Belarus - East
Not in the story-mood? Scroll down for the Quick Budget Fact Overview: an itemized information summary of Belarus! ↓
Belarus doesn’t receive many foreign visitors, especially in current war times with their government playing along “on the dark side”… but when they do, they can generally be traced down in the capital Minsk. However, according to ancient travel wisdom (i.e. the beginning of my journey in 2014), we all know that a capital city hardly ever represents the true spirit of the country (and in some cases, even contradicts it). In order to infiltrate original culture and lifestyle, it’s always worth branching out into different directions, especially to where tourism is least expected. Luckily, in Belarus this is doable with its slow but spread out train network, offering very affordable tickets to even the furthest corners of the country… a relatively easy task too, given you bring the Google Translation App to the ticket office.*
I decided to first turn east, scraping the border of the national companion / international enemy: Mother Russia.
* Don’t bother with booking online. They will only accept national credit cards and even when you manage with a local’s help, you need to pick up your physical ticket at the same counter anyway. You can read the Belarusian Railway website with a translate-app (no English page available) to check out the times and different rates. Tickets tend to sell out, so it’s best to buy as soon as you know your travel plans.
I decided to first turn east, scraping the border of the national companion / international enemy: Mother Russia.
* Don’t bother with booking online. They will only accept national credit cards and even when you manage with a local’s help, you need to pick up your physical ticket at the same counter anyway. You can read the Belarusian Railway website with a translate-app (no English page available) to check out the times and different rates. Tickets tend to sell out, so it’s best to buy as soon as you know your travel plans.
Vitebsk
I kicked off with Vitebsk (commonly written as Vicebsk or Viciebsk), just a thin border away from the Russian city Smolensk. I was staying with a young, introverted man transporting fancy pets around the world for a living, who immediately offered me some potential options to fly around the world free of charge. The contacts you make with Couchsurfing! He was on his own schedule during my stay, which allowed me to tie on my snowboots and roam around the snug town of Vitebsk on my own account. A city which is mainly put on the map by one guy listening to the name of Marc Chagall, who was born in this area which back then still belonged to the Russian Empire (and hey, looking at current politics, it kind of still does). They’re so proud of the dude that they didn’t create one, but two separate museums honoring his world famous modernist works. A bit unnecessary, I must say. I enjoyed the Marc Chagall Museum, which is situated in his former home and houses besides some of his first paintings also an exposition of personal belongings and household items, representing the life of a poor Jewish family in the early 19th century. During the war the building was severely damaged by bombs and fire, but it miraculously survived. Not much of the original interior design is left, but the atmosphere of the era has been accurately recreated. The almost negligible exhibition of the Marc Chagall Art Center has little to add to that, especially considering they zoom in on his biblical artworks… catering to, let’s say, a niche. You can save yourself that extra entrance fee. Museum-wise you have more options at hand, with the Vitebsk Regional Local Lore Museum, Museum of the History of Vitebsk Folk Art School, Museum of Mopeds (worth it for their goofy-bordering-pathetic advertising pictures alone) and the Museum of Modern Arts… however, I’d just spend my time strolling down the Suvorova Street cutting straight through the Old Town area, or getting lost in Vitebsk’s obscure backstreets. Without prior anticipation, you might just stumble into some artists unloading their instruments out of a van… leading to an invitation to a night full of rock music, booze, midnight smazhenka (Belarusian potato pizza and the nation’s most treasured streetfood), bad-russian-words-masterclasses and pumping afterparties. The best night of 3 weeks in Belarus.
FREE Sights / Activities
PAID Sights / Activities
I kicked off with Vitebsk (commonly written as Vicebsk or Viciebsk), just a thin border away from the Russian city Smolensk. I was staying with a young, introverted man transporting fancy pets around the world for a living, who immediately offered me some potential options to fly around the world free of charge. The contacts you make with Couchsurfing! He was on his own schedule during my stay, which allowed me to tie on my snowboots and roam around the snug town of Vitebsk on my own account. A city which is mainly put on the map by one guy listening to the name of Marc Chagall, who was born in this area which back then still belonged to the Russian Empire (and hey, looking at current politics, it kind of still does). They’re so proud of the dude that they didn’t create one, but two separate museums honoring his world famous modernist works. A bit unnecessary, I must say. I enjoyed the Marc Chagall Museum, which is situated in his former home and houses besides some of his first paintings also an exposition of personal belongings and household items, representing the life of a poor Jewish family in the early 19th century. During the war the building was severely damaged by bombs and fire, but it miraculously survived. Not much of the original interior design is left, but the atmosphere of the era has been accurately recreated. The almost negligible exhibition of the Marc Chagall Art Center has little to add to that, especially considering they zoom in on his biblical artworks… catering to, let’s say, a niche. You can save yourself that extra entrance fee. Museum-wise you have more options at hand, with the Vitebsk Regional Local Lore Museum, Museum of the History of Vitebsk Folk Art School, Museum of Mopeds (worth it for their goofy-bordering-pathetic advertising pictures alone) and the Museum of Modern Arts… however, I’d just spend my time strolling down the Suvorova Street cutting straight through the Old Town area, or getting lost in Vitebsk’s obscure backstreets. Without prior anticipation, you might just stumble into some artists unloading their instruments out of a van… leading to an invitation to a night full of rock music, booze, midnight smazhenka (Belarusian potato pizza and the nation’s most treasured streetfood), bad-russian-words-masterclasses and pumping afterparties. The best night of 3 weeks in Belarus.
FREE Sights / Activities
- Sights: Suvorova Street, Memorial Complex Three Bayonets, Monument to the Great Duke Algirdas, Monument to Alexander Nevsky, Marc Chagall Monument, Vitebsk Giant Statue, Monument to the Heroes of Patriotic War 1812, Monument to Paratroopers, Sculptural Composition Lanterns-Musicians, Shoemaker Sculpture, Government Palace, Pushkinskiy Bridge, National Academic Drama Theatre, Uspensky Cathedral & more churches.
- Hikes / Nature: Pobediteley Park, Recreation Zone Vitba.
PAID Sights / Activities
- Sights: City Hall / Ratusha.
- Museums: Marc Chagall Museum, Marc Chagall Art Centre, Vitebsk Regional Local Lore Museum, Museum of the History of Vitebsk Folk Art School, Museum of Mopeds, Museum of Modern Arts, Vitebsk Regional Local Lore Museum.
Mogilev
For just a few bucks I took the train down to Mogilev (Mohilev / Mahilou), as an invitation was outstanding. An invitation by a Russian man who happily introduced me to all the illegal nationalist songs glorifying Belarus (a very anti-Russian act), and who started each day with a barefoot walk through the snow. Without ever having been to Russia up until then, this is probably as close to my Russian stereotype he could get (although it wouldn’t hurt if he’d finish that ritual by having a pint of vodka for breakfast… and maybe fist fighting a bear on the side). Besides that, he also got me hooked on the glorious Belarusian cuisine (find an overview in this article), assisted me by the unimaginable struggle that entails paying an obligated tourist fee to the local authorities (something you must do too) and showed me around town. A dedicated host! Verifying with Trip Advisor I can confirm he didn’t leave any sight out, guiding me over the Leninskaya Street (a memorial to our beloved comrade and allegedly the country’s longest pedestrian promenade) to the Star Square, boasting the rather striking Astronomer Sculpture. In fact, the whole centre is dotted with recently placed, strongly themed statues and memorials… from a handshake-with-Russia depiction, veins popping out from mere strength, to Saint-Exupery’s Little Prince. The Dama Sobachkoi Genre Sculpture stands in front of the Mogilev Drama Theatre, which is the very first theatre in the country (1888) funded by generous donations of local intellectuals and creatives (the very ones who drew the shortest straw once the Soviet Union took over). The cultural character of the town also comes forward in its offer in museums, which is rather disproportionate for its small size. We chose the Museum of Ethnography, exhibiting rich displays about Belarusian traditional customs, rituals and celebrations, such as Maslenka, Kupala and Asenia. The City Hall is located at the edge of the Gorky Park, which has the Dnieper River cutting right through it, connecting Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. A connection which is as complex as it’s controversial.
FREE Sights / Activities
PAID Sights / Activities
For just a few bucks I took the train down to Mogilev (Mohilev / Mahilou), as an invitation was outstanding. An invitation by a Russian man who happily introduced me to all the illegal nationalist songs glorifying Belarus (a very anti-Russian act), and who started each day with a barefoot walk through the snow. Without ever having been to Russia up until then, this is probably as close to my Russian stereotype he could get (although it wouldn’t hurt if he’d finish that ritual by having a pint of vodka for breakfast… and maybe fist fighting a bear on the side). Besides that, he also got me hooked on the glorious Belarusian cuisine (find an overview in this article), assisted me by the unimaginable struggle that entails paying an obligated tourist fee to the local authorities (something you must do too) and showed me around town. A dedicated host! Verifying with Trip Advisor I can confirm he didn’t leave any sight out, guiding me over the Leninskaya Street (a memorial to our beloved comrade and allegedly the country’s longest pedestrian promenade) to the Star Square, boasting the rather striking Astronomer Sculpture. In fact, the whole centre is dotted with recently placed, strongly themed statues and memorials… from a handshake-with-Russia depiction, veins popping out from mere strength, to Saint-Exupery’s Little Prince. The Dama Sobachkoi Genre Sculpture stands in front of the Mogilev Drama Theatre, which is the very first theatre in the country (1888) funded by generous donations of local intellectuals and creatives (the very ones who drew the shortest straw once the Soviet Union took over). The cultural character of the town also comes forward in its offer in museums, which is rather disproportionate for its small size. We chose the Museum of Ethnography, exhibiting rich displays about Belarusian traditional customs, rituals and celebrations, such as Maslenka, Kupala and Asenia. The City Hall is located at the edge of the Gorky Park, which has the Dnieper River cutting right through it, connecting Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. A connection which is as complex as it’s controversial.
FREE Sights / Activities
- Sights: City Hall, Leninskaya Street, Star Square, Victory Square, Sculpture Station Warden, Memorial Complex Buynichskoe Field, Mogilev Drama Theatre, Astronomer Sculpture, Little Prince Sculpture, Arch of Glory, Memorial Sign Handshake (with Russia), Dama Sobachkoi Genre Sculpture, Nikolsky Women’s Monastery & more churches.
- Hikes / Nature: Pecherskiy Lesopark, Dniper River.
PAID Sights / Activities
- Museums: Belarusian Heritage Village 19th Century, Museum of Ethnography, Mogilev Regional Arts Museum of Maslenikov, Art Museum Byalynitskogo-Biruli, Mogilev Regional Museum of Local Lore Romanova.
Babruysk
I always say that with Couchsurfing I’m going to hang out with a friend I’ve never met. But with Viktoria, this was indeed the case more than ever. In the weeks leading up to my visit or even my visa-application, I talked more with this woman than with my closest friends or relatives. It frankly just blows my mind how much time, effort and energy was spent to research, call, email, organize, and sort out all the endless bureaucracy attached to visiting Belarus, just to help a complete stranger out you don’t even know you’ll ever meet or not. And it didn’t stop there, after been taking in like family to be selflessly hosted and fed (incl. a staged oriental tea ritual), all time was dedicated to not only showing me Babruysk’s known and lesser-known sights, but to arrange and accompany medical appointments and make an ongoing sequence of Russian phone calls on my behalf. And the astounding element of all: Viktoria is not a lucky exception. She represents my experience with the grand majority of Belarusians I had the pleasure to interact with.
The hospitality and willingness to go above and beyond for anyone that crosses their path, especially a foreigner (incl. Ukrainians), is in their blood (unless they work for the state, then they suddenly turn into barking fascists). A nation that truly does not deserve their government.
Meeting people like this and talking about everything from love to life to politics was already exceeding all expectations of my visit, but on top of that there was a still Babruysk (Bobruisk / Bobrujsk) to explore. Beaver Town, referring to the main fauna habitat up until the end of the 19th century (babyor / бабёр). They died out now, thanks to the sublime intervention of the human-kind, but the six beaver statues scattered around the downtown area remind us of this recent history. Another rather gimmicky sight is a miniature rebuilt of the Western Wall, which was an odd reality there in the midst of a Belarusian snowstorm after recently returning from a trip to Jerusalem. I preferred the Old Pharmacy in this Jewish Quarter, a towered building just across the Synagogue, once belonging to a man who used his medicines to poison his family as an escape of the Holocaust. Another grim era of history that’s in fact ongoing is concretized with the KGB Headquarters. Dear readers, I’m not talking about a museum or some kind of memorial commemorating the horrors of totalitarian communism… no, this is an active governmental institution, anno 2024. I just couldn’t process it. Although, passing by the main square, which like so many other cities in Belarus is charmingly decorated with a tank and a standard Lenin statue, reminded me once again where I was (Stalin has been cancelled with his 20mln murders behind his name, even here… but somehow Lenin, with a butcher bill of “only” 3-8mln, is still honored as a respectable man and leader). If you want to go even further back in time, a visit to the Babruysk Fortress is recommended: a structure built in 1810 under the regime of Tsar Alexander I. It’s entirely open to the public, and therefore unfortunately also not as well-preserved as it should be, but worth the walk nevertheless.
FREE Sights / Activities
PAID Sights / Activities
I always say that with Couchsurfing I’m going to hang out with a friend I’ve never met. But with Viktoria, this was indeed the case more than ever. In the weeks leading up to my visit or even my visa-application, I talked more with this woman than with my closest friends or relatives. It frankly just blows my mind how much time, effort and energy was spent to research, call, email, organize, and sort out all the endless bureaucracy attached to visiting Belarus, just to help a complete stranger out you don’t even know you’ll ever meet or not. And it didn’t stop there, after been taking in like family to be selflessly hosted and fed (incl. a staged oriental tea ritual), all time was dedicated to not only showing me Babruysk’s known and lesser-known sights, but to arrange and accompany medical appointments and make an ongoing sequence of Russian phone calls on my behalf. And the astounding element of all: Viktoria is not a lucky exception. She represents my experience with the grand majority of Belarusians I had the pleasure to interact with.
The hospitality and willingness to go above and beyond for anyone that crosses their path, especially a foreigner (incl. Ukrainians), is in their blood (unless they work for the state, then they suddenly turn into barking fascists). A nation that truly does not deserve their government.
Meeting people like this and talking about everything from love to life to politics was already exceeding all expectations of my visit, but on top of that there was a still Babruysk (Bobruisk / Bobrujsk) to explore. Beaver Town, referring to the main fauna habitat up until the end of the 19th century (babyor / бабёр). They died out now, thanks to the sublime intervention of the human-kind, but the six beaver statues scattered around the downtown area remind us of this recent history. Another rather gimmicky sight is a miniature rebuilt of the Western Wall, which was an odd reality there in the midst of a Belarusian snowstorm after recently returning from a trip to Jerusalem. I preferred the Old Pharmacy in this Jewish Quarter, a towered building just across the Synagogue, once belonging to a man who used his medicines to poison his family as an escape of the Holocaust. Another grim era of history that’s in fact ongoing is concretized with the KGB Headquarters. Dear readers, I’m not talking about a museum or some kind of memorial commemorating the horrors of totalitarian communism… no, this is an active governmental institution, anno 2024. I just couldn’t process it. Although, passing by the main square, which like so many other cities in Belarus is charmingly decorated with a tank and a standard Lenin statue, reminded me once again where I was (Stalin has been cancelled with his 20mln murders behind his name, even here… but somehow Lenin, with a butcher bill of “only” 3-8mln, is still honored as a respectable man and leader). If you want to go even further back in time, a visit to the Babruysk Fortress is recommended: a structure built in 1810 under the regime of Tsar Alexander I. It’s entirely open to the public, and therefore unfortunately also not as well-preserved as it should be, but worth the walk nevertheless.
FREE Sights / Activities
- Sights: Beaver Statues, Western Wall Remake, Old Pharmacy Jewish Quarter, Synagogue, Fortress, KGB Building, Sotsialisticheskaya Street, Central Library, Central Market, Tank Monument, Cathedral of St. Nicholas & more churches.
PAID Sights / Activities
- Museums: Local History Museum.
Quick Budget Fact Overview
Belarus Facts
Short History Recap
1918: End WWI, independence as Belarusian National Republic. ’19: Russian Red Army conquers Belarus again and establishes communist rule. ’21: Treaty of Riga divides Belarus between Poland and Russia. ‘30s: Elimination of intellectuals and political opponents under Stalin →100,000+ people executed in Belarus, 1000s sent to labour camps. ’41: WWII, Nazi Germany invades. More than 1mln million killed. ’44: Red Army drives Germans out. 60s: Policy of Russification: Belarusian language and culture second-class status. ’86: Belarus heavily affected by Chernobyl disaster → 20% of agricultural land contaminated. ’88: Belarusian Popular Front / nationalist revival. ’90: Belarusian becomes official state language. ’91: Belarus declares independence as Soviet Union breaks up. ’94: Lukashenko wins first presidential election, campaign against corruption and re-establishing close ties with Russia. ’95: Friendship and cooperation pact signed with Russia. Referendums restore Russian as co-official language, boost presidential powers. ’96: Economic union signed with Russia. ’98: Belarusian rubble value halved. Food rationing imposed. 2001: Lukashenko re-elected undemocratically. ’02: Lukashenko rejects Russian proposals for unified government and parliament. ’04: Referendum allows president to serve more than previous limit of 2 terms, opposition gets zero seats. Rigged elections keeping Lukashenko in power continue for another 20 years, always followed by demonstrations and mass arrests. ’06:EU imposes visa ban on Lukashenko and numerous ministers and officials. New media law restricting online reporting and private media funding. ’10: Tensions with Russia over gas dispute. ’11: Explosion busy metro station in Minsk. Devaluation of rubble against the dollar by 36%. Hundreds beaten and arrested after a month of nationwide anti-government protests. ’12: New law restricts access to foreign websites & forces internet cafes to report users visiting sites registered abroad. ’18: Scandal involving embezzlement of funds from the health service. ’22: Belarusian government allows its territory to be used by Russia's army to launch attacks into Ukraine. Most Belarusians are against it, but expressing that opinion can result in arrest, jail time and blacklisting.
- Capital: Minsk
- Language: Russian, Belarusian
- Population: ± 9.2 mln
- Sq km: ± 207,600 (Warsaw: 517.2)
- Currency: Belarusian Ruble (Br - BYN)
- Electricity Outlet: C + F / 220 V / 50 Hz. Check here.
- Country Code Phone: +375
- Emergency Phone: 102 (police), 103 (ambulance), 101 (fire)
- Visa: 30 visa-free days for most nationalities if you enter via Minsk International Airport. However, all flights from and to Europe from Belarus are suspended.
- Vaccinations: None.
- Climate: Continental Climate (Dfb)
- High season: Summer – but foreign tourism is basically non-existent in Belarus
Short History Recap
1918: End WWI, independence as Belarusian National Republic. ’19: Russian Red Army conquers Belarus again and establishes communist rule. ’21: Treaty of Riga divides Belarus between Poland and Russia. ‘30s: Elimination of intellectuals and political opponents under Stalin →100,000+ people executed in Belarus, 1000s sent to labour camps. ’41: WWII, Nazi Germany invades. More than 1mln million killed. ’44: Red Army drives Germans out. 60s: Policy of Russification: Belarusian language and culture second-class status. ’86: Belarus heavily affected by Chernobyl disaster → 20% of agricultural land contaminated. ’88: Belarusian Popular Front / nationalist revival. ’90: Belarusian becomes official state language. ’91: Belarus declares independence as Soviet Union breaks up. ’94: Lukashenko wins first presidential election, campaign against corruption and re-establishing close ties with Russia. ’95: Friendship and cooperation pact signed with Russia. Referendums restore Russian as co-official language, boost presidential powers. ’96: Economic union signed with Russia. ’98: Belarusian rubble value halved. Food rationing imposed. 2001: Lukashenko re-elected undemocratically. ’02: Lukashenko rejects Russian proposals for unified government and parliament. ’04: Referendum allows president to serve more than previous limit of 2 terms, opposition gets zero seats. Rigged elections keeping Lukashenko in power continue for another 20 years, always followed by demonstrations and mass arrests. ’06:EU imposes visa ban on Lukashenko and numerous ministers and officials. New media law restricting online reporting and private media funding. ’10: Tensions with Russia over gas dispute. ’11: Explosion busy metro station in Minsk. Devaluation of rubble against the dollar by 36%. Hundreds beaten and arrested after a month of nationwide anti-government protests. ’12: New law restricts access to foreign websites & forces internet cafes to report users visiting sites registered abroad. ’18: Scandal involving embezzlement of funds from the health service. ’22: Belarusian government allows its territory to be used by Russia's army to launch attacks into Ukraine. Most Belarusians are against it, but expressing that opinion can result in arrest, jail time and blacklisting.
Budget Bites
Sleep Cheap
- Main Supermarket Chains Croatia: Santa, Europt, Korona, Almi, Gyppo, Belmarket, Vitalur, Radzivillovsky, Preston, Sosedi, Prostore, Bigzz, Green.
- Local Dishes: Draniki / Дранікі (potato pancakes), Lakshini / Лакшыны (milk soup with potato starch), Zhur / Жур (sour cereal soup), Machanka / Мачанка (cheesy stew with meat), Piachista / Пячыста (meat platter), Grechaniki / Гречанікі (buckwheat patties), Verashchaka / Верашчака (pork ribs), Blini / Бліны (thick pancakes), Syrniki / Сырники (quark pancakes), Lazanki / Лазанки (pasta), Babka / Бабка (grated potato pie), Vareniki / Вареники (stuffed dumplings), Pelmeni / Пельмени (stuffed dumplings), Zacirka / Зацірка (noodle soup), Halushki / Галушки (thick, non-stuffed noodles), Kalduni / Калдуны (stuffed dough dumplings), Shuba / Шуба (Russian herring salad with beets), Kletski / Клецкий (boiled flour balls), Smazhenka / Смаженка (Belarusian pizza with potato base), Tsibriki / Цибрики (potato balls).
- The Veg Situation: Going veg is pretty easy in Europe and also in Belarus. Every supermarket has its own vegan/vegetarian section and there are quite some restaurants… check them here. Some veg traditional Belarusian dishes: Draniki / Дранікі, Lakshini / Лакшыны, Zhur / Жур, Grechaniki / Гречанікі, Blini / Бліны, Syrniki / Сырники, Kletski / Клецкий, Tsibriki / Цибрики.
- National Drink: Krambambulia / Крамбамбуля (alcoholic mix drink containing red wine and liquors), Sbiten / Збіцень (hot winter beverage), Kisel / Кісель (frozen berries and potato starch).
Sleep Cheap
- Hostels / Hotels / Guesthouses: Hostels and alternative accommodation are pretty cheap in Belarus. However, all main booking engines boycott Belarus, except one: Hotels.com. The other option is to google accommodations and contact them (in Russian) for a reservation. Writer’s choice: I stayed in Andrew Loft Hostel, a very cheap option at a central location.
- Couchsurfing: allows you to stay with locals. Nowadays it has a moderate sign-up cost (unless you put a third-world country as homebase), but paying extra for verification is unnecessary: Positive reviews are way more important. Once active, there are no costs for staying at someone’s house. In order to get accepted, make sure to write an elaborate review explaining why you applied to this specific profile and think you and your host are a good match (copy-pastes tend to be ignored). The Couchsurfing community in Belarus is a very active one and the competition is basically zero, as there hardly aren’t any other travelers. If your’re bikepacking you can also look into Warm Showers, which is a bikepacking community focussing on 1-night stays.
- Wild Camping: is permitted on forest and public land.
Mama Said
Transport
Next?
- Safety: The biggest threat in Belarus comes from its own totalitarian government. Arrest and imprisonment for perceived anti-governmental actions and expressed opinions doesn’t exclude foreign visitors. Stay low-key and try to refrain from openly expressing political opinions in public. Belarus is a heavily policed state, which does result in a low crime rate. You can probably leave your wallet on the ground in the middle of downtown Minsk, and no one would touch it out of fear of the consequences (cameras everywhere).
- Tap Water: is safe to drink.
- Credit cards: Check with your bank or credit card company if they operate in Belarus, as many of them don’t with the current political situation. If they do, verify the commission and exchange rate, as they tend to be unfavorable. It is usually cheaper to bring a stash of cash in dollars/euros to bring to the exchange offices in Belarus (much better rates here).
- Simcard: Public wifi is pretty terrible in Belarus. They all require time-consuming registration and once that’s finally done it usually still doesn’t work. Buying a local simcard is therefore recommended, especially since Belarus is not part of the EU and your international roaming won’t work here. The main providers are Live, A1, or MTS. Unlike many other countries, they don’t sell simcards in kiosks, gas stations or supermarkets. You have to go to a flagship store of the phone brand and not even all of them can help you (only the second one would sell one to me). Your passport is requiered. I used Live, which allegedly has he smallest network but the best rates, and I had coverage all over Belarus.
Transport
- Walking: Minsk is a very big city and distances might be rather large for the average walker. Yet, if you take public transport to the separate areas, explorations can easily be done on foot within the area.
- Cycling: Cycling is an option in summer time, when there’s no heavy snowfall. Minsk has a few bicycle lanes. Keep in mind that it’s not a very common way to get around and vehicles might not necessarily be very mindful of cyclists.
- Public transport within the city: Minsk has a very cheap and efficient metro system, for which you buy coins at the vending desks at the station. Minsk also has an urban train, connecting Minsk Pasažyrski with Ždanovičy and the Minsk Sea. Minsk as well as other big cities have trams, trolleybuses and an extensive bus network of city buses and minibuses (called “mashrutkas”). Smaller destinations only have buses and minibuses. Tickets can be bought in a vending kiosk at the stop, from the conductor or from the driver. Some transportation options in the cities accept card or phone payment, but generally it’s cash only. There are also tickets available with a certain amount of trips, or with unlimited trips for a certain amount of days. In Minsk there is also an option to buy a swipe-card (money refunded when you return the card), which includes all modes of transport and gives even cheaper rates. On the buses, the letter “C” (3-c) marks rapidness: it skips several stops on the standard route. The letter “Э” (3-э) is for express buses, the fastest option, for which you need a different, more expensive ticket. Tickets need to be validated in the yellow validator box. Google Maps or Moovit don’t properly work here, bute the Yandex app gives accurate information on routes.
- Public transport from city to city: Intercity bus tickets can be bought at the bus station, which is located next to the Plosca Lienina metro station and Vakzal metro stop. Online payment is usually only reserved for Belarusian credit cards, and all websites are exclusively in Russian, unneccesarily compicating things. Besides big buses, there are also minibuses (mashrutakas) driving from city to city. As a foreigner who doesn’t speak the language, I found the minibus system incredibly complicated. You have to reserve them on the phone somehow, speaking Russian, and then go to a very unclear and unmarked stop somewhere at a roadside that you simply “have to know”. I have missed multiple of these reserved buses, even with the help of locals. I highly prefer line buses leaving from an obvious bus station, or a train.
- Taxi / Uber: The local taxi app is called Yandex Taxi. It’s very affordable.
- Train: Traveling by train is one of the best ways to get around in Belarus. It’s comfortable, reliable and cheap. Prices and travel times vary quite a bit, depending on what type of train and what seat you choose. There are Urban Lines, Regional Lines and Interregional Lines. There are also different seats and classes available, many even offering you a full bed or bench for yourself. It’s best to buy the tickets at least a day ahead in the train station, having your info translated in advance (I’ve never encountered a single train station employee that speaks english). You can also book online or by phone with delivery (by actual paper mail) or pickup, but this just seems like extra steps. The website in Russian and Belarusian can be found here.
- Car Rental: This is pretty complicated to arrange, as most booking engines that facilitate car rental when traveling are boycotted in Belarus as well. You must contact a local company (in Russian) to get a quote.
- Airport: National Airport Minsk (MSQ). There are currently no European flights serving Belarus.
- Hitchhiking: is relatively common and easy in Belarus. I hitchhiked on several occasions and I always managed with relative ease (as a woman alone). More info on hitchhiking in Belarus can be found on Hitchwiki.
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- History preserved: Time capsule of Romanian culture Maramures
- Get your Albania itinerary ready: Berat, Gjirokastër, Korcë / Ohrid Lake, Theth, Shkodër, Tirana, Mount Korab & the coast!
- The 3 golden rules to travel Sofia on a budget! & Why you shouldn’t miss out on Plovdiv! [Bulgaria]
- Where modern meets classic: Vilnius, Lithuania
- 8 ways to save money in Vienna, Austria
- German Gems: Aachen, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Dusseldorf, Cologne, Mulheim, Osnabruck, Baden-Baden... and of course Freiburg!
- The world's biggest metal festival: Wacken Open Air
- Europe's best skiing & hiking: Get your ass over to jaw-dropping Switzerland!
- Budget Bucket List hitchhike trip to... Kosovo!
- Unravel the mysteries of Serbia
- Discover the splendours of Turkey: Istanbul on a Budget & Reasons to visit Edirne
- Get deep into Greece: Athens, Delphi, Arachova, Mount Parnassos NP, Epirus, Meteora, Thessaloniki & Volos
- Archeological treasures, UNESCO sights and Greece's roughest nature: Explore the Peloponnese!