
Belarus Mini-Guide
The Eastern European country of Belarus is bordered by Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia and the Ukraine.
It is perhaps best known as the place where the 1968 Chernobyl nuclear disaster took place at the border with Ukraine. However the country is no considered to be safe apart from a small area around Chernobyl.
The capital of Belarus, Minsk, lies in the centre of the country which spent many years under Russian rule. The culture here is accordingly similar to that of Russian as are the customs and traditions.

Arriving you will fly into Minsk international airport and various carriers have routes there including the national airline Air Baltic, Austrian Airlines, Czech Airlines, Lot Polish Airlines and Lufthansa.
To enter you may well need to get a visa which can be obtained from the Belarussian consulate or embassy. If you need the visa quickly you can pay extra to have it processed in half a day. It is important to know that if you are flying to Belarus from Russia you need to have a Russian transit visa. Leave plenty of time to get this as the bureaucratic process can be frustratingly slow.

If you are driving into Belarus you will most likely come through the Terespol / Brest crossing. Again leave plenty of time to do so and expect delays. Despite the frequency of potential stops by authorities in Belarus having a Rhino rental car is the quickest way to get around and the road structure is well developed. Knowing some Russian or having a phrase book with you is a good idea when travelling through Belarus. Also get some Belarus Rubles, though be aware that old or damaged foreign money won’t be accepted in exchange. And when you leave Belarus you are unlikely to be able to change any Rubles back into your preferred currency so you might as well spend it while you are there.
Much in the way of food and accommodation in Belarus is basic to say the least. Also be very careful of your belongings. Even in the relative safety of your hotel room they can get stolen by corrupt maids. Don’t take the risk and use a safe or keep them on your person. If you are an American citizen it is worth knowing that relations between the United States and Belarus are not very good and the US embassy only provides emergency services currently as the US ambassador has been expelled from the country.