Belarus - Valko-Venäjä

Belarus (Беларусь) is located In Europe. The country is said to be the last dictatorship in Europe.

Regions

Belarus has six regions (вобласць, voblast) and one Horad, the capital Minsk. The areas are further divided into districts, ie districts.

	Minsk region, with the country's capital (Horad) Minsk.
	Brest region, as the capital Brest (Бе́расьце, Брэст)
	Gomel region, as the capital Gomel (Го́мель), in Russian Gomel
	Vitsebsk region, as the capital Vitsebsk (Ві́цебск), in Russian Vitebsk
	Mahillou area, as the capital Mahiljou (Магілёў), in Russian Mogilev
	Grodno region, as the capital Hrodna (Гро́дна), in Russian Grodno, in Lithuanian Gardinas

Cities

• Minsk - the capital
• Gomel
• Mahiljou
• Vitsebsk
• Hrodna
• Brest
• Nesvizh
• Sharkovshchina

Other items

There are many historical sites and attractions in the capital of each province. The natural and cultural attractions on the UNESCO World Heritage List are well worth a visit.

• Mir Castle, Krasnoarmeyskaya 2, Mir. UNESCO site  

Understand

Belarus is a fascinating tourist country, offering something to see and experience for a lover of both history and modern urban culture. There has been a great deal of war in the country throughout history, and since the dust settled it has been reminiscent of several fortresses. The country is rich in history, interesting and very much reminiscent of 70's Finland. After all, the local leader, Lukashenko, is leading the country in a trivial way. His strengths in popularity, as in Kekkos's time, are his warm relations with his eastern neighbor and cheap energy from Russia. And they have a similar YYA agreement with Russia.

Nature is very similar to Finland. The biggest difference is the only European visents living near the Polish border, ie European bison.

Visa

A Belarusian visa is usually required to travel to Belarus. A Russian visa does not even entitle you to transit through the country.

Without a visa

From 9 February 2017, EU citizens will be able to enter Belarus without a visa if they enter the country by plane and the journey takes a maximum of 5 days.

Applying for a visa

For trips of more than 5 days, a basic tourist should obtain a 30-day single visa, which does not require a letter of invitation.

1. Fill in the applicationThe visa can be obtained from the Embassy of Belarus in Helsinki (see visa conditions, application template in Finnish and tariff. Be sure to also obtain a color photo that meets international visa standards. If your trip lasts more than 30 days, you will need a letter of invitation from someone living in the country. Otherwise, this document is not required for the visa application process.

2. Get health insurance in Belarus. The insurance is provided by Belarusian state insurance companies. Also approved by the Belarusian state insurance like for example. Latvian Baltics, Estonian Salva, Inges and BTA-Kindlustus are visiting.

3. Entry card.When you enter the country, you will receive an entry card to Belarus. Fill in the card carefully and make sure that the information you have filled in is consistent with the previous information. At your place of residence, go to the police station, where they will stamp the entry card [1]. Processing costs about a euro. Always have the documents with you when you are in the country, ie the Belarusian health insurance, the Belarusian visa passport and the entry card. At the latest on leaving the country at the European border, the border guards will check that all the documents have been in good condition while in the country.

Transit visa

In Belarus, it is also possible to pop in for a quick visit by acquiring the so-called a transit visa valid for 2 days. In addition, it is recommended that a transit visa leaves Belarus for a different neighboring country from a border crossing point where it has come from or at least a country that has crossed the border from a different border crossing point. However, for serious reasons, a transit visa can, for example, return exactly the same route back to what has come.

A transit visa is available from the Embassy of Belarus in Helsinki. A transit visa can also be obtained from Vilnius, Russia or Riga.

Come

By plane

The Finnish citizen has the easiest way to fly to Belarus, the local Belavia flies from Helsinki twice a week. At the International Minsk-2 At the airport, citizens of countries that do not have a Belarusian consulate or embassy can obtain a visa (a good option for Finns to obtain a visa).

Gomel (DATE: GME) and Minsk (DATE: MSQ) airports.

By train

You can easily get to Belarus from Finland St. Petersburg via train. There is a daily connection from St. Petersburg, e.g. Minsk, Vitebsk, Gomel and Brest. Trains to Belarus leave from Vitebsk station in St. Petersburg. However, train connections via Russia are expensive, as Russian and Belarusian visas must be obtained separately.

There are three different train routes from the Baltics to Belarus, which include several train changes and overnight stays. You can get from Estonia by train to Belarus by changing trains in Tartu, Valga and Riga. (See Estonian train timetables [2] and Latvian train timetables [3], [4].

By bus

A Finnish traveler can get directly from Tallinn to Minsk: [5] and [6]. Tickets must be ordered in advance, buses can be full.

Belarus can be reached by bus from all neighboring countries. Here are some tips for companies operating in the Baltic countries: Lux Express [7], Eurolines [8], Ecolines [9] and Bus Tours [10].

By road

Some of the current regulations:

• International driver's license recommended
• Green card for insurance required
• Maximum vehicle dimensions: height 4 m, width 2.5 m, maximum length of vehicle combination 24 m
• Seat belt use mandatory at the front and recommended at the rear
• Traffic fines must be paid on the spot, otherwise the driving license may be confiscated
• Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to travel in the front seat
• Warning triangle in the car mandatory
• The use of lights during the day is allowed, mandatory on the motorcycle
• Fire extinguisher in the car mandatory
• When using studded tires, the studded tire mark is mandatory on the windscreen -> triangular sticker or letter E on the back
• FIN sticker required
• Package of condoms (Belarus's own specialty)

Find out with your insurance company the coverage of your car insurance in Belarus and ask for the so-called Green card. On the website of the Car Association [11] there are also instructions for car drivers.

Transit fee

When coming to Belarus with your own car, the motorist is assumed to use exactly the same border crossing point on the return journey. If a motorist decides to use another border crossing point, he has to pay The Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Republic of Belarus to the administration "payment of duty for passing the public roads of the common usage of the Rebublic of Belarus by vehicles of foreign countries". The toll costs about 23 EUR. And payment can also be made in dollars or Russian rubles. Belarussian rubles DO NOT WORK.

By river boat

As incredible as it sounds, Belarus can also travel by ship. Cross-border river vessels depart from Daugavpils in Latvia and the Augustów Canal in Poland, where they depart from Grodno in Belarus and sail along the Neman River.

Move

By road

The road network in Belarus is sparse than average, but still comprehensive enough.

By train

Train timetables for Belarus can be found at: [12]. Enter departure from Откуда, arrival from Куда and Departure from Когда.

Talk

The official languages ​​of Belarus are Belarusian and Russian. In cities, the migrant population speaks mainly Russian, and in rural areas, the indigenous population speaks mainly Belarus. The ratio of languages ​​is the same as in Finland (between Finnish and Swedish), ie more than one language is spoken somewhere in the country. Russia gets along well all over the country, but most of the signs and signals are in Belarusian. The youth speaks some English. If you want to make a positive and lasting impact on the local population as a tourist, you should learn a word or two from Belarus.

The Tatars, one of the minorities in Belarus, use their own Kitabs writing system.

Buy

In 2016, a new Belarusian ruble (BYN) was introduced in the country, corresponding to the old ruble (BYR) in a ratio of 1: 10000. The prices quoted on wikis are mainly in the old ruble (BYR).

Price level

The price level in Belarus is low. The local population earns about $ 250 a month.

Currency exchange

It is not possible to change Belarusian rubles everywhere outside Belarus. The Belarusian ruble is exchanged in Finland, for example Tavex Oy and Forex.

Eat

Belarusians eat a lot of potatoes and pork.

Here are the Belarusian food recipes: [13]

• Hribnoy mushroom soup is really delicious and worth a try when visiting the country.
• Cutlet pokrestyansky is a pork cutlet with mushroom sauce. Really good, so it's worth trying.
• Draniki there are potato pancakes. This food is the traditional food of the country, so it is definitely worth a try.
• Kolduni is the same style as the Draniki, but it has meat inside and is in a bumpy shape.
• Kletsky dumplings filled with mushrooms, cheese or potatoes.

Juo

• Vodka The price of 0.75 liters of vodka is 4 €
• Beer Half a liter of beer costs 0.5 €
• Kvass is a non-alcoholic sweet beer type beverage made from malt
• Belovezhskaya is an herb-based beverage with about 40% alcohol.

Sleep

The hotel is the easiest and most expensive way to find a place to stay. Cheaper accommodation can be found in hostels.

The locals really have a lot of entrepreneurial spirit and renting an apartment is easy and inexpensive. Renting apartments with a day contract is really common and the locals do it e.g. on weekends when coming to dance in the center with a large group. You can find an apartment in Belarusrent [14] and Iz Ruk v Ruki [15]. The apartment rent is about $ 20-25 (furnished studio with kitchen or one bedroom), which can accommodate a larger group (two - four people). If you pay in euros then remember that the dollar is weaker. Note: If you call the Agency’s notice you will have to pay a complaint fee which after the bargain is about $ 15.

The lowest budget traveler can also look for a resting place from couch surfers [16].

Study

You can study in Belarus at a local university.

Work

The easiest way to earn a little extra knowledge in the country is to provide private instruction in English.

Stay safe

Belarus has been characterized The last dictatorship in Europe, there is no knowledge of human rights or freedom of expression. There is a lot of censorship of the media and the internet, and opponents of the government and the president have been arrested and convicted. There is no reason for a foreigner to talk about politics let alone criticize the country. Criticizing or questioning the government and the president are crimes under Belarusian law that can be shattered by several years of sentencing.

At ATMs, card PINs are spotted and copied a lot so consider twice before withdrawing money.

The Finnish Embassy in Belarus can be found in Lithuania: [17]

Before leaving for the trip, it is advisable to make a travel declaration to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: [18]

Stay healthy

In the spring of 1986 In Chernobyl there was a nuclear accident near the Belarusian border In Ukraine (formerly In the Soviet Union) and the greatest health risk for Belarusians. When traveling to the border area between countries, it is advisable to book a radiation meter and a trained guide who knows the places well.

Travelers to Belarus should make sure that the vaccinations are in order: diphtheria-tetanus and, if necessary, hepatitis A and B.

Respect

Keep in touch

Prepaid subscription

There are 3 major GSM operators in Belarus:

• MTS [19]
• Velcom [20]
• Life :)[21]

Each of them sells prepaid subscriptions and USB modems for the Internet. MTS, Velcom and Life have sales outlets in the largest regional centers in Belarus, such as Minsk, Brest and other provincial capitals. ATTENTION! A passport must be included when purchasing a prepaid subscription.

Internet cafes

At least every capital of the province (Mogilev, Grodno, Brest, Gomel, Vitebsk) today (2010) has at least one or more Internet cafes. More detailed information on addresses, etc. can be asked, for example, from tourist information, the town hall or telephone operators. ATTENTION! A passport must be included when booking the machine.

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