Holidays in belarus - need advice

[sunshine]

Good day everyone!

I am new in this forum and I have no idea how everything works here. However, I really need some advices from you guys. I am planning to visit Belarus. Actually, it will be more like holidays in Belarus. What should I see, where should I eat? Maybe, someone can also recommend some good apartments that I could book? I really am leaving soon, so I would appreciate your opinion. By the way, what do you think about such baltictours.com/info/tours-in-belarus/ tours in Belarus? Are they nice and worth all that money? I want to see as much as possible.  

[Jaga]

Sunshine, why did you decide to visit Belarus? The biggest problem I see is a lack of knowledge of a local language. If you are going with a tour it is OK. Be careful with your personal belongings. As far as I know Belarus is quiet, clean, the countryside is beautiful. It is cheap for foreigners. Yes, they have an authoritarian regime, but at least there are no riots and chaos.

[sunshine]

You see... I have never been there and my husband wants to see Belarus as much as I do. I know that Belarus is not the best option for a vacation, but we have come back from Spain and right now we want to visit this place. Actually, I do not expect anything special, is just that we want to see it.

[karl]

Mss Sunshine

I must say you do have a bright and sunny name.. I do realize you have received only a touch of reply per your question{s} of a visit of your self and husband to the state of Belarus. It would be much better if to then make contact with our elusive member: Eric. For he our rather expert on Russian affairs has visited the State of Belarus on seporate occasions. My self?, I have never sit foot on that land, in areas of Russia, but not Belarus. Being not Polish or Slavic, but of both Denmark and Germany.

With your travel experience, has the ring of well seasoned travelers so this should be a nice experience for both of you as will the sense of adventure. It is of personal estimation you both will do very well with your visit to that land you have chosen.

The following url in English may or may not be of use, but one never knows.

www.belarus.by/en/

Karl

[pieter]

Dear Sunshine,

My advice would be listen to Jaga and Karl. Like Karl I do believe Eric has the largest experience with the former SovjetUnion, the Russian Federation and Belarus. I am from the Netherlands, and my area of experience is the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg and a little bit of Germany, South-Africa and Poland.

Belarus in my view lies close to the Russian and Ukrainian cultures, natures and societies.

Encyclopedia Britannica writes about Belarus, I quote: "While Belarusians share a distinct ethnic identity and language, they never previously enjoyed unity and political sovereignty, except during a brief period in 1918. Belarusian history is thus less an isolable national narrative than a study of regional forces, their interplay, and their effects on the Belarusian people. The territory that is now Belarus underwent partition and changed hands repeatedly; as a result, much of the history of Belarus is inseparable from that of its neighbours. Since independence Belarus has retained close ties to its most dominant neighbour, Russia. In 1999 the two countries signed the Union State Foundation Treaty, which aimed to create a politically integrated confederation with a common currency; the precise nature of the partnership, however, remained unclear well into the 21st century. The legacy of Belarus’s Soviet past also continued to manifest itself, both in the persistent prominence of communist political parties and in the country’s authoritarian style of government. About one-fifth of the population of Belarus resides in the centrally located capital, Minsk, a sprawling modern city that was almost entirely rebuilt after its near destruction in World War II."

Services

The service sector accounts for about two-fifths of GDP and employs the largest portion of the labour force. In the early 21st century the banking, communications, and real-estate industries experienced some of the highest rates of growth. Although the tourism industry is less developed in Belarus than in neighbouring countries, the revenue derived from tourist activities increased dramatically in the early 21st century. The Belovezhskaya Forest is one of the most visited destinations, and homestays on farmsteads have become popular. Another frequently visited site is the 19th-century fortress in Brest, known as the Hero Fortress for the courageous defense made there by Soviet soldiers against invading Nazis in 1941.

Labour and taxation

A large majority of the Belarusian labour force is employed in either services or mining and manufacturing. Belarus has one of the highest percentages of women in the workforce of any country, and women occupy key roles in the education, health care, communications, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors. Most employees in Belarus are members of a trade union. There are dozens of trade unions, and most are subordinated to the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus, the body that oversees the unions.

Transportation and telecommunications

Belarus has a good railway network that is headed by major interregional railways that crisscross the country: east-west between Berlin and Moscow; north-south between St. Petersburg and Kiev (Ukraine); and northwest-southeast between the Baltic countries and Ukraine. The country’s main highway connects the city of Brest in the west to Minsk and the Russian border in the east. There are also good road connections between the capital and all regional centres. Buses operate throughout the country.

The city of Minsk is served by an extensive mass transit system that includes buses, streetcars, and an underground railway known as the Minsk Metro. Minsk has good air connections as well. Minsk National Airport, also called Minsk-2, is located about 25 miles (40 km) east of the city; it opened in 1982 and began international service in 1989. A domestic airport for smaller planes, located within the city, serves Belarusian regions and Moscow.

The state-owned telecommunications company of Belarus is the sole provider of fixed-line telephone service. Mobile phones are used much more extensively, however. Though privately owned, mobile phone companies in Belarus are subject to government oversight. In addition, opposition groups have reported that at times the government has monitored or interfered in individuals’ cell phone communications, and on occasion officials have confiscated mobile phones belonging to Belarusians suspected of criminal or antigovernment activities. The government also monitors and regulates Internet usage, which increased steadily during the opening years of the 21st century.

[Eric]

Hello! Belarus is a very peaceful and pleasant country, but it is really not one that people who don't live in a former USSR republic visit very often. Tourism is quite low in the country.

I would be happy to answer questions you have.

You absolutely needn't worry about anything dangerous. As I said, the country is peaceful and calm, and Belarussian people are quite friendly. The presence of a non-former Soviet visitor is rare and will probably cause some interest wherever you go there. Crime, including street crime, is exceptionally low by European standards, certainly much lower than in neighboring Russia and Ukraine.

Much of the country was devastated by the Nazis in World War II. Every fourth Belarussian died and whole cities, including the capital, Minsk, were destroyed and had to be rebuilt after the war, so the cities will probably look very similar to each other. The countryside is rather similar to what you'd see in Russia and Ukraine, only more orderly and with better maintenance.

Unless you are traveling there for political purposes, you will not have any problems with law enforcement agencies.

Will you be traveling with a tour group? Will you be met by hosts there? These are important aspects regarding your trip, and I can help you further.

[Eric]

Jun 5, 2017 18:12:35 GMT -7 Jaga said:

The biggest problem I see is a lack of knowledge of a local language.

Except in far Western Belarus, the overwhelming majority of the population speaks Russian as a first language.  Belarussian is used to write most street signs (with or without Russian translation), but finding Belarussians who don't speak Russian is extremely rare.  The younger generation (age 30-something and younger) is likely to speak English, often quite well.