It's time for vacations and many tend to drive their car not only to relax outside the city, but also to the sea or to go fishing, but we went on a car trip around Belarus.

Traveling by car always captures me, it's new experiences, adventures. In this post I will try to tell you about the trip I like to travel by car. I can control the departure time, stops and route myself, I don’t worry about the number of things I take with me))

Preparation

Then there was the issue of insurance. To visit European countries by car, including the territory of Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, you need a green card. This is such an insurance policy (something like our OSAGO). If you drive on the territory of Belarus by car without a local OSAGO or a green card, this may entail administrative liability in the form of a fine. The cost of insurance on the territory of Belarus in Belarusian insurance companies is slightly higher than in Russia, so it is wiser to issue a green card for a car in advance before crossing the border.

Before, I always applied to the Soglasie insurance company, but this time there were no forms, I had to go to Reso-Garantia and draw it up there. The minimum validity period of the policy is 15 days, it will not be possible to issue a shorter period. I bought insurance for a period of one month. Since the cost in all Russian Green Card insurance companies is the same, it does not make sense to waste time stopping to study this issue. It cost me 940 rubles (in 2011, insurance cost 640 rubles).

Then there was the issue of children. How to entertain them while driving? They took a bunch of gadgets on the trip that brightened up their trip. Juices, water, apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, smoked sausage were taken from food for the journey. The products were in a car cooler bag.

I recommend taking more water. For personal hygiene, wet wipes, napkins were needed. The adult daughter was driving with a seat belt (FEST), and the youngest was in a car seat.

Route

It was necessary to go along the following route - Cheboksary-Yadrin-Vorotynets-Nizhny Novgorod-Vladimir-Vyazniki-Noginsk-Zhukovs cue-Moscow (MKAD)-Kubinka-Vyazma-Safonovo-Yartsevo-Sm olensk-Arkhipovka-Belarusian border-Vitebsk-Shumilino-Polotsk -Deep.

The road from Cheboksary to Zhukovsky took 10 hours. Having left on July 7 at 7.20 in the morning, at 17.24 we were already in place. There is nothing special to say about the road, in many places repairs are being made and from time to time you have to drag yourself behind the trucks. We drove 663 km., The total fuel consumption was 34 liters.

After spending the night, at 9.35 on July 8 we left Zhukovsky. We had to get to the Moscow Ring Road-South and get to the Mozhayskoye highway (on the M1 highway). Before leaving, I specifically looked at Yandex traffic jams with the hope of their absence. Unfortunately, there were a lot of traffic jams ((I even had to go in second gear at a speed of 12 km / h in some places

In general, we got to Mozhayskoye highway two hours later)) Further, Mozhayskoye highway merges with the M1 highway, which is the fastest way to get to Minsk. We keep the course straight.

The road to Minsk is easy, no one should have difficulty in overcoming it. Minsk highway is considered one of the best federal highways. Good road surface and several lanes in one direction. There are few such tracks in Russia, and driving is a pleasure.

On such a road, you want to "sink" to the fullest. But be careful, because. There are cameras everywhere on the track. There are a lot of them there, the main cluster of cameras - in the Moscow region, in the Smolensk region there are much fewer of them. But there are some scams out there, so be careful.

The border between Russia and Belarus as such does not exist (after all, the Union State). You can guess that you are leaving Russia and entering the territory of Belarus by road signs.

Only trucks are stopped for inspection. A foreign passport and / or a visa to enter the Republic of Belarus is not required. You will only need to have a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation with you. The same goes for a driver's license.

From the border with Russia we go 320 km. The roads are good, from time to time I tried to accelerate, not paying attention to the radars (I hope that they do not yet have a single traffic police base). In the event that there were ambush DAI (analogous to our traffic police), oncoming cars honked their headlights. The last kilometers were the hardest.

Four hours later we were at home.

Statistics

Of all the countries of the former USSR, it is easiest to get to Belarus by car. Although the path from Moscow to Minsk is not close, 720 kilometers, it can be overcome very quickly with full observance of the speed limit, in just eight hours.

Even at five in the morning, a small traffic jam had already formed at the exit from Moscow for 10 minutes due to road repairs. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

There are a lot of photo and video cameras along the way, both from the Russian and Belarusian sides. The local traffic police does not forgive violators. Exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 km / h can cost up to 7,000 rubles. And this is not the most severe punishment. For a repeated violation, you will have to part with the rights for a period of up to a year.

Roads in Belarus are of better quality than Russian ones and are not as busy. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

There is no need to prepare for crossing the border, because, by and large, there is none. All preparation consists only in buying a "Green Card" - a compulsory car insurance policy for traveling abroad. If you travel only in Belarus, the cost of the document will be only about 900 rubles. It is almost impossible to forget about this nuance - along the road, starting from Smolensk, there are constantly kiosks with huge signs "Green Card". In order not to waste time on the road, it is better to arrange everything in advance.

Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

Directly at the border, customs officers can selectively stop cars to check documents, but this, in any case, does not take time. Giant traffic jams and queues should not be expected even on holidays. The quality of the road is excellent almost all the way, except for a couple of repaired sections with two lanes for traffic in each direction. The Belarusian part of the route is better in every sense and not only in terms of the quality of the coverage. Firstly, the speed limit is higher here - 120 against Russian 90 km / h. Secondly, the highway never passes through settlements, so you can drive all the way from the border to Minsk without changing your speed at all.

However, on long holiday weekends, it is better to leave Moscow in advance. Although leaving at five in the morning on a weekend or on the night from Friday to Saturday, few people can please, but even half an hour of delay will affect the total time on the road. In addition to the traditional traffic from summer residents and other vacationers, the situation is aggravated by repairs in the Minsk direction in the Kubinka area. At 7-11 in the morning on the way from Moscow and at 19-22 when returning back, you can lose more than an hour here. As an option, go around Novorizhskoe highway and Ruza.

If you want to visit Brest, you can spend the night in one of the park hotels with private parking near the city. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

It is better to refuel up to the border "to the eyeballs", because in Belarus gasoline is on average 3-4 rubles more expensive per liter. Savings are not significant, but nonetheless. Taking into account the trip to Brest and the outskirts of Minsk, with an average fuel consumption on our Suzuki Vitara of 7.8 liters per hundred, 7,500 rubles were spent on gasoline. Even if you go not with a company, but at least together, it will turn out to be significantly cheaper than by any other mode of transport.

It is worth taking care immediately upon entering Belarus of the local currency. There are a couple of exchange offices just a few kilometers after the border. If you miss them, there will be nowhere to change money until Minsk itself. However, there is still no problem. In Belarus, and in the most shabby roadside cafes, where it’s scary just to be, they accept bank cards.

Mir Castle. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

Nesvizh Castle. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

You can see a lot in three days. Mir and Nesvizh castles with picturesque parks and the Dudutki museum complex are located very close to the capital, it will take no more than an hour to get there. In Minsk itself, getting around by car is not difficult. The avenues are wide, the interchanges are simple, and there are few cars. And the main attractions are concentrated in the city center. You can leave your car and take a taxi — given the small area of ​​Minsk, almost any trip will cost no more than 500 rubles.

In the center of Minsk there are many hotels with free guarded parking lots. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

Single rooms in three-star hotels on holidays cost an average of 2.5 thousand rubles. It’s convenient to rent an apartment for a company – it’s even cheaper for one person. And, of course, there is no limit to perfection.

In cafes and restaurants, Russians will feel like millionaires. True, we must also try to dine for more than a million Belarusian rubles. Food in Minsk and during the influx of tourists is inexpensive. Without denying yourself anything, in restaurants, most likely, you won’t leave more than 2,500 rubles a day.

Brest Fortress. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

As for the upcoming Victory Day, events in Minsk in the Stalin Line complex will last from May 7 to 9. You can see the reconstruction of the battle for Berlin. Fireworks will take place on the day of the holiday at 22:00. The concert program, which also ends with fireworks, will also be held in the Brest Fortress. However, only residents of neighboring regions will be able to stay for the celebrations in Brest and return to the working day. The way back to Moscow is more than 1000 kilometers, which, despite the good road, will take a lot of time and effort.

It is an amazing fact that the sights of Belarus a month ago were not even considered in my life rhythm, and I did not even think about an independent trip by car around Belarus to its monuments and interesting places.

But the circumstances so developed that in early April I decided to go for the weekend to Minsk, the capital of Belarus on. And already in the process of preparing for this trip, an idea came up about the sights of Belarus, and about the possibility of a car trip around this country.

Suddenly, school memories of the beauties of Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the legendary Brest Fortress surfaced in my memory. After analyzing the Minsk-Brest route, I found many more interesting places that could also be easily seen along the way by car.

This is how my excursion route gradually developed, in which in just one week I managed to visit many amazing historical and modern places, walk through ancient parks and climb narrow stone stairs in the ancient towers of knight's castles, see many unusual representatives of the animal world and even meet with a fairy tale in the face of such an unusual character as Santa Claus! 🙂

Well, now about everything in order ... To learn more about any excursion or tourist site, you can follow the link.

It was in the spring. Nature gradually came to its senses after a winter sleepy state. In the suburbs, on a gloomy early April morning, it was raining. The airfield of Vnukovo airport and the planes weeping on it also looked sad.

Flight UT835 on the Moscow-Minsk route from UTair departed as scheduled. At 10 o'clock in the morning we boarded a small plane. Outside the windows, the Moscow morning was still frowning, and in my soul, oddly enough, it was sunny and a little exciting in front of the unknown.

This always happens at the very beginning of the trip. And this is the feeling that, probably, so attracts to itself in every journey.

The flight lasted only 1 hour 20 minutes, and I took up a more detailed study of the details of the preliminary route of my independent trip. Initial actions, such as transfer from the airport, renting an apartment in Minsk, booking a car, I carried out at home. But the whole excursion program was not yet completely thought out.

What can you see in Belarus by car? Before me were interesting sights of Belarus and the general direction where I would like to go. And where I would stop, how long it would take to inspect each object, what day I would be in what place - it was still very foggy.

Day 1-4. Hello Minsk city

First Impressions

And now I'm already there, at the international airport of the Belarusian capital, in Minsk. It is also cloudy here, but dry and warmer.

First of all, I decide to acquire local currency. Money in Belarus is generally a special conversation. Getting full-fledged millions for your Russian rubles ... that's cool! You immediately feel like if not a Rockefeller, then at least his relative. 😀

Having given 10 thousand Russian rubles, I received almost 3 million Belarusian rubles in return.

It turned out that this is a very pleasant experience - "rustling" millions. 😆

It's good to have friends! Especially in the places where you plan to visit. My old friend met me at the airport and very quickly took me to the capital, telling me about the main subtleties and secrets of Belarusian life as well as any guide. 🙂

The first impression from the view outside the windows is amazing cleanliness! And this despite the fact that here, too, is still the off-season, that is, fresh grass does not close the winter debris. There is simply nothing to hide here. In contrast to the Russian routes - it looks amazing!

We got to Minsk very comfortably, and I went to meet the owner of my rented apartment. A little more about renting a house and a car, as well as traveling by public transport and taxis, I will tell at the end of this article.

I spent the first 4 days in Minsk: 2 of them were mainly devoted to learning, and the rest of the time I just walked around the city. She came to the apartment in the evening, only to spend the night. I wanted to see so many things that I said to myself: “I will have a rest at home.”

Now let's move on to the sights. In addition, all of them are indicated on the map at the bottom of this article, it will be easier to navigate what and where is located and how easier it is to get to each attraction.

And I will start my review of the trip with a trip to.

City walks

Independence of Belarus

Perhaps it would be more logical to start it from the main square of the city - Independence Square (or, as it is funnyly called in Belarusian, Nezalezhnosti). What a beauty around!

Over the entire long history, the square has changed its name 14 times. Until 1991, it was, like all central city squares, Lenin Square. Now, decorated with fountains, it attracts the attention of tourists with its unique beauty. And the locals like to take a walk here in the evening, when the lights turn on, and the square is illuminated with delightful light.

A huge shopping center with a parking lot has been built underground here. Independence Square gives rise to Independence Avenue, which runs almost through the entire city. Here is the main building of the country - the Government House.

The first Belarusian skyscraper is how Minsk residents proudly and respectfully call this building. There is still a seven-meter monument to V.I. Lenin in front of the entrance. During the war years, the monument was destroyed, but after the capitulation of the Germans, it was quickly restored. And the building itself, as well as the nearby Catholic Church of Saints Simon and Helena, became one of the few buildings that survived the war years without much damage.

Catholic church with a sad history

Nearby stands the Church of Saints Simeon and Helena, built entirely of red brick.

In memory of two children who died early from illness, it was built with their own money by inconsolable parents - Edward and Olimpia Voinilovichi. Once Elena saw this beautiful building in a dream, and in the morning she painted it. And now it is rightfully considered one of the decorations of the Belarusian capital.

If you're nearby, be sure to go inside. It is very beautiful and a little mysterious here. Beautiful sculptures, bronze details of the temple, superbly painted walls and vaults, amazing stained glass windows - all this creates a solemn atmosphere. And in combination with organ music, one of the oldest in Europe, it is simply an amazing experience.

The temple contains one of the seven copies of the Shroud of Turin. An extensive library of old books has been collected. The ashes of the founder of the church, Edward Voynilovich, are also buried here. Right at the entrance there is a statue where the Archangel Michael, the patron saint of Belarus, pierces the winged serpent of darkness with his sword.

Right there, very close by, is another monument "The Bell of Nagasaki", it was erected in memory of those who died in nuclear disasters. Very dramatic!

Belarusian Bastille

Now it carries out the death penalty for criminals - execution. Quite unusual: a shooting in the center of a metropolis... though! “Crosses” in St. Petersburg, Lubyanka with its cellars in the center of Moscow…

fertile place

Next, your attention will undoubtedly be attracted by the white stone.

This majestic building was originally built as a Catholic church. But over time, after a small repair, it became Orthodox. In addition to other Orthodox shrines, the icon of the Mother of God, now called Minsk, is kept in the cathedral.

It was once written by the holy apostle Luke. Many events happened in the life of the icon, she visited many churches. According to legend, she sailed to Minsk along the Svisloch River and was placed, not immediately of course, in the Holy Spirit Cathedral. And now this miraculous Image helps everyone who turns to him for help in difficult life situations.

And so I went to the embankment of the jumper (this is how the word “beauty” will sound in Belarusian) Svisloch! How beautiful it is here!

The birds are singing, the sun is shining, making the water surface shimmer with all the colors of the rainbow. Gulls fly and cry, ducks swim near the shore. If you have a desire and a bun in your purse, then you can feed them, then they will swim closer.

Beautiful weather and, which is immediately very noticeable, perfect cleanliness and order around! And not only here! It is immediately clear that the janitors are conscientiously doing their job, and Minsk residents, of course, care about the cleanliness of their hometown. Well done!

Blessed memory of the heroes!

A small figured bridge leads to an artificial island located not far from the shore. A monument to soldiers who died on the battlefields has recently been opened here. At first, this monument was conceived as a tribute to those who died in Afghanistan.

But, unfortunately, there were many more terrible events in the world where Belarusian soldiers took part. This monument is dedicated to all of them.

The figurine of a small Weeping Angel, who cries inconsolably for those who died, who could not return to their beloved and loving wife, mother or bride, is very touchingly made.

Trinity suburb - history and legends

Directly opposite is a very beautiful place in which the spirit of old Minsk is still preserved. This Trinity Suburb is the historical center of the city.

There are a lot of benches to sit, breathe fresh air and a large number of all kinds of cafes and restaurants. And yet such beauty is hidden in the greenery of trees.

"Girl with an owl" is considered a symbol of the Trinity suburb. The girl is holding an owl, and she herself is standing on a branch of a flowering fern, a lizard is sitting near her feet. The whole sculpture is located on a large stone, and two more lie nearby. There are only three - a place called Troitskoye.

According to the existing legend, it is at this place that every poet or artist must make a choice for himself what is more important to him:

• girl personifying the muse;
• the owl is a symbol of wisdom;
• flowering branch - a symbol of glory;
• the lizard is a symbol of wealth.

What choice would you make?

And here's another ... The first public toilet of the city is located very close. Yes, yes, sorry. I will now tell you what it attracts special attention. According to the existing legend, in 1912 a very famous architect Senkevich built a palace for a noble count. But he refused to pay, and did not pay a penny for the work.

Then the angry architect decided to take revenge on the greedy count and built a public toilet in Alexander Square with his own money. An exact reduced copy of the same castle. Now in this small house they sell tickets to the Yanka Kupala Theater. But from 1912 to 2012 - exactly one hundred years - it was used for its original purpose.

The pride of contemporaries is the Belarusian “Diamond of Knowledge”

Of course, I really wanted to take a closer look at the famous National Library of Belarus. I was very interested in this unusual structure.

Indeed, the shape of the library building resembles a cut diamond. The “Diamond of Knowledge”, as the Belarusians also call it, contains 9 million book volumes. This unique building is equipped with the latest technology.

For children there is a playroom, and for adults there is a special room for relaxation, there are gyms, a cafe and a restaurant.

An observation deck is equipped at a height of 73 meters, from where you can admire the beautiful views of Minsk.

In the evening, the backlight turns on, and the facade of the building turns into a huge multi-colored screen. The spectacle is amazing!

Day 5. On the way to Brest

My training is over, and the main sights of Minsk have been studied. Now you can safely go for new adventures! The issue with the car rental was resolved very successfully the day before, and it is waiting for me under the windows of my rented apartment.

Details about renting housing, cars and other necessary things, I will tell at the end of the article.

In the morning, having collected things, throwing a farewell glance at the awakening Minsk

and saying goodbye to the hostess, I leave Minsk on a rented car in the direction of Brest. The main goal of today is Belovezhskaya Pushcha, about which so much has been heard over the years of life in the Soviet Union.

And just now my old dream of walking through the protected forest, looking at live bison is starting to come true. I described my route in more detail in.

In total for today I have driven 447 kilometers. And here are the sights that we managed to look at along the way.

Nesvizh - the patrimony of the Radziwills

Nesvizh Castle

Moving along an excellent highway, I turn to Nesvizh, about which many reviews have been read.

And now, having overcome 120 km from Minsk, I am on the spot. In the city, I am met by beautiful swans and the striking of the clock on the city tower in the city center. Every 15 minutes they remind you of the past tense.

The small town of Nesvizh has been known for a very long time. But it began to develop especially rapidly when it began to belong in 1533 to Jan Radziwill, a representative of the majestic, influential and very wealthy family of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

For centuries, the Radziwills owned vast lands, they owned towns and cities. Kings without a crown - that's what their compatriots called them.

Indeed, the Radziwills occupied the highest state and military positions. The opinion of the representatives of this clan influenced the fate of the entire state. And their untold wealth would be the envy of the king himself.

4 parks surround the Nesvizh Castle of the Radziwills. And each has its own history, its own, in a special way, decorated territory, its own monuments, original sculptures, its own legends.

So I took a walk in these parks.

Very beautiful, young leaves bloom on the trees, the birds sing.

But cold…

Brest Fortress - Citadel of Courage

On June 22, 1941, the soldiers of the Brest Fortress were the first to come under fire from the Nazis and for more than a month, completely surrounded, without food and water, without medicines and ammunition, held the line, not letting the Nazis go further.

After the war, the fortress was not fully restored. For an eternal reminder to the descendants of the feat of the defenders of the Motherland, a whole memorial complex was created here, and the Eternal Flame burns without fading.

On November 3-4, 2016, the memorial complex celebrated memorable dates. The Defense Museum is 60 years old! And the State Institution Memorial Complex “Brest Fortress-Hero! — 45!

Brest is a city of unusual museums

And about 900 species of plants grow in the reserve, including rare and endangered species. Some trees are over 500 years old. 227 species of birds delight visitors with their beauty and iridescent singing.

But the biggest pride of Bialowieza is the bison living here.

Today, there is the largest population of these forest giants in Europe. And, among other things, I was surprised by the fantastically clean air in Pushcha. I have not seen such an amount of oxygen anywhere else! Just a fairy tale!

Belarusian Father Frost lives here

By the way, there is a fairy tale here too! Believe it or not, but here, in Belovezhskaya Pushcha, in his wonderful residence, Father Frost lives and gladly receives numerous guests with his assistants.

The estate of a good wizard includes the owner's own house with workshops where gifts are made; the house where the Snow Maiden lives; a magic well that grants wishes; a windmill that grinds everything bad, sculptural figures of heroes of favorite fairy tales and much, much more.

At any time of the year, guests are absolutely always welcome here. Previously, an incomparable spruce grew here for more than 120 years. Its height was 40 meters. Unfortunately, she died a few years ago. But a new young beauty has been planted in its place. Children and adults are happy to dance around her.

In the residence of Father Frost, you can take part in funny games and contests, taste the most delicious potato pancakes and other national dishes.

You definitely won't be bored! So if you're in the area, be sure to check it out! Santa Claus lives about 10 km from the main entrance to the reserved forest!

The way of the Belarusian family in the museum of the village of Pererov

The Museum of Folk Life and Ancient Technologies is another interesting place that I managed to visit here. It is located in the village of Pererov. This museum complex was created on the basis of an old manor of the 19th century, which was restored in the spirit of that time and filled with things that no rural family could do without.

Every corner of the house used to have its own purpose. Be sure to have icons in the house - the image of the Savior and the image of the Virgin. Each member of the family had their own rights and obligations. Men and women have their own trades. For example, in a museum, your attention will be drawn to an old loom for weaving. This art is currently included in the list of intangible cultural heritage of Belarus.

And here you will be treated to the most real moonshine. This is one of the few places in Belarus where moonshine is officially allowed, and there is a license for the moonshine still installed here.

Here you will learn about all this, about the traditions and customs of our ancestors.

Day 8. Belovezhskaya Pushcha - Kossovo - Ruzhany - Synkovichi - Zhirovichi - Baranovichi

So the time has come for my departure from the amazing nature reserve. Belovezhskaya Pushcha did not disappoint, but, on the contrary, fascinated me even more. And now I want to go back there even more.

Well, my path now lies in the direction of Minsk. But on the way, Belarus prepared many more sights for me. These are amazing and Orthodox shrines. It is difficult to do everything in one day, so I plan to stretch my road to the capital for 2 days.

During this day, I traveled 389 km from Belovezhskaya Pushcha to the place of my overnight stay in the city of Baranovichi.

Kossovsky Palace "Knight's Dreams"

And in Kosovo there is a castle that once belonged to the magnates Puslovsky. For its luxurious interior decoration and external grandeur, it was called the "Knight's Dream".

The palace had some features that made it inimitable and unique. For example, in the Main Hall the floor was made of glass. And you could see fish swimming under it. Under the floor was a huge aquarium.

A lion lived in the castle. At night, the owners released him, and he freely moved throughout the palace.

Throughout its history, the castle has been destroyed and rebuilt several times. He received very severe damage in a multi-day fire during the Great Patriotic War. It is currently under renovation and is scheduled to be completed in 2018. But even now!

Directly opposite, on the shore of the lake is the estate of Tadeusz Kosciuszko - the national hero of the four countries he visited: Belarus, Poland, Lithuania and the USA, and also an honorary citizen of France. Now he would be called a professional revolutionary. The house in which he was born and lived for some time has been made into a museum of the hero.

This is a two-storey house with 8 rooms. Near the house there is a huge stone with a commemorative plaque in honor of Tadeusz Kosciuszko. The museum contains items found during excavations at this site, which once belonged to the Kosciuszko family.

A collection of stamps dedicated to Tadeusz, a copy of his saber and other valuables. Here you can buy souvenirs, participate in various events and ... get married. Yes, now you can officially register a marriage here.

By the way, this place is amazing! Welcome to visit .

Ruzhany and its castle-fortress

And here is the town of Ruzhany, known since the 15th century. In 1598, it was bought by the famous politician, the creator of the Statute - the code of laws of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - Lev Sapega. He built a grandiose palace here, which combined elements of a fortress and a luxurious castle.

The entire treasury of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the weapons arsenal, documents of state importance, food supplies and barrels of wine were stored in the huge cellars of the palace.

Many times the castle was rebuilt and changed owners. At one time, the pride of the palace was the presence of a theater within its walls. The theater troupe consisted of 60 actors and 40 musicians. The theater productions were famous all over Europe. Noble guests were often received in the palace: kings, ambassadors of distant countries and other celebrities. According to legend, there was an underground passage that connected Ruzhany Castle and Kossovsky.

Zhirovichi Monastery

For more than 500 years, the Holy Assumption Monastery in Zhirovichi has existed. And his story began with a small icon on a stone, which is currently one of the most revered in the world of Orthodoxy.

According to legend, once upon a time, shepherds saw an unusual radiance in the crown of trees. It was a small Image of the Mother of God, which the shepherds took to the owner of the land. A little later, a temple was built on this site. Thus began the history of the monastery.

Today it is a whole architectural complex, famous not only in Belarus, but also far beyond its borders. Never, in its entire long history, the temple has closed its doors to pilgrims.

Now the complex combines, 2 churches, a bell tower, the Theological Academy and Seminary and other buildings adjacent to them. The House of the Pilgrim was also built, where people who come to pray to the miraculous icon can, if necessary, rest and spend the night.

Well, my overnight stay is planned in the city of Borovichi, where I booked an apartment. Tomorrow I will continue my route with renewed vigor.

Day 9. Mir Castle - history and modernity

Mir Castle, built in the 16th century, rises in the Grodno region of Belarus.

The construction was started by a wealthy landowner Yuri Ilyinich. But after his death, 4 of his sons also did not live long. One was poisoned, the other died of an illness - so the Ilyinich family died out. And the Radziwills began to own the castle. But they, after a while, sold it. The last owner of the castle died in 1938, and since then it has been in a state of neglect.

A whole trail of fantastic legends and scary stories envelops the beautiful castle. This is also a legend about a stone that looks like a ram's head, which, according to some laws of magic, is called upon to protect the castle and its owners; a story about a cut down garden and a brutal reprisal for it; ghost stories, yes, there are more than one; and of course about the countless treasures hidden somewhere here. There is such a mysterious place in Belarus.

Dudutki - is it from the word "dutki"?

In the afternoon, I part with the car that I rented and which for a whole week was my faithful assistant. Therefore, I am going on the next excursion as part of a tourist group.

While our bus is driving to the museum complex, the guide talks about Minsk and other sights of Belarus. How interesting it is to listen to him now, when I have just visited many objects personally, and the impressions are still so fresh! I am happy to immerse myself in my memories of an independent trip.

The Dudutki Museum Complex is located 40 km from Minsk, in the Pukhovichi district. Here you can get acquainted with the crafts of our ancestors, try dishes according to old recipes, ride horses and even fly on an airplane.

So much is presented here that in 2 hours, allotted to us by the guide, it is impossible to do everything! Read on for details on how you can have fun at.

So the time that I could devote to a trip around Belarus ended. It's time to go home. It's a bit of a pity, I would like to stay here for a few more days - there are so many more interesting things to see! But after all, nothing prevents me from coming here again, and maybe not alone.

What passport do you need

Do I need a passport to travel to Belarus? This is the first question that, for sure, is asked by everyone who plans to visit Belarus for the first time.

The very good news is that Russians do not need a foreign passport to enter Belarus. Enough Russian. A visa is also not needed when crossing the border, even a stamp is not put in the passport.

The only important point. If you issue tickets, for example, for an airplane, and indicate the data of a foreign document, then in this case you will need to present it when boarding. If the data is indicated from a Russian passport, then other identity documents will not be required for Russian citizens.

And for citizens of other countries, a visa can be obtained directly at the National Airport of Minsk, after sending your documents here. But, of course, it is better to clarify all these questions in advance.

Where and how to rent a house in Belarus

It turned out that renting an apartment in Minsk is very simple. Through you can book a room in numerous hotels, and on the service you can choose accommodation in any area of ​​the city. By the way, it turns out much cheaper than a hotel room. And if you travel not alone, but in a company, then the benefit is very significant.

I rented a very comfortable apartment in Minsk near the metro.

From here it was possible to get to any point of the city by any means of transport, and in 20 minutes walk to the center. Hotels in this area were much more expensive.

But, having returned back to Minsk from my car trip, I booked the hotel "". It was located far from the center, but its location and cost suited me quite well, since I could easily move around in a rented car.

In other cities of Belarus, you can also rent a house, but here the choice will be smaller. Here is my apartment in the city of Baranovichi.

I liked its location: close to the highway. It was very convenient to spend the night and hit the road again in the morning.

I wrote in detail about the amazing hotel complex on the territory of Belovezhskaya Pushcha.

Transport in Minsk

Transport links in the capital of Belarus are excellent. Buses and trolleybuses, numerous minibuses run around the city. There is also intercity communication. But I had no “communication” with this type of transport.

I enjoyed using the metro, which was the easiest way to get to any desired point in the city.

For a tourist who has got into the Belarusian subway for the first time, it is very easy to navigate: there are only 2 branches: red and blue. All stations are quite clearly called, although they are written in the local language.

It is also very convenient to use a taxi. They work according to the meter, and if you go for short distances, you get 1 trip around the city within 200-300 Russian rubles.

I also booked a return transfer to the airport. In this case, the taxi cost me 390,000 Belarusian rubles. (this is 1320 Russian rubles or $20)

You can get to the Minsk National Airport and back more budget by train (for only 25,000 Belarusian rubles). This is what the poster says.

In this case, you arrive from the airport to the Minsk railway station, from where you can already get to the desired place in the city by public transport. The big disadvantage is that these trains run infrequently.

Car rental in Minsk

Of course, it is most convenient to travel by car, and in Minsk you can easily rent a car for any convenient period. Having studied the prices in different rental offices, I settled on a company with an optimistic name: Maya the Bee.

Why car rental is called so unusual, it turned out later when I signed the lease. It turned out that this office was registered at the IP Pchelka Denis Viktorovich. These are the positive surnames in Belarus. 🙂

To get a car, it is enough to have a driver's license, make a copy of a Russian passport, and sign an agreement! Yes, and do not forget, of course, to pay! But not only the amount specified in the contract. There is also an additional deposit, which in my case amounted to 10,000 Russian rubles (it was returned at the end of the lease).

And here are the keys to the silver Peugeot 206 in my hands.

When renting a car, there were some surprises: the condition was to drive no more than 350 km per day. First time I hear this! Well, okay, I was, in general, satisfied. I don't get that far in a week. After all, the longest distances are from Minsk to Brest and back, all other sights can be seen along the way, only briefly deviating from the main route.

If, as a result, it would not be possible to meet these limits, then you would have to pay extra $ 10 for every extra 350 km per day.

The cost of the 95th gasoline in the country, on average, amounted to 40 Russian rubles per 1 liter ($0.6).

There was also unexpected news about the terms of the lease, which I had not encountered before when booking a car abroad.

It turns out that the car must be returned perfectly clean or you will have to pay extra $ 25 to the rental price. Fortunately, there was a car wash near the hotel where I lived the last few days. And for $ 5 there the car was perfectly washed. 🙂

How much does a vacation cost (results and prices)

This time, according to my subjective feelings, the total cost of the trip was quite high. No, prices in Belarus are quite acceptable, and in some places even lower than European ones, and even more so Russian ones. It's just that this time I traveled alone, so all the costs were solely at my expense.

Indeed, for example, accommodation and car rental cost almost the same: for one, for two people. And the costs in the 2nd case are easily divided in half.

Here is what I got for 10 days of my stay in Belarus (I give prices in Russian rubles):

Accommodation:

1. Apartment in Minsk for 4 nights 6 560 rubles (1640 rubles for 1 night);
2. for 3 nights 3 770 rub. (1260 rubles for 1 night);
3. Apartment in Baranavichy for 1 night 1,300 rubles;
4. for 2 nights 3,100 rubles (1,550 rubles for 1 night).

In Belarus, in any city there is a huge number of a wide variety of housing options. It is very easy to rent an apartment or a room on the service, or through booking a hotel.

Transport:

1. Air tickets Moscow-Minsk-Moscow - 8,980 rubles;
2. Car rental for 6 days 12,900 rubles (2,150 rubles for 1 day);
3. Gasoline 3,700 rubles.

The length of my route by car was (total mileage) 1400 km, 90 liters of gasoline were spent.

Excursion program:

1. Entrance tickets to all attractions cost me 1620 rubles.
2. Booked excursions, including audio guides - 4320 rubles.

And here are the results:

Money has come and gone, they are no longer remembered. And here are the impressions of a great time spent! And after all, this is the most important thing, why people seek to travel! 🙂

The map below shows all the sights of Belarus, where I managed to visit. You can see more about each of them.

Good day! We just returned from a short trip yesterday. We had an autumn trip to Belarus, and spontaneously and not planned. The thing is that my friend Natalya came to Moscow on vacation and offered to go somewhere together. Well, I don’t need to beg for a long time for such a thing, so we decided together that we would go to Belarus. Back in the spring, I thought about going there for the May holidays, but that time it didn’t work out. In general, a week later we were sitting on the train St. Petersburg - Minsk and were going towards new impressions.

What you need to know before traveling to Belarus

1. Documentation. You can safely travel to Belarus with a Russian passport for adults and a Russian birth certificate for a minor child. If for some reason these documents cannot be used, then international passports will do. But pay attention, if plane or train tickets are bought on a Russian passport, then you will have to go with it.

2. Visa. A visa to Belarus is not required for Russians. In general, no further actions were taken with our documents after checking the documents when boarding the train. When crossing the border, the border guards did not bother us. To be honest, we did not understand when we crossed this very border 🙂

3. Insurance. It is up to you whether or not to make insurance for a trip to Belarus, this is not a mandatory item. But in general, travel insurance is a necessary thing. We usually take insurance for, because you don’t have to go anywhere, and you can compare the rates of different insurance companies and buy a policy online.

4. Housing. As you understand, when crossing the border, no one thinks to check if you have a booked hotel or something like that. Accordingly, to book accommodation or not, at your own peril and risk. We booked accommodation in advance, an apartment in Minsk on Airbnb.ru, and an apartment in Brest on Booking.com

5. Internet. Since you are traveling abroad, do not forget to enable roaming. First, to connect to free Wi-Fi networks, you will need to enter your phone number, which will receive an SMS with a code that you will need to enter. If you need Internet anywhere, it makes sense to connect a local SIM card. For foreign citizens without registration, only guest tariff plans are available. Personally, we chose the tariff plan "3G life:) Modem", it includes 9 GB of Internet operating throughout the country. To call, it is enough to throw a small amount, literally for a couple of calls. The cost of this tariff is 5 Belarusian rubles, it is obligatory to present a passport (you can use an internal Russian one).

6. Money. As for money, 1 Belarusian ruble = about 30 Russian rubles. It is possible to both exchange Russian money at exchange points and withdraw from ATMs. Again, you will need roaming if something happens to your card and you need to get a confirmation password.

I hope these few points will be useful to you when planning your trip to Belarus.

More articles about Belarus:

Services that we use in our independent travels:

Finding and booking accommodation

1. - a world-famous search engine where you can find and book accommodation from guesthouses to luxury villas. Have used many times and highly recommend.
2. Hotellook is a service for finding and booking accommodation from the creators of Aviasales.
3. Airbnb - booking and renting apartments, rooms, houses from local residents. Tested on myself, everything is honest, we recommend. When booking through our link, you will receive a bonus of 2100 rubles, which you can use when paying for housing. To do this, you will need to create your AirBnB account.

Service-aggregator for car rental in local rental companies. You choose a car, as it were, at a local rental, but through a service, booking with a bank card, from which only 15% of the cost is charged. MyRentacar is the guarantor. You can choose not only the class of the car, but also a specific car, accurate to the color of the body and the type of radio. But most importantly, the prices on this service are the same as if you yourself came to a local rental company!