Druskininkai

Druskininkai probably takes its name from druska, meaning salt - an essential commodity for food preparation and preservation in bygone ages. The town is far from the sea, but very salty water bubbled up from a dozen natural springs. From the 18th century it was believed that mineral waters could cure all sorts of conditions, the nastier the taste the better, so the town evolved into a spa. City dwellers came from as far away as Saint Petersburg, from 1862 sped by the railway to Warsaw, and genteel accommodation and entertainments encouraged them to linger. This continued when the town passed from Russian to Polish control, with the mighty General Piłsudski spending his summers here and pushing development. Demand for mineral water outstripped the natural springs but boreholes reached down towards the salt beds. The Soviets built great clunky spa hotels to rest their weary Stakhanovites, and a modern generation of "wellness resorts" follows in their footsteps.

Druskininkai Tourism and Business Information Centre (Druskininkų turizmo ir verslo informacijos centras), Gardino g 3, ☏ +370 313 60800. Mon-Fri 08:30-17:00. This is next to the campsite 500 m south of the bus station. (updated Feb 2024)

Druskininkai is 130 km southwest of Vilnius, follow A4, which continues across the Belarus border to Grodno. From Kaunas take Highway 129 south past Alytus, 136 km.

Buses from Vilnius run hourly and take 2 hours. From Kaunas they're also hourly, taking 2 hr 30 min via Prienai and Alytus - one daily bus starts from Palanga and Klaipėda. For times and online tickets see Autobus Bilietai.

1 Autobusų Stotis the "bus station" is just a draughty square.