Druskininkai Aqua Park

Druskininkai has been a spa town since the early nineteenth century, when the mineral springs in the pine forests of the Nemunas valley were recognised and the resort grew around them, and the water park opened in 2006 carries that tradition into a different register: a large glazed complex of indoor and outdoor pools kept warm through the winter, a set of slides including several that run outside the building, and a bathhouse world of a dozen or more saunas in different traditions, Roman, Turkish, Finnish and Russian, with plunge pools and rest halls. It works as the resort's all-weather centre, busy in the depths of January when the outdoor pool steams against the snow, and it sits within walking distance of the older sanatoria and the pine paths along the river.

What you actually see

• Slides and pools - a range of water slides and indoor and outdoor pools.
• The bath world - a large set of saunas and steam baths for adults.
• Mineral spa heritage - the town's long tradition of healing waters.
• Family zones - shallow play areas and gentler pools.

When to go

Year-round, at its best as a warm escape in cold or wet weather; summer adds the outdoor pools. Weekends and holidays are busiest.

Honest expectations

It is a modern commercial water and sauna park, relaxing but not a cultural sight. It gets busy at peak times. It fits naturally into a spa-town break rather than a sightseeing trip.

Nearby

The Snow Arena and the spa resort of Druskininkai are alongside; Grutas Park and Dzukija forest are close.