Anyone who’s ever experienced the beauty of the Moscow Metro and is in need of more inspiration should see what they got up to in Minsk. A surviving testament to Soviet design, all major stations in the city centre remain intact since they were constructed with such inspiration. The use of glass is of particular interest, as are the occasional busts of Lenin found lurking in one or two subterranean niches. Using them on the other hand remains at best difficult. Two lines cover central Minsk. Purple plastic tokens costing 850BYR are sold from booths inside Metro stations. Drop those toy tokens into the slot machine-like turnstiles. Other tickets, including a 10-day pass for 15,000BYR come in the form of magnetic cards. These you either swipe at the turnstile or shove in sideways until they pop back out, toaster-like a second later. Trains run every three minutes or so during rush hour and every five minutes off-peak. After 21:00 trains run every seven to 10 minutes until 01:00. 

 

Minsk has 12 tram lines, 56 trolleybus routes and over 100 bus routes. All three run from around 05:35 to 00:55 seven days a week. Avoid peak hours if you value your limbs. Public transport tickets costing 850BYR are sold at most kiosks. Punch them inside the vehicle or risk a fine.