Introduction
Towns full of character, mystery and imagination in a folktale landscape. Belarus is a vast steppe straddling the shortest route between Moscow and the Polish border. Wide stretches of unbroken birch groves, vast forested marshlands and wooden villages amid rolling green and black fields give it a haunting beauty.
Destination facts
Capital: Minsk
President: Alyaksandr Lukashenko
Prime Minister: Syarhey Sidorski
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT + 2
Area: 207.600
Population: 10.400.000
Languages: Both Belarusian and Russian are official languages, Russian is more widely spoken.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholic
Currency: Belarussian Ruble (BR)
Country Dialing Code: 375
Getting There
If you're prepared for it, travel in winter is recommended: the snow makes for a picturesque landscape and the insides of buildings are kept warm. Avoid, though, the first snows (usually in late October) and the spring thaw (April), which turn everything to slush and mud. Early summer and autumn are many people's favourite periods for visiting Belarus. By May temperatures are pleasant, while the golden autumnal colours of September and early October are stunning. July and August are the warmest months and the main holiday season. These are also the dampest months in most parts of Belarus and European Russia, with as many as one rainy day in three. It's always low season in Belarus, so don't fret too much about being overwhelmed by your fellow tourists.
Getting there and away
Most international flights arrive at the Minsk-2 International Airport, 40km (25mi) east of Minsk. It has connections to Beirut, Frankfurt, Istanbul,Larnaka, London, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Riga, Rome, St Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Vienna and Warsaw. The smaller Minsk-1 Airport, 3 km (2mi) south of the city, serves Kiev, Moscow and St Petersburg. The country's other international airport is at Brest, where you can get flights to Moscow, St Petersburg, Kiev, Warsaw and Odessa. The most popular international bus routes are between Minsk and Vilnius (Lithuania) and Minsk and Bialystok (Poland). Trains come into Belarus from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine via 10 border crossings, and there are also about 10 border crossings open to private vehicles.
Getting around
In theory there are domestic flights between Minsk, Brest, Homel, Hrodna, Mahileu, Mazyr and Vitsebsk, but in reality very few domestic flights actually get off the ground, owing to fuel restrictions. Trains between major cities are frequent and relatively cheap. Buses are also in plentiful supply but can be dirty and overcrowded, and it's often an ordeal getting a ticket. Renting a car can be cheaper than hiring taxis but driving in Belarus is problematic: fuel and spare parts are hard to come by, roads are in poor condition, and traffic police checks will be frequent and irritating. If you want to drive, do it on the right side of the road. If you want to drive, do it on the right side of the road.
Visa:
All foreign visitors require a visa. While you can purchase a tourist visa (for a higher price) upon arrival at Minsk-2 airport, you are strongly advised to secure this beforehand to avoid potential complications (and this is a country which specialises in complications!). Even if you are travelling by train through Belarus, you require a transit visa; do not hope to get this at the border as you're likely to be pulled off your train and subjected to fines and hassles. That said, tourists with proper documents can generally expect less scrutiny than on the Russian border.
Weather
Belarus has a continental climate which becomes marginally more severe as you move from southwest to northeast. Average January temperatures are between -4° C and -8° C (25-18° F), and there's frost on the ground 7 to 8 months of the year. The warmest month is July, when temperatures normally reach 19° C (66° F). It's wettest in June and August, and there's snow cover from December to April.
Towns full of character, mystery and imagination in a folktale landscape. Belarus is a vast steppe straddling the shortest route between Moscow and the Polish border. Wide stretches of unbroken birch groves, vast forested marshlands and wooden villages amid rolling green and black fields give it a haunting beauty.
Destination facts
Capital: Minsk
President: Alyaksandr Lukashenko
Prime Minister: Syarhey Sidorski
Government: republic
Time zone: GMT + 2
Area: 207.600
Population: 10.400.000
Languages: Both Belarusian and Russian are official languages, Russian is more widely spoken.
Eastern Orthodox Christianity, Roman Catholic
Currency: Belarussian Ruble (BR)
Country Dialing Code: 375
Getting There
If you're prepared for it, travel in winter is recommended: the snow makes for a picturesque landscape and the insides of buildings are kept warm. Avoid, though, the first snows (usually in late October) and the spring thaw (April), which turn everything to slush and mud. Early summer and autumn are many people's favourite periods for visiting Belarus. By May temperatures are pleasant, while the golden autumnal colours of September and early October are stunning. July and August are the warmest months and the main holiday season. These are also the dampest months in most parts of Belarus and European Russia, with as many as one rainy day in three. It's always low season in Belarus, so don't fret too much about being overwhelmed by your fellow tourists.
Getting there and away
Most international flights arrive at the Minsk-2 International Airport, 40km (25mi) east of Minsk. It has connections to Beirut, Frankfurt, Istanbul,Larnaka, London, Milan, Moscow, Paris, Prague, Riga, Rome, St Petersburg, Tel Aviv, Vienna and Warsaw. The smaller Minsk-1 Airport, 3 km (2mi) south of the city, serves Kiev, Moscow and St Petersburg. The country's other international airport is at Brest, where you can get flights to Moscow, St Petersburg, Kiev, Warsaw and Odessa. The most popular international bus routes are between Minsk and Vilnius (Lithuania) and Minsk and Bialystok (Poland). Trains come into Belarus from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine via 10 border crossings, and there are also about 10 border crossings open to private vehicles.
Getting around
In theory there are domestic flights between Minsk, Brest, Homel, Hrodna, Mahileu, Mazyr and Vitsebsk, but in reality very few domestic flights actually get off the ground, owing to fuel restrictions. Trains between major cities are frequent and relatively cheap. Buses are also in plentiful supply but can be dirty and overcrowded, and it's often an ordeal getting a ticket. Renting a car can be cheaper than hiring taxis but driving in Belarus is problematic: fuel and spare parts are hard to come by, roads are in poor condition, and traffic police checks will be frequent and irritating. If you want to drive, do it on the right side of the road. If you want to drive, do it on the right side of the road.
Visa:
All foreign visitors require a visa. While you can purchase a tourist visa (for a higher price) upon arrival at Minsk-2 airport, you are strongly advised to secure this beforehand to avoid potential complications (and this is a country which specialises in complications!). Even if you are travelling by train through Belarus, you require a transit visa; do not hope to get this at the border as you're likely to be pulled off your train and subjected to fines and hassles. That said, tourists with proper documents can generally expect less scrutiny than on the Russian border.
Weather
Belarus has a continental climate which becomes marginally more severe as you move from southwest to northeast. Average January temperatures are between -4° C and -8° C (25-18° F), and there's frost on the ground 7 to 8 months of the year. The warmest month is July, when temperatures normally reach 19° C (66° F). It's wettest in June and August, and there's snow cover from December to April.
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