Towns are marked in bold: Abertamy - Andělská Hora - Bečov nad Teplou - Bochov - Boží Dar - Božičany - Bražec - Březová - Černava - Chodov - Chyše - Čichalov - Dalovice - Děpoltovice - Doupovské Hradiště – Hájek - Horní Blatná - Hory - Hroznětín - Jáchymov - Jenišov - Karlovy Vary - Kolová - Krásné Údolí - Krásný Les - Kyselka - Merklín - Mírová - Nejdek - Nová Role - Nové Hamry - Ostrov - Otovice - Otročín - Pernink - Pila - Potůčky - Pšov - Sadov - Šemnice - Smolné Pece - Stanovice - Štědrá - Stráž nad Ohří - Stružná - Teplá - Teplička - Toužim - Útvina - Valeč - Velichov - Verušičky - Vojkovice - Vrbice - Vysoká Pec - Žlutice Part of the district area belongs to Hradiště Military Training Area.

The character of the terrain is very diverse, the landscape alternates between mountainous, hilly and slightly undulating.

The territory extends into six geomorphological mesoregions: Ore Mountains (north), Doupov Mountains (east), Sokolov Basin (west), Slavkov Forest (west), Teplá Highlands (south) and Rakovník Uplands (small part in the southeast).

The highest point of the district and the entire Karlovy Vary Region is the Klínovec Mountain in Jáchymov with an elevation of 1,244 metres (4,081 ft).

The lowest point is the river bed of the Ohře in Stráž nad Ohří at 305 m (1,001 ft).