn't find the exit. So we had no choice but to fight our way back through all the other levels to the entrance. As a reward, we were still allowed to have a go at the Halloween maze. With black light and lots of fun effects, it was an absolutely brilliant way to pass the time.
But be warned: the €16 entry fee per person can only be paid in cash. So make sure you have enough cash with you (especially if you're a family with children).

After all that action, we started to feel a bit peckish. It was just as well, then, that we'd planned to have a look around the old town. On the huge market square, we found a small ice-cream parlour that also advertised a few hot dishes. As you might expect, cash was the only payment option here too (we were, after all, still in the East). After getting hold of some cash, we sat down and had a look at the menu. We were surprised to find that the prices were steep. But given all the job adverts we keep seeing, and the fact that even simple survey staff or bakery assistants are already earning €15 to €16 an hour, it's hardly surprising. And yet everyone's always complaining that the East has been left behind. We're not used to wages and prices like that in Augsburg. Outraged by the prices, we left the café and went to another one. Here, the prices were actually a bit cheaper and the cakes and dishes were freshly prepared. It was a good thing we'd moved on.
And before we forget, both cafés were absolutely packed. Apparently, people are doing well financially, even if they don't seem to realise it themselves anymore.
The old town itself is quite impressive, with many old and renovated houses. We think a stroll through the streets is well worth it.

Chemnitz

For the night, we drove to a lovely park on the outskirts of Chemnitz. We spent a relaxing night on the somewhat muddy car park. The next morning, we were just having breakfast when an elderly couple with two dogs came past on their morning walk. Apparently as a joke, they asked if the coffee was ready yet, to which we had to say no. We did, however, suggest making some coffee, and the couple said they'd pop back by at the end of their short walk. Unfortunately, we waited in vain and the water for the coffee went cold again. A shame, because when it comes to arranging to meet for coffee, we don't mess about. To avoid wasting the water, we used it to make tea in a thermos flask.

What better way to get to know a city than by going to a Kieser gym there? Just kidding - there are certainly better ways. But we wanted to work out and have a shower again.
Fortunately, the local Kieser gym is right in the city centre, on the edge of the market square. So after our workout, we didn't have far to go to the city's sights. The ensemble comprising St James's Church, the Old Town Hall and the New Town Hall is truly impressive. Just round the corner are the Red Tower and the monumental head of Karl Marx. We'd spotted the Colourful Staircase on Google Maps and wanted to visit that too. Well, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but somehow we'd imagined it differently.
As we'd now seen all the highlights and it wasn't even lunchtime yet, we were drawn in by the enticing name of the Schokoladenbar. They have absolutely everything made with delicious chocolate here. And you can choose from several different varieties too. We treated ourselves to a hot chocolate with marshmallows and an espresso with chocolate. Later on, we had some pastry sticks with chocolate sauce for dipping. Whilst we were enjoying these treats, we wrote our ninth blog post and finally published it. We also planned our route for the next few days.

Chemnitz to Oberwiesenthal

Marienberg

Whilst doing some research, Andrea discovered that nearby Marienberg is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although there are countless World Heritage Sites in the Ore Mountains due to mining, Marienberg also drew us in with its town plan, which was designed on the drawing board.
The weather that morning was anything but pleasant. We were very lucky, then, to escape a heavy downpour by visiting St Mary's Church. On the way to the city gate, we were caught in another downpour. It passed quickly, however, giving way to a blue sky.
As we were out and about very early, as we were every day, the Saxon-Bohemian Ore Mountains Museum wasn't open yet. Whilst we were waiting in the PLeasure-Van, the sky darkened once more and we were hit by gusts of wind, sleet and rain. The museum, which had been furnished with great care, ultimately made up for the dreadful weather. In addition to the usual display cases, it features several models of mining operations that come to life at the touch of a button.

Another attraction and World Heritage Site near Marienberg is the . The capstan was used to hoist the ore that the miners had extracted underground. The small adjoining museum provides information on the history of mining. Depending on the time of day, there are demonstrations of the capstan and guided tours of the shaft.
Afterwards, hunger drove us to the very charmingly decorated dual-restaurant „Oma's Kartoffelhaus“ und „Schnitzel Otto“.

In connection with the Erzbergwerke World Heritage Site, the “Grüner Graben” was also mentioned. This runs through the nearby forests in the Schwarzwasser Valley. Along the Grüner Graben there is a footpath with several information boards detailing its history and function. Unfortunately, at the time (as of 2025), the path was not fully accessible due to tree felling and construction work. Fortunately, however, there is a parallel path running alongside the Schwarzwasser.
As the circular walk is only about 8 km long, we decided to tackle it that afternoon. From the car park at Katzenstein, we first headed to the viewpoint of the same name before reaching the Grüner Graben. Unfortunately, we had to turn off here and descend into the Schwarzwasser Valley. The autumnal path was lined with thick moss and masses of blueberry bushes. Once we reached the valley floor, we were greeted by the rush of the Schwarzwasser. Passing the Nonnenfelsen and the Teufelsmauer, we continued along the stream.
At the junction for the return route, a surprise: closed off! What now? Either walk back the same way or put up with a rather long detour. But that's not the sort of thing adventurers like us would do. So we crossed the slightly rotten bridge anyway and then made our way up the muddy path, which had been churned up by tree-felling work. It only got a bit better after a few hundred metres. By then, our shoes looked a right mess.
Just in time for sunset, we reached the car park again and drove on to Bärenstein to find a place to park for the night.
Our night's rest was initially somewhat disrupted, however, as several fire brigades suddenly started holding a drill there. After that, it was a quiet and frosty night.

Oberwiesenthal

We'd already had a fantastic view of the highest mountain in the former GDR the previous evening. But of course, that wasn't enough for us. We wanted to get there and climb it. After a short drive, we parked the Felía in a car park at the valley station. From there, various - unfortunately poorly signposted - hiking trails lead up to the summit. We opted for a route that was supposed to take us past a mountain hut. Unfortunately, we realised along the way that this was probably the “steep ascent”. On the plus side, however, we had a lovely path alongside a babbling stream, lined with numerous blueberry bushes. Here and there, we even spotted a few berries that we could snack on.
Once we reached the top, we were treated to a lovely view of the valley. But the steep and slippery path up the mountain, combined with the fact that it was still quite cold in the morning, burned through plenty of calories. So we wanted to be calorie-conscious and make a conscious effort to refuel. We found a mountain hut near the top station, though it wasn't open yet. When we asked if we could have something to eat, we were told: “as a one-off”. So we were served our second breakfast, consisting of fresh Kaiserschmarrn with apple sauce and hot drinks. As it wasn't even 10 o'clock in the morning, we decided against the much-praised Bombardino (hot egg liqueur with an extra shot).
After a short walk around the summit, taking in the views in all directions, it was time to head back down into the valley. But with so many options, it was a tough choice. We could have made our way back down via the Flying Fox (which would have been tricky with our rucksacks), the cable car or the chairlift. We opted for the chairlift. Unfortunately, we must have done something wrong when getting on, as we couldn't open the canopy and so only had a partially unobstructed view of the valley.
Other attractions include the summer toboggan run and the Alpine Coaster. We'd already had a good look at these from the chairlift. We wanted something a bit more thrilling, so the Coaster was just the ticket. Unlike on a summer toboggan run, the carriages here are mounted on the tracks in such a way that they cannot come off. This means the bends can be taken at full speed, sending your adrenaline levels soaring.

A historic steam train - the Fichtelbergbahn - runs from Oberwiesenthal to Cranzahl. This seemed like a worthwhile excursion to us. But before we reached the station, we were able to see the train passing over the viaduct. A great photo opportunity.
As the entire journey was expected to take about an hour, we only booked tickets as far as Hammerunterwiesenthal. From there, a railway adventure trail leads back to Unterwiesenthal. We'd heard there were supposed to be alpacas here. Right at the entrance to the village, we found an enclosure with several fluffy alpacas. Although they were quite curious, they were unfortunately also wary and timid. None of them let us stroke them.
We then took the Fichtelbergbahn back to the starting point.

We'd already noticed that morning that our water supply was running low, so we were keen to top it up. Sounds simple! But it isn't. In the whole of Oberwiesenthal, there's only one self-service petrol station without a drinking water tap. The shops were closed because of the bank holiday. What now?
We decided to try our luck in the Czech Republic. But even there, it's anything but easy. It wasn't until the third petrol station that we had any success. We filled both canisters straight away. That should see us through for a few more days.
We set up camp for the night by a couple of fish ponds on the outskirts of a tiny village. Apart from a few anglers, there was no one else here. But it's clearly a brilliant spot for fishing. The anglers were reeling in one fish after another. There was even a pike nearly 70 cm long among them.

Oberwiesenthal to Mariánské Lázně

Franzensbad

Once again, our itinerary for the day included a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We headed for Franzensbad. This is a town in the West Bohemian Spa Triangle (along with Karlovy Vary and Mariánské Lázně), and is one of Europe's most important spa towns. The spa gardens contain several springs said to have healing properties. The very ornate spa centres and hotels offer treatments, massages and prescribed therapies to people with various physical ailments and conditions. Unfortunately, the prices are extremely high, and accommodation often costs more than €110 per night.
The healing waters in the fountains have different therapeutic effects depending on their mineral and nutrient composition, but they usually have a laxative effect.

Cheb

Apart from the large park, the spa hotels and the baths, Franzensbad unfortunately has little to offer. So we moved on in good time and stopped off in Cheb. The pretty façades of the old town invite you to take a stroll and seem more down-to-earth than in Franzensbad.
As we wanted to get back to working on our blog posts, we were on the lookout for a café with Wi-Fi and a power socket. We found just the place in a small side street. No fewer than six cosy and playful cats invited us to linger. From the décor to the coffee spoons, absolutely everything was cat-themed.

For the evening, we chose a pitch on a former golf course. As it turned out later, we ended up at Königswart Castle. This used to belong to the then Austrian Chancellor, Prince Klemens von Metternich. Today, it houses one of the oldest private museums in the world. However, it's only open until the end of October, even at weekends.
As it was already November, we'd unfortunately arrived too late. But the lights were still on and the entrance gate was still open. So we thought we'd at least take a look at the inner courtyard. We were approached by a friendly man who came out of a side wing of the building. He explained that visiting hours were over, but that a film screening was now taking place as part of the Snow Filmfest 2025, focusing on winter sports.
The admission fee sounded reasonable, so, out of curiosity, we attended the screening, which had already started a few minutes earlier. It consisted of several short film segments, each lasting between 15 and 50 minutes, featuring Czech and other European extreme sports enthusiasts in ice and snow. There was a feature on cyclists riding across a frozen lake in Norway, whilst other extreme sports enthusiasts cycled down the snow-covered slopes of Mera Peak in Nepal. Another feature covered sled dog racing, whilst yet another focused on ice climbers. Even the Huberbuam team featured in a segment with a family of climbers about their ascent of the Eternal Flame in Nepal. Also of interest was a performer who displayed her trapeze skills on silks against the icy backdrop of a frozen waterfall.
There was a short break between the films' breathtaking footage to catch our breath over some light snacks and drinks. If we could just manage to create such fantastic footage on a small scale, whether with or without a drone, we'd certainly be happy. We were completely blown away.
At some point - it was already past 9 pm by then - we left the screening early, as we were starting to get tired and hadn't really had dinner yet. Nevertheless, we were delighted to have stumbled upon this film screening by chance, as it was incredibly inspiring for us, as well as entertaining and exciting. But it also gave us the chance to see a little bit of the castle's interiors after all.
These were exactly the sort of experiences we'd been hoping for on our trip: to stumble upon extraordinary experiences by chance, rather than just ticking off the highlights from travel guides.

Mariánské Lázně

In the morning, we strolled through the palace gardens belonging to the princely family of Metternich. We noticed that, unfortunately, both the park itself and the castle's outbuildings have fallen into disrepair. We thought that was a real shame, as they could certainly have been transformed into a wonderful setting for celebrations, weddings and other events. We found ourselves wondering what we would do with them if we had loads of money… 😉
After this “mental stroll”, we drove on to Mariánské Lázně, as we wanted to have another day in the office to continue working on the website and sort out some insurance matters. As it was supposed to be rainy anyway, this plan worked out quite well, so we ended up staying in a small restaurant. They even had Wi-Fi and a power socket there. So we ordered some drinks and got down to our laptops.
We sat there for quite a while, enjoying delicious food and hot and cold drinks, whilst also working on our onward route, our travelogue and dealing with the things that still needed urgent attention. For example, Frank set about researching an auxiliary heater for the car, and Andrea replied to the enquiry from the insurance company.

Time seemed to fly by. When the rain finally stopped in the late afternoon, we were able to get a feel for the town of Mariánské Lázně. We strolled along the alleyways as they grew darker, admiring the beautiful buildings in the Neoclassical and Art Nouveau styles. Thanks to the warm yellow light of the street lamps and the fact that buildings such as the Main Colonnade and the Colonnade of the Caroline Spring were beautifully illuminated, Mariánské Lázně shone with a very special splendour.
We found that we liked it here much better than in Františkovy Lázně. We also felt that Karlovy Vary - which we'd already visited on a previous trip - didn't quite feel right as a spa town. Tourism seemed to have got out of hand there, as the famous Karlovy Vary wafers and Becherovka had apparently contributed greatly to the town's fame. Otherwise, we felt that the main spa house seemed a bit dated and, somehow, almost run-down. It also seemed somewhat out of place, situated as it was in the middle of the modern city centre.
Here in Mariánské Lázně, on the other hand, it felt more authentic and less touristy, but also somehow more fitting and cosy. If you really want to experience a famous spa town, Mariánské Lázně is highly recommended.
In the mid-19th century, visitors here included Frédéric Chopin and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, amongst others, and in the early 20th century, King Edward VII of Great Britain and the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I visited Mariánské Lázně, which helped to enhance the spa town's reputation.

We#d already been in the Czech Republic for a few days, so we finally wanted to try some Bohemian cuisine. Amidst numerous high-priced restaurants, we found the Královská. This restaurant, decorated in a medieval style, offered down-to-earth Bohemian dishes and piqued our curiosity enough to draw us inside. We were not disappointed. We rounded off the day with a delicious solyanka and venison goulash with dumplings.
We headed back out to Metternich Castle for the night.

What's the point of visiting UNESCO-listed spa towns if you've never seen one from the inside? We'd decided on the Roman Baths in Mariánské Lázně based on the photos we'd seen online. You can visit these for three hours by booking in advance, even if you're not a hotel guest.
We spent the morning taking another long stroll through the town. This took us away from the touristy city centre for a while. We passed a beautiful Orthodox church and a small Anglican church. Back in the city centre, we naturally had to make a detour to the various healing springs of Mariánské Lázně. A sort of pavilion had been erected next to the colonnades especially for this purpose. There, you can draw the healing water using the obligatory spouted cup and hope for its curative effects. As soon as she tasted it, Andrea realised it must be true - after all, what medicine actually tastes good? Depending on its composition, the water tasted very mineral-rich, salty or even like rotten eggs. Well then, cheers 😂.

At precisely 2 pm, we were finally able to step inside the historic Roman Bath. As soon as we entered, we were asked to remove our shoes and were provided with a towel and a traditional linen wrap for use in the sauna. As photography is not permitted inside the building, you'll have to search online if you'd like to see what it looks like. The traditional surroundings created a wonderfully relaxing atmosphere. We were able to unwind in several pools and enjoy two saunas as well as a steam room. There are plenty of loungers where you can relax after a sauna session, and with complimentary tea and water available throughout, it's easy to keep yourself well hydrated.
Sadly, after three hours our visit came to an end - we could easily have stayed much longer.

Mariánské Lázně to Plzeň

Feeling relaxed but rather hungry, we set off towards Plzeň. On the way, we were hoping to stop at a nice little restaurant for dinner. The town of Stříbro seemed like the perfect choice, as it appeared to offer several options. However, when we arrived shortly after 6 pm, we were amazed to find that the place had already shut down for the day. All the shops had closed, and many of the restaurants had either done the same or were closed on Mondays anyway.
Eventually, we managed to find a quaint little pub where the lights were still on. Although the acoustics inside meant you could hear every conversation, it somehow still felt cosy. Andrea went to ask for a table for two - there must have been at least ten empty tables available - and held up two fingers to make herself understood. The lady behind the bar immediately seemed to understand what we wanted… or so we thought. Instead, she pointed towards a table in the corner. A short while later, our beers arrived. Oh dear… what now? We asked whether we could also order something to eat, but the answer was no. Brilliant! There we were, fresh out of the sauna, hungry, and now obliged to make the best of two beers instead. To be fair, they were surprisingly good, but on an empty stomach they packed quite a punch. Fortunately, we just managed to avoid being served a second round. The whole situation was so hilariously absurd that we simply had to turn it into a story, which you can find on our social media channels. Somehow, this wasn't quite how we'd imagined international communication would go. Clearly, we still have a bit of practice to do. 😉.
Still hungry and now slightly tipsy as well, our only remaining option was a Vietnamese restaurant. We'd been looking forward to some traditional Bohemian cuisine, but rice and noodles were perfectly acceptable too.

Plzeň

After a peaceful night beside a small lake, we arrived in Plzeň. To our surprise, we discovered that despite leaving the roof vent open and having ventilation grilles fitted in the windows, the humidity inside the Genuss-Bus had risen to as much as 98% overnight, leaving condensation virtually everywhere. The weather over the previous few days had been gloomy, rainy and very foggy, so perhaps it wasn't entirely unexpected. Our first stop in Plzeň was therefore a DIY store, where we bought a small dehumidifier. We'll see whether it makes a difference. According to the packaging, it's designed for rooms of up to 20 square metres.
Only then did we head into the city centre. Amused, we suddenly realised that we'd actually visited Plzeň before. In fact, we had even parked in exactly the same car park on that occasion. Never mind - the city centre is still a lovely place for a stroll, and it also meant we could set off towards Augsburg a little earlier than planned.In the market square in front of the church, we came across an early Christmas market with plenty of stalls selling delicious food and drinks.

As Plzeň was already familiar to us, we looked for a café that offered not only Wi-Fi but also a power socket. We settled in with a coffee and a hot chocolate and spent some time working on our travel report. Later that afternoon, we set off towards the German-Czech border. Near the small town of Domažlice, we found an overnight parking spot beside a closed restaurant, where we settled in for the night.