{"id":39917,"date":"2023-03-22T18:14:11","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T16:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/?post_type=country&p=39917"},"modified":"2024-09-30T14:22:22","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T12:22:22","slug":"belarus","status":"publish","type":"country","link":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/country\/belarus\/","title":{"rendered":"Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Belarus, one of the least visited countries in Europe, is a country full of surprises, bizarre places, and the country with the largest and most amazing Soviet Heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus is actually off the beaten track Europe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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need to know for traveling in Belarus<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Quick facts<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Capital:<\/strong> Minsk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Population: <\/strong>9.5 million (93rd)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Languages:<\/strong> Belarussian, Russian<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Area<\/strong>: 207,595km\u00b2 (84th largest country)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Visa<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Despite the Russian-Ukraine war, Belarus is open and a free 30-day visa is available on arrival, as long as you fly in & out from Minsk International Airport and present both valid travel insurance and proof of funds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you plan on overlanding, you’ll have to get your visa at the embassy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Get a VPN<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Because of the war, many sites and online services might be temporarily blocked in Belarus, so do use a VPN while you are there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will also have a safer connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GET ExpressVPN<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Travel Insurance<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

With all the current sanctions, IATI Insurance<\/a><\/strong> is one of the very few that covers travel in Belarus<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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GET A QUOTE<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Best time to visit<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If you are just planning to visit cities, Belarus is a year-round destination, as long as you wear warm clothes in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to visit the countryside or the northern forests and lakes, it is better to come outside of the winter months.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Money<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The official currency is Belarusian Ruble<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 USD = 2.50 BYR<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the Ukraine war, your debit card will still work in Belarus, unlike in Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budget: <\/strong>starting at $30 a day for budget backpackers; $50 if you stay in a budget private room. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Soviet stuff in Belarus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Belarus<\/picture><\/figure>
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Something you need to know about Belarus is that this is the most Soviet place that remains on Earth, more than Russia<\/a><\/strong> itself and more than any other former USSR country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, most of the places to visit in the country are closely related to Communism, Lenin, and the USSR in general, especially in Minsk.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Top experiences in Belarus<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Soviet Minsk<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most Soviet city in the world is filled with Stalinist buildings and loads of Communist-related stuff. Read my Minsk guide<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Stalin Line<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What used to be the border between USSR and Europe has now become an epic open-air museum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Castles<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus is also home to dreamy castles, which are UNESCO World Heritage sites.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Khatyn<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An old rural village once destroyed by the Nazis, today turned into a sobering, massive memorial.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Check our 1-week Belarus itinerary<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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tips for Belarus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Accommodation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In big cities such as Minsk or Brest, you will find many types of accommodation, including hostels, guest houses, and hotels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, booking.com<\/strong> and Hostelworld<\/strong> aren’t working anymore but you may find your hotels at local site Ostrovok<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Getting in<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Minsk has an international airport. Because of the sanctions, European airlines stopped flying there, but you can still fly in from Istanbul or Dubai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may use any of the land borders but it’s not very convenient because you’ll need to pre-arrange your visa at the embassy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Transportation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The classic Soviet train is the most convenient way to travel around the country. You can check timings on this link<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alternatively, you can also move around by marshrutka, which is slightly more expensive but they are particularly comfortable compared to other Soviet countries, plus they have Wi-Fi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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ALL MY ARTICLES ON BELARUS<\/h3>\n\n\n","protected":false},"featured_media":40822,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39917","country","type-country","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country\/39917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/country"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40822"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39917"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39917"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/againstthecompass.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}