Salt all round please (Druskininkai (Lithuania))

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Druskininkai (Lithuania)
Date:	05/11/08 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good value for spa goers

Disadvantages: Not much to do, more beautiful and less touristy locations

Druskininkai is a seasonal town or even village by a small lake, a spa resort in the South Western corner of Lithuania in an area neighbouring Poland and Belarus. In season, it's a trendy place for holidaying Russians and richer Lithuanian and has always had a long history of attracting the middle classes from Vilnius, Warsaw and Moscow ever since a train line ran close by from Warsaw to Saint Petersburg at the turn of the last century. If you are into the saunas and massages on offer then the prices may appeal but beyond the world of relaxation and frolicking in the nearby water park, there is very little to do here. The mud is supposed to have curing benefits.

The countryside in the area is not as lush as in the north of the country and mostly farmland, the town pretty much transforms in May, from a winter ghost town with the locals huddled around a fire indoors and the few visible people being stumbling drunks to a bustling holiday location for a mixture of people from pensioners to baldy blokes with barbie dolls in expensive brands of car with smoke black windows.

The main tree-ladened pedestrian boulevard is a nice place for a stroll but if you visit out of season, their tends to be a bit of building going on to make sure it is pristine by the time the summer comes around. It's cheap to stay in Druskininkai with rooms from about 25litas (4.3 litas to the pound). In my eyes Druskininkai is a bit over-rated but there is some very nice salty fizzy water bottled in the town only rivalled by that of the water from fellow spa town Birstonas.

The iconic blue orthodox church which really stands out as you enter the town is without doubt the building to see. If you decide to visit, it's worth visiting the Grutas park (A collection of towering soviet monuments that were torn down at the end of communism and brought to the park)

The town is not as easily reachable as it once was but there are plenty of buses from Vilnius and Kaunas.

Summary: Only stay for the cheap spa treatment, otherwise a short visit