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The Basics
If you were hoping for a dirt-cheap tourist destination, sorry, you're about a decade late and a rouble short. The days of partying all night for US$10 are long gone. That said, compared to most European countries, restaurants in Belarus are still fairly cheap, and you can certainly get around in taxis without breaking the bank. Other bargains to watch for are pirate CDs, vodka and caviar. Western imports, many of which arrive by way of Moscow, are fairly expensive here.
Belarus sees itself as surrounded (Latvia - 141km, Lithuania - 502km, Poland - 605km, Russia - 959km, Ukraine - 891km), or at least threatened on the west side, by evil capitalist states looking for any chance to do it harm. At most borders, this paranoia translates into long queues, thorough luggage searches, painstaking document checks and officials who welcome you to their country with all the charm of a prison guard. The border with Russia, with whom Belarus has much more bosom relations, is comparatively lax.
When the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, nobody bothered to tell the Belarusians. Or at least that's what you'd think given the abundance of Lenin statues and other Soviet-style flash that still decorates public squares throughout the country. For many visitors, this back-in-the-USSR panache is a big part of Belarus's charm, particularly the Stalin-era city centre of Minsk. Not all the holdovers from that period are as fun though – much enterprise is state-owned, the KGB still harasses the population and bureaucracy is rampant. Expect to spend lots of time shouting at people through very small holes in very large windows.
The rules for what you can bring into and out of Belarus get more complicated the more officials you ask, so our advice is to keep your personal cargo straightforward and minimal to avoid surprises. According to the Belarusian embassy in Vilnius, non-residents can bring in, tax free: US$3,000 in cash, 2 litres of strong alcohol, 200 cigarettes or 200g of tobacco (if you're over 18), 5 pieces of jewellery, 1 watch, 3 pieces of leather clothing and 4 tyres (which you've presumably crammed into the pockets of your leather trousers). Pay attention to your booze – each extra litre of alcohol you try to bring in will be taxed €20, though why anyone would take alcohol into this paradise of cheap vodka is a mystery. When leaving, you can take out up to 500g of gold and 5kg of silver, so your bling-bling should be okay. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that you should avoid trying to take out icons, antiques or any works of art without the proper paperwork.
Driving in Belarus is generally a smooth experience, at least on the major roads, which are in good condition and wonderfully free of cars. Having said that, beware of icy roads in the winter, potholes on rural roads, and the occasional reckless driver. The roads in Minsk are excellent and mercifully free of traffic jams thanks to some astute urban planning. In Belarus you drive on the right, and pass on the left. Kids under 12 have to stay in the back seats, seatbelts are mandatory and there's a zero tolerance policy for drinking and driving. Your licence from the US or EU is valid in Belarus for six months, after which you have to apply for a Belarusian licence, a process that's said to be fairly uncomplicated.
Demonstrations have become a fairly regular feature in downtown Minsk – not surprising since the government clamps down on every other means the opposition has of reaching the public. Most of these gatherings are peaceful affairs where young people hold up signs while the police look on threateningly. That said, demonstrations have at times been met with swinging truncheons or worse, so be aware of the mood if you happen to be near one.
Belarusian - 81.2%, Russian - 11.4%, Polish - 3.9%, Ukrainian - 2.4%, Others - 1.1%
The electricity is 220V AC, 50Hz, and barring lightning strikes, it's fairly stable. Nearly all sockets are now the standard, European two-pin variety, though some of the smaller, Soviet-style sockets can still be found. For these, an adaptor works far better than brute force, as you may find out when you try to take the plug back out again.
Belarusians consider the ground floor to be the first floor, and so on.
Unless you packed your lead underwear, you may want to limit the time you spend in the southeast corner of the country. This is where radiation from the 1986 Chernobyl disaster still covers much of the landscape. Short visits (a few days) won't harm you though, so long as you avoid locally produced vegetables, mushrooms, dairy products and the like. For those everywhere else, the biggest health concern is the tap water. Though many visitors drink it without problems, it's very capable of causing stomach problems. Sticking to the bottled stuff is the wisest course of action.
Gara Lysaya 365m
Russian and Belarusian both enjoy official status here, but in reality, Russian is by far the dominant language of daily life, particularly in Minsk. Just to keep things interesting though, street signs and metro stations are all posted in Belarusian, a language that few people here speak. So who actually knows this mysterious other language? Some people in the countryside, members of the intelligentsia and, very pointedly, those involved in opposition politics. In rural areas, Trasyanka, a mix of Russian and Belarusian, can also be heard.
Narach 79.6km2
Belarus is in the Eastern European Time Zone (GMT+2hrs), putting it in line with Finland, the Baltic States, Turkey and South Africa. Daylight Saving Time (GMT+3hrs) is in effect from the last Sunday of March until the last Sunday of October.
Dnieper (aka Dnipro, or Dnyapro). One of the longest rivers in Europe, the Dnieper rises in the Valdai Hills of Russia, and flows south 2,285km through Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, before finally emptying into the Black Sea.
After years of hyper-inflation, the Belarusian rouble (abbreviated BYR) is now fairly stable, mainly thanks to strict government controls. In early 2008, the exchange rates were US$1 = 2,136BYR, €1 = 3,300BYR with very little fluctuation from previous months. Banknotes come in denominations of 100,000, 50,000, 20,000, 10,000, 5,000, 1,000, 500, not to mention the nearly worthless 100, 50, 20 and 10 rouble varieties. Coins aren't used at all. Hotel prices listed in this guide (and those published by most hotels) are given in US dollars, but cash payments are always made in the local currency. Exchange offices dealing in major currencies can easily be found in the downtown area, and rates differ very little. ATMs are also common on the main downtown streets, though hard to find elsewhere. Nearly all will work with MasterCard; but you may have to hunt a bit to find one that will work with Visa. Most hotels and the more modern restaurants accept credit cards. Finally, you may hear of plans to bring Belarus into the Russian rouble zone. These have been postponed again and again, and at this point, nobody can say whether it will actually ever happen.
January 1 New Year's Day
January 7 Orthodox Christmas
March 8 International Women's Day
March 15 Constitution Day
April 16 Catholic & Protestant Easter (2006)
April 23-24 Orthodox Easter (2006)
May 1 Labour Day
May 2 Radunitsa (Orthodox day of Remembrance, 2006)
May 7 Mothers's Day (2006)
May 9 Victory Day
July 3 Independence Day
November 1-2 Dzyady (Remembrance Day)
November 7 Revolution Day
December 25 Catholic & Protestant Christmas
Police
What's the main ingredient of any police state? Police, of course. Without them, dictatorship just wouldn't be as fun. Belarus supposedly has one of the highest ratios of police to citizens in the world. We found Belarus' boys in blue surprisingly helpful when it came to giving directions, although don't expect them to speak English. And you most certainly wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them. In general, the police are to be treated with deference, if not altogether avoided.
Belarus 9,800,100, Minsk 1,729,000, Gomel 492,000, Vitebsk 351,000, Grodno 312,000, Mogilev 362,000, Brest 296,000
Though it seems to be less rampant than it was just a few years ago, prostitution is a very visible part of life in Belarus, particularly in Minsk. It's not uncommon to see these denizens of the night hanging around certain parts of downtown, and thanks to clever coordination with most hotel receptions, they typically phone foreign guests late at night to offer their services. If you're someone who might take them up on their offer, keep in mind that AIDS is very widespread in this part of Europe. Take precautions or you might end up bringing home a very unpleasant souvenir.
207,600km2. Fertile lowland, with about 11,000 lakes.
Public toilets and those in restaurants, etc, are still generally not as clean as those in Western Europe, but they've come a long way from the nightmarish chambers of foulness they were a few years ago. Don't automatically expect them to have toilet paper though. Just so there's no confusion, M marks the Gents' room, Ж marks the Ladies'.
Pretty much everyone needs a visa to enter Belarus. The exceptions are nationals of Armenia, Cuba, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, North Korea, Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. The visas are supplied by your nearest Belarusian embassy or consulate. The recommended practice, however, is not to deal with the embassy directly, but instead to go through a travel agency that specialises in Belarusian visas (in fact, some consulates only give you this option). The procedure usually costs around US$40 - 80 for a single entry tourist visa, and saves you a major headache into the bargain. In theory, it's also possible to get a visa on arrival at the Minsk 2 airport if you have an invitation with you, but in practice, it's an expensive and risky option. We recommend getting your visa before you arrive. Once in the country, you have three working days to get your visa registered. Hotels will do this for you, but if you're not staying in a hotel, you'll have to register at your local OVIR (Office of Visas and Registration). If you don't register, you could have problems when you're trying to leave the country.
