Relaxation
There are many ways how to relax in the town. It ranges from working out to sitting in a park or shopping. It simply depends on your temperament.
Fitness
If you're a kind of an active person and you like an active way of life, you will surely appreciate our two most important town fitness centres.
IGY fitness centre
This fitness centre is a part of the shopping complex IGY, you'll find it on the first floor near the shop Reserved. It offers you various kinds of activities such as spinning, squash, aerobic, sauna, yoga or working out equipment. The services there are rather expensive in comparison to other fitness centres.
Holiday Fitness Club
Near IGY there is a former shopping house called Družba and close to this building is this fitness centre. The range of the services is almost the same as in IGY, but markedly more affordable. Plus there are sport courses for small children.
Swimming pools
Maybe you don't like sweating in a gym and you're a keen swimmer. Or you just like fooling around in a swimming pool. Here are two tips where to release your energy.
Swimming pool on Sokolský Island
Swimming pool in IGY fitness centre
This pool is much smaller than the previous one on Sokolský Island. But there is regularly held aqua-aerobic led by a profesional trainer, ask the reception clerk. You can use a whirlpool bath or sauna too (all is included in the price). Most of the time there are not many people around, so you have enough privacy.
Wellness
The major wellnes centre is in IGY centre. The offer of wellness activities includes sauna, various kinds of massages, solarium, peelings, whirlpool bath etc.
Orient Spa opposite Hotel Gomel is a real relaxation resort. It offers you relaxation procedures which you can't find anywhere else in the town. It is led in an oriental spirit. Orient Spa provides accomodation as well.
Parks
Also natural relaxation areas are a part of the town. Spending time in parks costs you nothing.
Stromovka
The biggest park in town, recreation area for relaxing and sports. It is an ideal place for skating, cycling or picnic. There is also a pond called „Bagr“, earlier used as an open air pool. Stromovka is good for family life because it includes number of playgrounds for children. To make your day more pleasant, visit restaurant Oáza (Oasis), which is also included in Stromovka. It's quite a long way from Přemysl Otakar II Square, about 20 minutes. This way is suitable for cycling.
Sady
Sady is more town park than Stromovka. You get there in 3 minutes from the centre. In summer, it's sometimes fine place for reading on the bench until it gets dark.
Shopping
Even if our town doesn't rank among the biggest cities, there are a few excellent shopping areas, which you could appreciate.
IGY Centre
It's a shopping mall filled with many various clothes shops (Orsay, New Yorker, Kenvelo, Takko, Killtec, Quicksilver, Private Member etc.) and pubs (Potrefená Husa, Mariner). Even a café, wellness or supermarket is here. IGY was opened in 2004, so it's a very young, modern and fresh shopping centre. Right next to the main entrance to IGY, there's a lift, which you can use to visit Bazilika – a place where performances or graduation balls take place, also a really nice café bar is a part of the Bazilika complex.You can easily get there, it's probably 15 minutes from the Square. Parking in IGY is for free as well as in Mercury mentioned below.
IGY is the best shopping centre in town, because there is the finest offer of clothes. You cannot find better prices and wider choice of shopping anywhere else in Budweis.
Mercury Centre
It has almost the same spirit as IGY, besides you can get to the bus station on the second floor. Bus station located on the roof of Mercury shopping centre is unique in our country. While waiting for your bus, have a coffee in Gaza cafe or buy shoes, clothes, book or something to eat in Hypernova on the ground floor.
Dvořák Store
Dvořák is located on Přemysl Otakar II. Square and is much smaller than previous two centres. I wouldn't call this place „centre“ in comparison to IGY or Mercury, because there are only a few expensive clothes shops, tobacconist's, toy shop and a small restaurant. I can see the main drawback in uselessly expensive clothes. However, it's in the town centre, you can simply get there and try it yourself.
Lannova Street
A well-known street a few minutes from Přemysl Otakar II. Square includes almost all kinds of shops. If you go there, you may pass by interesting statues standing near the little fountain. Going on along the street you'll see the big house named Prior (old shopping centre but you could find some things useful or nice – furniture and stationery are good) and just behind Prior there is McDonald's. You might appreciate little amount of energy after shopping :-)Next: Evening life