Belarus Favorites

 
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Visiting Minsk

by ajsier

HiI was in Minsk last year. A taxi to downtown Minsk is about $45 USD one way. There is a bus I believe, and it is much less, but you would have to ask at the airport. The airport is about an hour drive to downtown Minsk. I am not sure where the Hilton is but assume it is near or in downtown.You will find the prices for everything very reasonable, especially in the restaurants. The food is all very good.I enjoyed my trip to Minsk very much and hope to go again soon.I hope this helps. Minsk is a beautiful city. It is clean, safe and full of flowers. The restaurants are very reasonable and the food is excellent.

Belarusian money - Rubel

by melek02

The Belarusian currency is called "rubel", though Russian variant of the name "ruble" can be (and is) used with relation to Belarusian money. All Exchange offices and Banks are regulated by government in Belarus, so you can exchange your money really everywhere there you find exchange office, the maximum difference in exchange rates I have seen were 0,02%.There are numerous currency exchange offices in Minsk to change foreign currency to Belarusian rubles and back. Normally there should be no problems with exchanging US dollars, euros and Russian rubles. You should remember that usually you can find exchange office in railways stations in Belarus, and even small villages have branch of Belarusian State bank.Usually there is no problem to change USD, EURO and Russian Rubles. Exchange rates as of 01/05/2010 you can find in the attached picture.

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"Slavonic Bazaar"

by hunterV

If you manage to visit Vitsebsk in June, you will attend the traditional "Slav Bazaar" international song festival. visiting Vitsebsk and seeing Mark Shagal Museum and walking in the central park of the city.

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FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE

by A-Friend-Of-Belarus

If you imagined Belarus as a country of old Russian cars, fear and poverty, then you were wrong. If you heard stories about Belarus as the "last dictatorship in Europe", you should eliminate them from your memory. Belarus is the last oasis of FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE in Europe. It's a place where people don't accept "values" of the New World Order. They don't want to become another pro-NATO and pro-American marionette country with no freedom and dignity. They don't want to be a part of the so called European Union - a dungeon of human rights. What they want is strong union with Russia, but not with this pro-Western Russia, but with strong, independent, Orthodox and free Russia. There are no foreign banks, foreign petrol-stations, billboards with half-naked women, multi-national companies in Belarus. That's how every normal country should look. They have their own pride and dignity, and...

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Additional fee for foreigners

by Raffmo

When I was leaving the Belarus in Brest it appeared that I had to pay a border fee. The border officer did not want to pass me through without it. I had to be back from the border to pay this fee. The fee costs 6750 roubles (app. 4 USD) and can be bought in the Belarussbank cash desk on the Brest train station. In Jan 2006 the fee was 7250 BYR,However in Jan 2006 I had not to present the proof for paying this fee. Maybe they resigned ?

World War II Veterans

by Dirim

I have met them when I was walking by river Muhavets. I asked them if I could have a photo of them. They politely accepted that. I tried to talk with them about the war. They were so proud. They did not want to talk about themselves. I wanted to take their adresses to send them the photos. They rejected, with a honorable facial expression,like rejecting to be a subject of tourism.Luckily, I tried to be as respectful as possible and I think I did no wrong to them, and maybe that's why they accepted my wish to take thier photos.So, I really want you to be very sensitive against them. Keep in mind that 20 million Soviet citizens lost their lives in the war. They have fought for a country which does not exist anymore

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Visas

by Raffmo

Poles and EU citizens need a visa to get to Belarus. Fee for a single entry visa for Poles is 6 USD for 2 entries 11 USD (all infos for Poles:http://belembassy.org/poland/pol/index.php?p=embassy&f=info).Embassy in Poland is located in Warsaw on 58 Wiertnicza Street.Here is a link in English with a list of embassies:http://www.belembassy.org/index_eng.htmPolish citizens are required to buy a special medical insurance in insurance company "Europa". The broker is located in a barracks next to embassy building on 60 Wiertnicza Street in Warsaw. The list of other "Europa" brokers are here (in Polish): http://www.tueuropa.pl/index.php?id=czE3OW1rMTk4YnA1MjY5The fee for basic medical insurance for 9 days was 31 PLN (app. 9USD) in Dec 2005.

Visit a Belarussian Village

by rboittier

I read on another VT page about spending some time in a Belarus Village, well our friends live in a village called Gribino which is so small it wasn't even on my map! We spent 3 days in this village as the guests of our friends and had a fantastic time.There are so many small villages in Belarus scattered between the big towns and life in them is very different to city life. They live a hard but happy life. The houses are made from wood or brick with a tin roof. There is no drainage and water comes from a well or a single tap. Electricity is normally available and in winter, a log burning furnace heats the home. There are no real luxuries. The toilet is a hole in the ground covered by a wooden shack. When the hole fills up a new one must be dug!In the back yard, many villagers will have chickens and ducks. If you are lucky you will have your own cow too, so milk and eggs and chicken are...

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Little "Hares" and "Squirrels"

by Pablos_new

Belarus Rouble is one of the smallest currencies in the world. Todays rate is about 1800 BYR for 1 USD, and it is permanently going down. You can notice long queques to the exchange offices in Minsk. That is how people try to save their poor salary. One guy told me that buying Euro and selling it at the end of the month one can add about 10% to the salry. ;-( At the very beginning (in 1992) local banknotes have pictures of different animals - hares, bears, squirrels, etc. Now it looks different, but people still call their money - Little Hares and Squirrels. It is possible that in a couple of years local currency will be removed with Russian Roubles.

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When I visited Belarus and in...

by blue-viggen

When I visited Belarus and in particular Minsk I was greeted with many different feelings. It is quite hard to imagine a lifestyle that provokes the feelings of yesteryear yet also the resemblance in some ways of an evolving western culture. Fondest memory of Belarus Minsk the capital city and the friendly nature of the people that I met during my stay. I should point out that only a few people and I mean very few people speak English in Belarus. You would find a higher probability that the children from age 10 - 18 would speak some English due to the Education Ciriuculum now supporting the teaching of English.

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Reviews and photos of Belarus attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Belarus sightseeing.

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Favorites: Cities in Belarus
  1. Minsk Favorites
  2. Hrodna Favorites
  3. Brest Favorites
  4. Mir Favorites
  5. Kosovo Favorites
  6. Mahilyow Favorites
  7. Nesvizh Favorites
  8. Baranavichy Favorites
  9. Homyel' Favorites
  10. Gudogay Favorites
  11. Kamyanyets Favorites
  12. Bol'shiye Nemki Favorites
  13. Krevo Favorites
  14. Vitsyebsk Favorites
  15. Pruzhany Favorites
  16. Rubel' Favorites
  17. Zaslawye Favorites

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Hrodzyenskaya Voblasts' Favorites  Brestskaya Voblasts' Favorites  Vitsyebskaya Voblasts' Favorites  Homyel'skaya Voblasts' Favorites  Mahilyowskaya Voblasts' Favorites  Minskaya Voblasts' Favorites 

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Questions and Answers

HelenBLR profile photo

Q:  Belarus is not well-known as a tourist destination, though inbound tourism is now developing there. Have you ever travelled to... 

IndianPacific profile photo

A: To the last question: That can be very many things, like the place/country being fairly unknown to most people. When it comes to Belorus I've just travelled through by... 

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