A new lease of life for the spa resort of Druskininkai
A new wind is blowing through Druskininkai, Lithuania’s most important spa resort, thanks to private investors and a new tourism concept. Tourism is experiencing a resurgence in this town of 15,000, known beyond Lithuania’s borders for its healthy air.
Druskininkai has been a spa resort since 1794, thanks to the saline springs found throughout the surrounding area. “Druska” means salt, and the town’s name itself points to its significance. In the 1920s, Druskininkai briefly belonged to Poland again and was a meeting place for Warsaw’s high society. Shortly afterwards, as part of the Soviet Union, Lithuania’s subsidised spa sector collapsed, and the decline continued gradually. At the beginning of the 1970s, Druskininkai could still welcome as many as 400,000 spa guests each season; by the turn of the millennium, that figure had fallen to no more than 30,000. In 2001, one in three residents of Druskininkai was unemployed.
A new lease of life for the spa resort of Druskininkai
Date: 30/09/2026
A turnaround has now been set in motion thanks to the commitment of private investors and an innovative tourism concept. Whereas many spa facilities in Druskininkai used to close at weekends, the resort now actively attracts weekend visitors with its new concept, focusing primarily on relaxation rather than medical treatments. The range of leisure activities in Druskininkai has also been expanded.
The new concept is already bearing fruit: it is above all the upper classes from the capital, Vilnius, who have discovered Druskininkai. Around 150,000 visitors now come to Druskininkai each year, primarily locals, as well as visitors from Poland and Russia, and increasingly holidaymakers from Western Europe too, thanks in no small part to the affordable prices.
Christian Bathen
