Druskininkai is Lithuania's main spa resort, set among pine forests on the Nemunas river in the southwest corner of the country, close to the borders with Belarus and Poland. It has been a health destination since the 19th century, when Russian imperial doctors prescribed its mineral springs. The town is compact, quiet, and well-maintained — a relaxing contrast to the pace of Vilnius.
The mineral springs and baths are still the main draw. Several spa and wellness centres offer treatments, from traditional mineral baths to more elaborate hydrotherapy programmes. The Druskininkai Aqua Park is one of the largest in the Baltics and popular with families year-round. The adjacent Snow Arena has indoor ski slopes and is open in winter.
Just outside town is Grūtas Park, a Soviet sculpture park sometimes called "Stalin's World" — a slightly absurd but genuinely interesting open-air museum where statues of Lenin, Stalin, and other Soviet figures stand in a forest setting, accompanied by reconstructed camp barracks and Soviet-era memorabilia. It's darkly comic and worth an hour. The town is also the childhood home of the composer and painter M. K. Čiurlionis, one of Lithuania's most beloved artists, and the Dzūkija National Park begins at the edge of town.
Druskininkai is about 130km south of Vilnius. Direct buses run from the capital; the journey takes roughly two hours.