"Lungs of Europe", one of the most friendly and open to the Russians, the ancient patrimony of the mighty Radziwills and part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - all this is flat as a plate and beautiful as the morning forest. Belarus . Disputes about the correct name of this country are as fierce as and drunken transfer of its merits . In a word, Belarus likes, however it was called . And there is for that: frankly low prices, a lot of attractions, excellent products, beautiful nature, good people around and a dozen more not visible to the naked but the "sixth sense" of the properties that are perfectly perceived by that ".

" About the well-known Belarusian sanatoriums already sang ode not one healthy grandmother, dreaming to return to the hospitable spaces of this country of the Red Data Book bison . Add to this the fabulous lakes and forests , in which it is so nice to forget, immersed in the bosom of nature and throwing out of my head the noise and worries of megacities . And also the wide avenues reminiscent of our Soviet past, narrow cobbled streets - a tribute to "Europeanism," castles of the 16th century, Catholic and Orthodox and finally, the most idyllic villages in which they are preparing such dranits, that you simply have to return here again. .

Minsk.

Big cities of Belarus - Gomel, Brest, Mogilev, Grodno, Vitebsk (for a full list see the city page and the resorts of Belarus). Ski resorts of Belarus - Silichi, the Yakut mountains, Mozyr and Logoisk. Interesting excursions to the national parks of Belarus and castles: Mir and Nesvizh

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How to get to Belorussia

Aeroflot and Belavia perform several flights a day from Moscow to Minsk. The duration of the flight is 1 hour 20 minutes. Regular flights to Minsk are also available from a number of other Russian cities.

About a dozen trains run daily from Moscow to the country. The journey time on the Moscow-Minsk route is about 10 hours, and on the Moscow-Minsk high-speed train "Slavic Express" - 7 hours. 22 minutes

Bus routes are operated from all regions adjacent to Belarus and a number of other regions of Russia. This is the cheapest transfer option. Distances to Minsk on motorways: from Moscow - 690 km, from St. Petersburg - 901 km

Visa to Belarus

Citizens of Russia and most CIS countries enter the country without visas, on the border it is enough to present a civil passport

Customs

Import of foreign currency to Belarus is not limited, but amounts over 10 000 USD must be declared. Import-export without appropriate permission is prohibited for firearms and ammunition, military equipment, narcotic, psychotropic, poisonous, poisonous, radioactive and explosive substances. For the transportation of animals and plants across the border, a phytosanitary and veterinary control permit is required.

Duty-free can carry 50 kg of luggage with a total cost of not more than 1500 EUR. Extra baggage is subject to a duty of 30% of its value, but not less than 2 EUR per kg. In addition, alcoholic beverages and beer with a total volume of up to 3 liters, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco (or tobacco products in an assortment of a total weight not more than 250 grams) can be imported duty-free.

• What and how much can I import into territory of Belarus
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Useful telephone numbers

Embassy of Belarus in Moscow: ul. Maroseyka, d. 17/6; bodies: (495) 777-66-44, 624-70-95; website

Embassy of Russia in Minsk: st. Novovilenskaya, 1A; tel .: (17) 233-35-90; Web site

A single reference telephone network: 109, a reference airport (Minsk): 106, a reference bus station Minskavtovokzal 114, a railway information desk 105.

First Aid: 103

Police: 102

Rescue Service: 101

Codes of some cities: Brest - 162, Vitebsk - 212, Gomel - 232, Grodno - 152, Minsk - 17, Mogilev - 222, Orsha - 216, Pinsk - 165, Polotsk - 214, Slonim - 1562, Slutsk - 1795, Shklov - 2239.

In the Republic there are four companies providing mobile communication services: BelCel, Velcom, MTS, Life.

In order to obtain citizenship it is necessary to apply to the Consular Department of the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Russian Federation: 8 (495) 628-78-13

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Climate of Belarus

The climate is temperate continental, with mild and wet winters and warm summers . The average temperature of January ranges from +4 to -4 ° C in the south-west and south and to -4 ..- 8 ° C in the northeast. In winter, thaws are often involved.

The warmest time is from May to September, the average air temperature during this period ranges from +13 to +19 ° C. The warmest month is July, the coldest is January. Weather forecast in the cities of Belarus

Money

You can exchange currency in the offices of any banks or exchange offices, which can be found in all hotels, large stores and supermarkets. Credit card (Visa and MasterCard) can be paid in hotels, restaurants and shops. There are ATMs in all cities of Belarus.

Bank branches are open from 9:00 to 18:00 all days of the week, except Sundays. At the railway station and in the 24-hour shops, exchange offices also work 24 hours

On the question "Do I need to give tea in the country? "Can be answered with the classic phrase: gratuities are not necessary, but are welcomed . They usually make up 10% of the amount of the account . In some hotels in Minsk and other large cities, up to 5-15% of the cost of living for service is added to the account, at the same time tips are usually entered into the account on a separate line . If this is not done, it is recommended to give some amount (at own discretion) directly to the attendant staff . Porter and porter usually expect a tip of 1-2 USD, waiters will willingly take "on tea "5-10% of the amount of the account .

• Do I need to change money from Russia beforehand to change money

Transport

The most convenient way of traveling around Belarus is on a rented car. The roads are mostly maintained in good condition, there are no difficulties in reading road signs for obvious reasons, the traffic rules are identical to those in Russia.

The main types of intercity transport are trains and buses. The latter is faster and cheaper, but trains can offer more comfort. There are very few domestic flights in the country and they are very rare: one can get to the regional centers only once or twice a week by plane.

rental cars in Belarus

To rent a car, need a passport and international license. The driver must be at least 21 years old and have a driving experience of at least two years. Payment for rent can be made either in cash or by credit cards

The traffic in Belarus is right-hand, road signs and traffic rules of the international standard are used

Belorussia hotels

There is no need to count on luxurious "five" in Belarus, however, among the Minsk "triples" and "fours," as well as various "bezveszdnikov" outside it, it's easy to find a nice hotel with hospitable staff, which is quite capable of compensating for the absence of certain options. Bonnton hotels "with a history" like the Minsk "Minsk" in the country. See also the full list of hotels, resorts and hotels in Belarus

Shopping in Belarus

Most of the shops work from 9: 00-10: 00 to 20: 00-21: 00, supermarkets usually open somewhat longer - until 22: 00-23: 00, in addition, many small shops and stalls working around the clock .

Traditional national souvenirs: products from the Belarusian flax, re wood objects, wooden sculptures, straw products, works of Belarusian potters (vases, pots, funny figurines), beaded embroidery, Belarusian balm.

@ Cuisine and restaurants

Potatoes, mushrooms (of course, the correct, forest, and not different there mushrooms with oyster mushrooms) and pork - these are the "three whales" of Belarusian cooking. They are very fond of them and are trained with special skill in many combinations. The main dishes of the Belarusian national cuisine: thin cakes "re-press", "draniki" or "deruny" from flour and potatoes, special pancakes made from several types of flour, pea pancakes, dumplings with various fillings, "malt" (a kind of dish that is repeatedly heated and cooled Oprah)

From drinks we recommend try "krambambulu" - strong alcohol, nourishing on n yanostyah, "Krupnik" - a mixture of infusions of herbs, alcohol and honey. "Lazarus and teetotalers" will have to be satisfied with kvass from birch juice.

Tipping is optional, but welcome. Usually this is the traditional 10% of the amount of the account.

Treatment in Belarus

The resorts of Belarus are treated with a climate, mineral waters of four types and curative mud. The latter are presented in two variations: sapropel or mud mud of fresh lakes and peat. Rich in cellulose, acids and trace elements, they are used for the treatment of diseases of the joints, muscles and skin.

Local mineral waters treat diseases of the digestive system, biliary tract and liver, disorders of metabolism, as well as disorders of the peripheral nervous system, circulatory and respiratory organs .Some of the local waters are unique, others are identical in composition to those extracted from the wells of the Lithuanian resort of Druskininkai or the Ukrainian Truskavets .In the Belorussian Polissya there are hydrogen sulphide waters that are similar in composition to the Matsesta ones, and the natural radon waters of the country are similar to the Mironov and Khmelnytsky sources of Ukraine .

Most of the Belarusian sanatoriums are located in remote parts of the country, among parks and forests, on the shores of lakes and rivers. All of them are well equipped: there are equipment for aerotherapy, heliotherapy, thalassotherapy and others. The list of their medical procedures includes inhalations, medical massage, physical therapy, magnetotherapy and much more.

Entertainment, excursions and sights of Belarus

Little Belarus can boast of many attractions: both natural (there is a remarkable number of national parks in the country), and historical - castles, museums and architectural monuments.

Minsk region: the largest lake of the Republic of Naroch, the reserve "Blue Lakes", one of the oldest forests of Belarus - Nalibok, part of the Berezinsky Reserve .In the very city of Minsk, the corners of the Old Town are well preserved - the Trinity Suburb, the Upper Town, churches and churches .On the territory of the region is the ancient Zaslavl with the state historical and cultural reserve, Nesvizh with the famous Nesvizh castle, the Farny church with the burial vault of the princes Radziwills and other sights, the ethnographic complex "Dudutki" .

Brest region: national park Belovezhskaya Pushcha with rich flora and fauna. More than two thousand monuments of history, culture and architecture, the memorial complex "Brest Hero Fortress" have been preserved on the territory of the region.

Vitebsk region: national parks Braslav lakes and Berezinsky nature reserve. In addition, there are a number of national protected areas and more than 40 protected natural monuments, the oldest towns of Polotsk, Vitebsk and Orsha, more than 30 state museums and 42 palace and park estates in the region.

Gomel region: national park Pripyatsky and Polessky radiation-ecological reserve, Gomel palace and park ensemble Rumyantsev-Paskevich.

Grodno region: restored Novogrudok and Lida castles, interesting church-fortress in the village of Synkovichi. And the local Orthodox monastery Zhirovichy is one of the most important objects of pilgrimage and tourism, not only in the region, but in the whole country.

Mogilev region: ruins of monasteries of the 14th century in the vicinity of Mstislavl.

Popular excursions

A sightseeing bus tour of Minsk, Dudutki - an open-air museum, an excursion to the Khatyn Memorial Complex, an excursion to the ancient city of Zaslavl, an excursion to the Zaslavsky Historical and Architectural Reserve, a trip to the Raubichi sports complex .Excursion to architectural monuments of the World and Novogrudok, excursion "Mir - Nesvizh", trip to Zhirovichi monastery, excursion to the ancient city of Polotsk, excursion to the Berezinsky biosphere reserve ."Residence of Father Frost" in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, excursion "Architecture of Naliboksky Krai" (the route passes through the territory of Minsk and Grodno regions), an excursion to Brest and Brest Fortress .A trip to Grodno, a sightseeing tour around Vitebsk and its environs .

Photo of Belarus (285)