Anyone ever been to Minsk, Belarus?
 

How is it? Share some personal experiences.

It is a typical Soviet city. It has a grand "prospect" (boulevard), some Stalinist buildings and a small and quite charming old town.

Not much of tourist infrastructure (hotels, restaurants).

I spent 5 days in Minsk and can't remember too much of the city (not many things really memorable). We had one evening in the opera, and that was really great. I was with my interpreter on the market and bought wonderful caviar for nothing (8 dollars for 100g of beluga).

One evening, we had dinner in a Russian restaurant. I remember that the price of the menu was 1 dollar per person.

i believe Phoebe's boyfriend, David (friends episode from years ago!)

Some more experiences from Minsk:

- Extremely tough passport controls and customs. You have to declare all your money. Be prepared to corrupt the officers. Do not try to smuggle something.

- Caviar: You are allowed to take 100g caviar from Belarus. Directly after customs, the customs officers will sell you more. While I paid 8 dollars on the market, the officers charged 20. Still a great bargain, and good quality.

- Cold. I was there in November,and we had -22Celsius.

- Caution. Do not talk about politics in public. In private, everybody is critical about the government and Lukaschenko.

- A student wanted to come to Germany to write her dissertation. Why she did not write it in Belorus? "With a dissertation about market economy I will make no career but land in jail."

- People are extremely poor. Those who have a piece of land on the countryside are lucky, because they can sell produce on the streets. On the other side, billionaires with bodyguards and everything.

- Police is stopping cars at random, charging money for nothing. Each family is happy to have either a policeman or a customs officer in the family - they bring extra income.

- Vodka: 50g for breakfast, 100g for lunch, 500g for dinner. Go regularly to the toilet and throw up to survive.

- Water: So salty that it created an urge to vomit. But it compensates the vodka.

- Hygienics: After one member of our party has visited the kitchen he stopped eating completely.

- Food: Typical Russian fare: First course, cold vegetables and salad. Second course, cabbage soup. Third course, pork with fried potatoes and cold peas. Every day the same, except that the cabbage in the soup is either white or red (then they call it bortscht).

What a description. Minsk sounds like the perfect place for a reality show. Which candidate will come out of Belarus healthy and happy?

Be as my wife (a native Soviet Citizen) says very careful. I can't publish what my In-Laws say.
It is typical Soviet era, nothing very memorable.

Sounds dreadful. Add to that the fact that Belarus bore the brunt of the Chernobyl cloud. Thank God Grandpa left when he did!

Friends of ours from Minsk emigrated to Canada about 10 years ago and never looked back. They hold absolutely no nostalgia for their home country and have no desire to return for any reason.

wow that is crazy.

but i have to go, it is the birth place of my parents and i have family there that i've never met before.

i was thinking 2 weeks, but now considering shortening it to 1 week.

We just came back from one week in Minsk to attend a relative's wedding (he married a girl from Belarus).

First, everyone we met at the wedding was wonderful. Warm, generous, hospitible, very fun loving. The wedding lasted all day and was extremely fun with lots of dancing, singing, vodka and tasty food. They were really happy that we showed "respect" by coming for the wedding, and treated us like royalty. So, if you have even very distant family there, you should absolutely go. You will have a wonderful time.

Now, just as an ordinary tourist, I would say there's no reason to go. There's really nothing to do or to see. Most of the older structures were destroyed during various wars. Minsk has a fair number of restaurants and shops, but nothing to write home about. We spent 4 days in Volkivyst (4 hrs from Minsk), and this suburb had 1 hotel and no restaurants. People simply don't eat out. You can't get a cup of coffee anywhere.

Other things of note:

* As mentioned, long line for passport control. You have to buy mandatory medical insurance upon landing. This costs $1 per person per day. They take dollars and euros, so make sure you've got that. The custom officer seemed only interested in whether we brought any alcohol. So don't bring any.

* Food is bad (except for the wedding food which was very). It is exactly as described: cabbage soup (pretty tasty), fried pork with potatos (one meal of this is enough). This is served nearly at every meal.

* Wine is very bad, nearly undrinkable. I don't usually drink hard liquor but switched to vodka at all the social events.

* Don't drink mineral water. It is VERY salty. Instead, drink Evian or the local soda. The clear ones flavored with fruit is nice.

* No one speaks any English. You'd be pretty lost without an interpretor.

* Anything official takes a long time. We waited over an hour to exchange traveller's checks. ATM works better. It took an hour to pay the hotel bill.

* I didn't think people seemed particularly poor. It was kind of middle class, though probably trails most European/Asian cities by 30 years. Except for the fashion, which was pretty out there.

* Very few stores accept credit card, even if they have the Visa or Mastercard logo. We even had trouble at the hotel. It's ok, as there's really nothing worth buying.

* Most importantly: no one has a hot water heater. The hot water is provided by the government and comes through the pipes at certain hours (I think 7AM-midnight). However, in the summer, this will be turned off for 2 weeks at a time on a rotating basis. We nearly had this happen to us in Volkavyst but somehow someone convinced someone else to turn it on. So, unless you don't mind cold showers, find out the hot water outage schedule before you go!

Feel free to email me if you have other questions.

Hi, Since a couple of you have mentioned having family in Minsk, I have a question for you. My grandparents immigrated from a village called Rybitvi-Nove. I think it is near Bobrovniki which is near Minsk. Has anyone ever heard of either of these? Any info. you have is appreciated.

Hi Linjudy:

Great info. Thanks for sharing.

Hello!
I'm italian and i want to say that
i'm in love with Belarus and especially Minsk. I've
found your forum, read some posts and i should say that i
completely disagree with some statements. May be Minsk is a bit
"soviet city", but since my first trip (2005) it'has changed dramatically.
It is a wonderful place to spend a holiday for a man without relationship.
I don't know may be women can find something interesting for them as well(like very cheap but high-quality local clothes or cosmetics)))...
It's a paradise for a single man. I don't promote this side of travelling, i just tellyou what i know for sure. Belarusian girls are the best girls in the world. They're kind,very-very beautiful, smart and approachable(in the sense like communicating with foreigner gentlemen). There is a little problem with English, though many people speak it. Restaurants are very cheap if to compare to italian ones, but some restaurants are really very decent, even chic ( i personnaly like Renaissance, bella Rossa, Falcone)

Hotels are expensive, but there is an alternative to rent an apartment, which is cheaper.
In a word, there's no better place for me on Earth!))))
If it's your first trip to Minsk, i can recomend to afford a guide, that's not that expensive, but will help you avoid many troubles.
If you've got any questions, you can contact me. My skype is nonenone335. I'll be really glad to tell
you more about my favourite travelling destination.

P.S. Just in case. I'm planning to stay in Minsk from 29 August to 12 September. If there is somebody willing, you can join me, or we just can meet for a beer :-)That wiil be my 5th time in Minsk, and i just can't wait anymore.

And the last thing. My last trip was organised by travellingbelarus.com (airport transfer, apartment booking, guiding etc), i was totally satisfied with their service. So if you want to, you can try them.
Good Luck!

>>>It is a wonderful place to spend a holiday for a man without relationship. <<<

>>>Belarusian girls are the best girls in the world.<<<


Absolutely right. A very high-ranking official of Belarussian goverment welcomed me at the airport. With his Lada (imagine a FIAT built in 1973) he drove me into downtown Minsk.

On the way, he taught me some Russian. The most important word was "lovely girl" in Russian. I told him that I was married. He replied "I am married to the mother of my children".

Then he led me to Minsk's department store (imagine Woolworth in 1955). He introduced me to a certain salesgirl (I admit, a very beautiful girl - as all girls in Belarus) and whispered to me to practice my learnt Russian for "lovely girl".

You may continue the story by yourself...

I only say that I did not get photographed in my hotel room in a compromising situation (which obviously was the intention of the whole thing).

But, again, the Belarussian girls are beautiful. Really. And EVERY girl. Really. In winter, they wear fur coats. Real fur. EVERY girl.

Really,traveller1959? That's an intereting story. I don't doubt it's true, but I'm curious as to why they would have wanted to photograph you in particular in a compromising situation.

I do not know if they really wanted to photograph me but I have heard from others (who accepted the generous offer) that they did and blackmailed them (it IS a special country).

Maybe they just wanted to make a little money for this kind of "service"...

I didn't see this thread... we left Belarus in 1989, 20 years ago, and from what I'm reading here, it seems nothing has changed.

I only have to correct Traveller: cabbage soup is white, added beet roots color it red, this is why it's bortshch - slightly different dish.

Hello
i have a question about Belarussian girls,who visited or live there please answer my question?
ofcoures Belarussian girls are sexy and pretty but the notice is,
do they have sex before marriage?
virginity is not important?
i don't mean salesgirls my question is about all society.

do they have sex before marriage?
virginity is not important?

Starting probably from 1960s the answer to your questions would be yes and yes - and I'm speaking from my classmates experiences (if you mean Belarussian girls by nationality, not everyone who happens to live there)

I mean Belarussian girls who live in Belarus,if the virginity is not important in Belarus,
Do Belarussian men married to none virgin girl?

(sorry for my grammatical mistakes)I'm from Belarus. I have been living in Minsk. I read some posts and can say that I don't agree with some posts. For example, in my country there are quite enough beautiful castles, such as Mir of Nesviz. But it's hard to get there. We've got very tasty traditional dishes. I agree with traveller1959. Belarussian girls are beautiful. And what about girls and virginity and our men. Yes, most of men married to none virgin girl. (girls have got se[ before marriage, and I can say that virginity isn't important, but note for all)Also there are girls wich won't do it before marriage, who dreams about real love, family ets. But, unfortunatly,there are few of them.

Thank you, Anastasya, for reviving this thread.

The people of Belarus are so warm-hearted. And the girls - the most beautiful girls in the world.

The problem with Belarus is the president. He is ruining the country. He keeps it on the level of a third-world country. Every intellectual whom I met in Minsk was against Lukachenko, but no one dared to say it in public.

Be as brave as the people in Tunesia, Egypt or Libya!

as to our government: The time will come when Lukashenko will be in jail. The whole Belarus is against this piece of ...

as to some of the posts here: So disrespectful... Everyone who truly wants to learn about our culture including our soviet times n what we've inherited from the USSR are most welcome to visit. Those who dare to write in a such disrespectful tone about my country just go to hell n never come over again. Yeah, we have problems n our ppl have been through a lot for centuries. We are good hearted ppl despite everything what came on our way, but we are not gonna take this arrogance. If you were lucky to be born in a rich country, don't think u r better that's why than the rest of the world. I'm proud to be born in a such beautiful place as Belarus is.

as to belorussian girls: we are beautiful - that's right. however, those of you who practice sex tourism r missing out something way more important, coz our girls have to offer not only beautiful faces n nice bodies.. n it's a pity u r too shallow to notice it.
what a weird question about virginity. Belorussians r just normal girls like in everywhere in Europe. Ask us if we have TV or if we still live in caves.

Reading some of these posts remind me of visiting [except for the sexual posting] Romania years ago. Very difficult finding a restaurant except for a pizza place.Most of the streelights were out and dogs were loose and barking in the streets.. We were pulled at by Romany children wanting money and the hotel and old communist hotel had no hot water in the morning and uncaring desk staff.

Had other incidents also, in Slovakia we stopped in a restaurant in the countryside for bkfst and we spoke no Slovakian and they no English. Settled on a bkfst with sign language, the same as everyone else was eating. Cabbage soup and a half cup nescaf.

we've had other experiences in the former communist countries but we always looked on it as an experience to add to our life. We Americans shouldn't complain when we go to visit, after all we always leave and go home.

Strike Minsk off my list...

I can say Alan that Romania is much better. I was there last year and enjoyed myself. The dogs were still there as well as children following you down the street and I was nervous to go more than two streets off the main boulevards due to the locals yelling at me (thankfully I couldn't understand).

There are better places to eat and the locals were very helpful in Bucharest with find my way around.

To the north in the Saxon area it was quite wonderful. I'd like to go back.

Since Belarus if off the list what other country might hold some "safer" experiences in Eastern Europe?

I must apologize since I did not read all the posts after the first several which were not flattering. I hold no disrespect to anyone and people feel it is worth visiting it would be a joy to experience. I hope no one takes the negative posts too seriously. There are places in our downtown I would not go in the evening.

Cheers all.

We will be in Minzk August 28 and 29 and are looking forward to it. Pictures show an exquisite new library, a newly opened synagogue, other wonderful buildings, but we have not been there yet. Am I wrong?

No, not wrong, but check if the travelers' warning was issued, there was a recent metro bombing.

Ive been to Minsk several times for business and have always had a great time.
True theyre a bit tough at the airport but not more than in Russia or China.

Very clean, extremely safe and in summertime, everyone is on the streets celebrating the very few hot days they can enjoy.

People are very friendly although just about nobody speaks any foreign language.

Nice soviet-kind architecture and very nice subway stations, although not as pretty as in Moscow. In Soviet times, Minsk was often reorted as the new jewel of the Empire.

An example here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pacocanker/4826036427

Cheers!

I read some posts, and did not believe it. I live in Minsk. I travel a lot and saw a lot of countries. Such delicious food, as in Belarus still have to search, and who eat pork and potatoes every day - you just was not lucky with the company that organized the visit to Belarus.
Now this is a country with great potential. Many foreign companies open software developpement back office in Belarus, because a lot of smart professionals who work with perfect quality and not so expensive as in usa, for example.
There are many things to see. And of course the girls in Belarus r very beautiful. And they saved their authenticity and humility.
So if someone wants to visit Belarus as a tourist or investor, I am open to answer all your questions and help with the organization. facebook: Slava Kiselev

There are 10 "slava kiselev" on F-book: 9 in English, 1 in Cyrillic, which one are you :))

This has really nothing to do with the substance of the OP, but here is a fun piece of trivia.

What song (hint- it is in English)contains the names of 10 cities/towns that are in what was the Soviet sphere.

Slava Kiselev. My page:http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002613116904

Lobachevsky

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQHaGhC7C2E

Give jahoulih a gold star!!

I have a friend in Minsk,
Who has a friend in Pinsk,
Whose friend in Omsk
Has friend in Tomsk
With friend in Akmolinsk.
His friend in Alexandrovsk
Has friend in Petropavlovsk,
Whose friend somehow
Is solving now
The problem in Dnepropetrovsk.

And when his work is done -
Ha ha! - begins the fun.
From Dnepropetrovsk
To Petropavlovsk,
By way of Iliysk,
And Novorossiysk,
To Alexandrovsk to Akmolinsk
To Tomsk to Omsk
To Pinsk to Minsk
To me the news will run,
Yes, to me the news will run!

As a musician, you're probably familiar with this, in a similar vein, by Kurt Weill and Ira Gershwin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkJdmTrlTYk (Danny Kaye version)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQAEFwNdzO4 (Tom Lehrer version, with lyrics)

Thanks jah for the memory- I miss Danny Kaye, one of the greats.

To all who plan the visit to Belarus:
Your previous advisers wrote horrible things from which I have to conclude that they were absolutely unlucky with their guides. Sorry :)
My main recommendation for tourists is to find friends in Belarus before your visit, preferably among students, who know history of the country better than their parents do. Without native speaking guides you will lose much.
Secondly, there are very many interesting destinations to visit besides the capital. If you come from Europe, castles might be not of great interest to you. Then choose the nature! Go to Belavezhskaja Puscha, the most ancient wood in Europe, or to the national park “Braslav Lakes”!
If you prefer the cultural program, my suggestion would be to visit one of the ethnographical museums nearby Minsk, e.g. Strochicy, where you could also try real Belarusian cuisine, which has almost nothing in common with Russian :) I say this as a professional ethnologist.
Concerning the shopping… It is important to know what to buy. I live in Germany, now for several years, but always bring with me a lot of staff for my family and friends. And they are always delighted. So, my usual list for shopping is: 1.Flax table and bed clothes. I cannot compare its quality with what I can have for this money in Germany;
2. Jewelry. For rather small money you can get silver, gold and jewels coming from Russia and also different traditional accessories which can suit your look in case you like ethnic style;
3.Delicious chocolate. In most cases it is 60-80 % bio-chocolate, sometimes with berry filling, nuts or soufflé. I always buy kilos for gifts;
4. Vodka for friends (ask for vodka from Brest, it is the best);
5. Very cheap and good jersey clothing and leather shoes ("Marco", "Belwest", etc.) – you can wear it more than one year, be sure.
If you want to have a nice shopping just take the main avenue in Minsk (from metro station Kastrychnickaya to Ploscha Lenina) or go to the underground shopping center “Stolica” and you will find all things there.
And at last but not at least :) I received foreign guests for several times. I also met many foreigners during my studies in Minsk. My usual recommendation for friends from Western Europe was “Leave your stereotypes at home and be open to another culture!” People in Belarus are shy and don’t speak English sometimes (the young do) but they like guests and try to do all their best to amuse them.
I wish you a nice journey!

Also a lot of tourists come to Minsk on New Year's holiday. Minsk Christmas fairs and sales will be opened. On the streets in each district set Christmas trees. And of course the festivities, a lot of fun during the night of December 31 to January 1.

Can any of you tell me the costs of a cheap, a budget and a luxyry hotel and recommendations... and what are average expenses on meals, local transport... and also night entertainment ;)