Metro

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 4500BYR are sold from booths inside Metro stations. Drop those toy tokens into the slot machine-like turnstiles. Other tickets, including a 10-day pass соme 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.

Buses, Trams & Trolleybuses

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 4500BYR are sold at most kiosks. Punch them inside the vehicle or risk a fine.

Minibuses
Known in the vernacular as a marshrutka the private minibus is an excellent way of getting around the city to the other in a hurry without the expense of a taxi. Operating along the same routes as Minsk’s buses and trolleybuses and displaying the same route numbers with the addition of a 10 at the start (the 1053 operates the same route as trolleybus number 53 for example), they ride for a current flat fare of 10,000 BYR. People used to using similar transport in other former Soviet countries should be aware that in Minsk a marshrutka only picks up and puts down at official stops.