Things to do in Druskininkai
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Grūtas Park
Headline-grabbing Grūtas Park opened amid controversy in 2001. Dubbed Stalin World, this collection of bronze sculptures once stared down Big Brother-style at oppressed Lithuanians in parks and squares countrywide. The former head of a collective farm, Viliumas Malinauskas made his fortune canning mushrooms then won the loan of the hated objects from the Ministry of Culture in 1999 and transformed part of his 2-sq-km estate into a Soviet sculpture park.
Built to resemble a Siberian concentration camp, the park entrance is marked by a Soviet-Polish border crossing with barbed wire, red-and-white (Polish) and red-green (USSR) striped poles. Next to it is a single carriage …
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Bike Rental
Cruising around by pedal-power is hip. Bicycles and two- or four-seater buggies can be rented from the corner of Vilniaus and Laisvės alėjas, Vilniaus alėja 10 or next to the tourist office on Čiurlionio gatvė.
The tourist office sells cycling maps covering three cycling trails: the southbound riverside Sun Path (Saulės takas; 24km) - also a footpath - goes to the windmill museum, Stars Orbit (Žvaigzdžių orbita; 20km) snakes south into the Raigardas Valley, and the forested eastbound Žilnas Path (Žilvino takas; 20km) links Druskininkai with Grūtas Park 8km east - a great day trip.
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Spa Vilnius
Druskininkai is spa-riddled. But beware; not all are swish. Step into the wrong place and you could be slapped around by a formidable babushka straight out of a horror movie.
Striking designwise is Spa Vilnius. This spa, with a retro 1950s-style café-bar inside an eight-storey hotel, sports the best indoor swimming pool (filled with local mineral water) and a clutch of baths, including one with seaweed and another with mud. It also offers the full range of massages, including underwater body and Shiatsu foot ones. Scary-sounding things like intestine showers and gynaecologic irrigations are other mineral-water treatments on offer.
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Spa Centras
Druskininkai is spa-riddled. But beware; not all are swish. Step into the wrong place and you could be slapped around by a formidable babushka straight out of a horror movie.
Hot-choice Spa Centras, inside Hotel Druskininkai, has separate bubbling pools, inviting serious wallowers to pick from Dead Sea water, local mineral water or good old tap water. On the massage front, the body pummel with warm honey - a stronger massage than with regular or aromatic oil - wins hands down, although the massage with silky-smooth hot Hawaii stones is heavenly.
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MK Čiurlionis Memorial Museum
Lithuania's finest painter and musician is Varėna-born Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis (1875-1911), who spent his childhood in what is now the MK Čiurlionis Memorial Museum. A statue of Čiurlionis stands at the northern end of Kudirkos gatvė. Both the museum and the open-air stage in front of the Cultural Centre host beautiful classical concerts during the 'Druskininkai Summer with Čiurlionis' festival (June to September).
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Druskininkai Spa
Druskininkai is spa-riddled. But beware; not all are swish. Step into the wrong place and you could be slapped around by a formidable babushka straight out of a horror movie. Druskininkai Spa is a peppermint-green, riverside building propped up by marble columns. Pearl, herbal, mineral, mud and even vertical baths are among its wonderful watery delights. It treats a mind-boggling array of diseases - cardiovascular, cutaneous, vestibular, endocrinal etc.
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Nemunas Sanitorium
To see Druskininkai past and present, follow Čiurlionio gatvė to its northern end and turn right (east) along Liepu gatvė to Laisvės aikštė. On this vast tree-shaded square, one of the USSR's biggest and best, 10-storey Nemunas Sanitorium contrasts with the modern glass façade of Medūna. The pretty, blue, multidomed Russian Orthodox Church in the square's middle dates to the 19th century.
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Fountain of Beauty
The magical powers of local mineral water can be tested at the Dzūkija Fountain inside the Mineralinio Vandems Biuvetė, a round green building with mosaic floor and stained-glass windows on the riverside footpath running along the Nemunas. Continue north to the Fountain of Beauty - one slurp of the shockingly salty water promises eternal beauty.
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Girios Aidas
Heading 2km east of town, Girios Aidas was built to give the impression of floating by using a wooden house supported by a single pedestal. Don't miss the wood carvings of elves and witches, some animated and hidden, in the nature museum here. A wooden sculpture trail runs through the surrounding forest.
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Kolonada
This renovated late-1920s music hall propped up by a line-up of classical columns oozes atmosphere. Indulge in a terrace lunch with river view or sip apéritifs at dusk against a backdrop of local jazz (Friday), blues and rock 'n' roll (Saturday) or classical music (Sunday). A fireplace hangs inside.
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Steamboat Cruise
Very restful is a steamboat cruise along the Nemunas River to Liškiava in the Dzūkija National Park, departing May to October at 14:30 Tuesday to Sunday. Journey time is 45 minutes each way and passengers spend 1½ hours in Liškiava before sailing back to Druskininkai.
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Mineralinio Vandems Biuvetė
The magical powers of local mineral water can be tested at the Dzūkija Fountain inside the Mineralinio Vandems Biuvetė, a round green building with mosaic floor and stained-glass windows on the riverside footpath running along the Nemunas.
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Cultural Centre
Both the MK Čiurlionis Memorial Museum and the open-air stage in front of the Cultural Centre host beautiful classical concerts during the 'Druskininkai Summer with Čiurlionis' festival (June to September).
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Saulėgrąža
Saulėgrąža stands out as a happening bar with reliable Lithuanian- and American-style pizzas, a pool and billiard hall and a decking terrace with a view to slurp beer on.
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Windmill Museum
Lovable folk characters fill the Windmill Museum, about 5km southeast of the centre in Naujasodė. Cycle or walk to it along the southbound Sun Path.
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Nostalgija
A shady terrace staring out across Lake Druskonis is the drawcard of Nostalgija, which has a beer hall like a boat and a minimalist café.
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Sicilija
Pizza - 60 varieties - is the speciality of this dining spot, which runs a second, industrial-styled outlet, Sicilija II.
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Russian Orthodox Church
The pretty, blue, multidomed Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of Laisvės square dates to the 19th century.
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Sicilija II
Pizza restaurant Sicilija runs a second, industrial-styled outlet, Sicilija II.
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Row & Pedal Boats
Very restful is a row in a rowing boat or pedal in a pedalo on Lake Druskonis.
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Jewish Museum
The Jewish Museum commemorates Druskininkai-born sculptor Jacques Lipchitz.
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