Belarus is off the radar of most travellers; however, this rarely explored corner of eastern Europe has just given them the legislative equivalent of a come-hither glance: loosening entry requirements to allow citizens of 80 countries to visit visa-free for up to 30 days, as long as you arrive and leave by air via Minsk airport.
In recent years, Belarus’ lively capital, Minsk, has caught on as an alternative destination for a weekend break. While Minsk’s worthwhile museums and impressive dining and nightlife scene make for a thoroughly enjoyable experience, visiting for even just five days allows you to immerse yourself in provincial Belarus, a famously flat land dotted with fairytale castles, rolling sunflower fields, and enchanted forests. Although you can’t do it all in five days, with careful route-planning, you can cherry-pick a few of the best spots.
Logistics for Your Trip
Assuming you’ll want a day or two in Minsk, you’ll be left with three or four days to explore the provinces. There are numerous great day-trip options to fill a couple of days using the capital as a base. Alternatively, head to the pleasant western Belarusian city of Brest, where you can overnight.
Day Trippin’ in Belarus
The major rental car agencies are well represented in the Belarusian capital, road rules are straightforward, and provincial roads are organized and traffic-free. Top on your hit list should be a pair of 16th-century castles that lie within a 90-minute drive southwest of the capital: Mir and Nyasvizh.
Both castles are UNESCO World Heritage sites and legacies of the Radziwills, a family of Lithuanian nobles that rose to prominence under the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Nyasvizh Castle is an immense complex, whose 30-plus rooms comprise a museum detailing the history of the Radziwills and the area under Lithuanian, Polish, and Russian rule. The opulent interior evokes the grandeur of tsarist-era palaces. Mir Castle wows with its picturesque exterior; its five towers are perfectly reflected in an adjacent pond, making it a highlight of Belarus tourism. The proximity of the two castles, just 35km apart, makes them an ideal day-trip combo.
If you prefer to linger another night in Minsk, given the wealth of restaurants and lively nightlife, plan a second day of excursions. Start with the fascinating Stalin Line Museum, located 25km northwest of the capital. This impressive collection of Soviet war paraphernalia spans a sprawling field that once formed part of the ‘Stalin Line’, a defensive bulwark stretching more than 1000km along the Soviet Union’s western border before WWII. Original bunkers have been restored, and you can even take a joyride in a Soviet tank, making it an absolute must for WWII buffs. This visit seamlessly complements the superb Museum of the Great Patriotic War in Minsk.
The Stalin Line Museum can conveniently be combined with a visit to the poignant memorial in Khatyn, one of many Jewish villages devastated by the Nazis during WWII. For a more uplifting experience, head south of Minsk to two interesting open-air folk museums: the Dudutki interactive museum, where you can sample homemade samahon (moonshine) and salo (cured pork fat), and the authentic Museum of Folk Architecture & Rural Lifestyle in Azyartso.
Westward Bound to Brest
It’s easy to combine your visit to Minsk with a stay in Brest for a couple of days. Save time and money on accommodation by taking a night train – an experience in itself. Alternatively, you can ride the daily business-class express train, which leaves Minsk in the late afternoon and gets you to Brest in less than four hours.
Brest is easily the most interesting Belarusian provincial capital, with its cobbled walking streets, centuries-old churches, and leafy parks providing a perfect contrast to monolithic Minsk. Just west of the city, the Bug River forms the border with Poland, and the locals often approach you to engage in conversation.
Brest offers a great place to spend a day or two, with excellent restaurants and unpretentious bars and clubs. Enjoy a cosmopolitan meal at the city’s top restaurant, Jules Verne, then join the lively crowd for shots and dancing at Coyote Bar or Korova.
Brest’s main attraction is the Brest Fortress, a fascinating complex of war and art museums housed in restored 18th-century buildings at the confluence of the Bug and Mukhavets Rivers. A small band of Red Army soldiers held out here for a month against the invading Nazis and became Soviet legends. Some truly remarkable pieces of Soviet realism, including the iconic Courage Monument, commemorate these men.
Walking to the Brest Fortress is straightforward; it takes about 30 minutes from vul Savetskaya, the city’s pedestrianized central street, via vul Holholya (Gogol St), a boulevard adorned with trees and quirky statues built into gas street lamps, collectively known as Alleya Fonary. Indeed, you can walk almost anywhere in Brest, which significantly enhances its appeal.
On your last day, take a taxi to Belavezhskaya Pushcha National Park, home to Europe’s largest mammal, the European bison (zubr, locally). The experience, like many in Belarus, is tinged with Soviet nostalgia – envision bus tours to the ‘home’ of Ded Moroz, the Soviet Santa Claus. A more rewarding way to explore the park is by renting a bicycle at the entrance (€5). If you time it right, particularly at dusk between October and April, you might even spot a zubr in the wild.
