We are four 60 year-old travelers driving from Regensburg to Prague and then Prague to Dresden in late November. We are looking for an interesting town on each leg of the trip to stop for lunch and enjoy Czech culture. We are interested in architecture, music, spas, and wine/beer. We will only be passing through, not staying overnight. Any suggestions?
If you get an early start you might consider Karlovy Vary , I spent a day there a few weeks ago and found it charming .
The German town of Görlitz, which sits on the Polish border is beyond stunning, but driving to Prague via Görlitz will take at least 4 hours (per ViaMichelin) vs. about 2 hours for the direct drive. Görlitz is so gorgeous, with such a wealth of architectural styles, that movies are filmed there. It wasn't particularly touristy when I visited in July 2015, presumably because of its rather isolated location.
Loket is lovely, it's like a small version of Český Krumlov - without the mass tourism.
Mariánské Lázně (Marienbad) is very pleasant too, and preferable to Karlovy Vary.