Europe a la Carte Blog

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If you’re chasing World Heritage sites or just want to go somewhere peaceful while you’re in the Baltics, I think a trip to the Curonian Spit in Lithuania is a good choice. On a map, you can see the Curonian Spit heading up the south Lithuanian coast, but it actually starts in Kaliningrad (that strangely disconnected part of Russia).

This spit of land is a long, skinny strip of pine forest with fantastic beaches, and you can reach it by ferry from the mainland Lithuanian city of Klaipeda. It was registered on the World Heritage List in 2000 because of the sand dunes which start shortly before the Russian section. The last time I was there, a film crew was on site at the dunes, and I guess they were filming a desert scene in northern Europe – a rare sight.

According to some people, the fantastic beaches are great for swimming at, but I was there in mid-summer and only dipped a toe in – it was freezing. There was an elderly local woman there swimming nude, so obviously it’s warm enough for some, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

In recent years we’ve gotten used to the idea that former Soviet countries have taken off economically, but it’s hard to shake the stereotypical imagery of grey, dull concrete and cold, depressed societies. Then you wander into Druskininkai and you have to rethink those preconceptions.

Druskininkai is a small town in southern Lithuania, only eight kilometres from the Belarusian border. Its great claim to fame is as a spa resort, popular with Czar Nicholas I in the 1830’s and keeping the tradition going through to WWII.

The town is surrounded by forest and the beautiful wooden houses emerge from leafy shadows which give the town a quiet and peaceful air. It was a rich town for a long time, and the neglect of half a century couldn’t destroy its beauty.

While the town has rejuvenated itself, many of the large spas are still in mothballs. Opposite the tourist information centre it is possible to enter the grounds of one. Overgrown athletic equipment from the 1920s – steps and bars and wading pools – lurk in the greenery. The place has an eerie feel to it, perhaps the ghosts of those long ago fitness fanatics are still puffing along the trails or struggling over chin-ups.

There are a number of spa resorts up and running again, some with reasonable hotel rates. If budget travel is more your style, the campsite next to the tourist info is large, new and has cabins for rent. Druskininkai is about 120 km from the capital city Vilnius and several buses run daily.

If you have any questions just ask a local, but preferably one under the age of 25. They have had English in school and love practising it. You might even get introduced to the latest Lithuanian hip-hop on their iPod, and that is well worth it indeed.

Written by Jacinta Lodge