Escapes To: Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic

A tucked-away spa town of secrets, where hot springs and echoes of the Habsburg Empire offer travelers a measured sip of stillness.

Visitors who drift across Europe soon learn that hospitality comes in shades. In some cities, say, Rome’s photogenic piazzas, Amsterdam’s cobbled canal loops, Paris’s elaborate arrondissements, the welcome is a commercial reflex. A well-rehearsed smile offered in exchange for a credit-card swipe. In quieter corners of the continent, the greeting is gent…