I will spend 2 weeks in Minsk with my girlfriend. Other than

>>1278084
Belarus has some nice nature, esp near the polish border. I think brest is the best city to visit, it is like being in the ussr.

Minsk has a nice museam on local art, but other than that is a bit of a mess.

Does your girlfriend speak (belo)russian?

>>1278092
It is kind of unfortunate that the distance between Brest and Minsk is quite a lot. And yes, she is a native Russian speaker. I speak it to some certain level.

What do you mean by a bit of mess? I realized after checking metro line, transportation of Minsk is primitive compared to Moscow and Kiev. Do you mean infrastructural problems like that, or some other issues?

By the way, are you a local, if not which places did you visit in Belarus before?

>>1278101
I have been to belarus before, also with a native russian speaker.

I stayed in a city called Baranavitsjy It was between minsk and brest. Those are the main things i visited. The main thing i wanted to see was the forrest betwen poland and belarus. It was very much worth it, such a lovely forrest.

I think brest has the most pleasant atmosphere. Minsk has no real atmosphere. The problem it does not really have a history as a capital city. I feels abit like a soulless city. Its hard to explain but it did not feel like a capital city.

I found belarus to be super interesting, but there are not alot of huge sights like in russia or ukraine. Everything was so different for me (dutch guy) that every small thing was interesting.

>>1278101
Minsk is abit of a mess because most of the city is still from the soviet era. Soviet cities are not famous for their beautiful appearance.

For example, i visited a friend in a city district, and wanted to leave after dark
When it was dark i noticed that there were no city light anywere in the neighbourhood,alot of high appartment blocks with no light. Then i started paying attention to such things and the urban planning makes very little sense.

There are also alot of roads wich end in dirtroads before you even leave the city.

I am not complaining, but it did give the city a bit of a "messy" feel. I did kind of find that charming.

>>1278152
As I visited Ukraine before, I can see your point. The only issue that would discourage me from visiting a place is the problems with safety in there, so I these are not issues for me. (I am also from a Soviet-tier country to begin with)

>>1278147
Did you rent a car? How was the type of transportation for you in general?

It sounds a bit strange since the city is celebrating its 950th year anniversary nowadays. To be honest as Belarus is the nation that remained most communistic since the collapse of CCCP, I am hoping to get a bit of that feeling in Minsk.

>>1278084
If you have an interest in history Belarus has a lot to offer. If you're there in late March expect riots and another Euromaidan, there's been some historical and political tension and it'll bubble to the surface then.

My biggest suggestion is to get a single-entry Russia visa and a tour booked through FB/minskguide/ who used to offer trips to Katyn. It's a place that most places are strong-armed into not providing tours to, similar to Russia's policy on touring Gulags, so ask-only. It's when the Russians massacred the Polish army in the woods, and planted an off-limits forest around it, which they denied until quite some time after the Iron Curtain fell.

You can also tour the apartment Lee Harvey Oswald stayed in while he was in Minsk (he wasn't in Russia, I don't know why history books always get that wrong!) and talk to his neighbors. Also, Chernobyl affected Belarus harder than it did Ukraine, but the reactor was in Ukraine; You may be able to book a tour (you need to get approval) to the Police State Radioecological Reserve on the border and see abandoned villages.

There's other interesting geopolitical things to do, too. On the border with Lithuania for example, there used to be a village. Because it was the Soviet Union, you could pass easily from one side to the other. Now that it's EU and non-EU, there's a big razor wire fence cutting it in half; Elderly people can't go to church, some have trouble getting to school, the cemetery is cut off, etc.

Belarus is actually a really interesting country, I hope to visit soon -- After Russia, hopefully!

>>1278101
>It is kind of unfortunate that the distance between Brest and Minsk is quite a lot.
I went from Minsk to Brest for a day trip. It's perfectly doable but BOOK THE TICKETS BEFOREHAND. Otherwise they may be fulll booked when you show up at the station, making you have to take a later train/bus and leaving less time to explore the city (happened to me).

That's a very convenient thread!

I can speak english pretty well (not my mother language though) and I want to learn russian so bad! I was thinking in going to a Russian Language School in Kiev for 3 months, because it's one of the cheapest countries to live in Europe.

But then someone told me that Misk is even cheaper than Kiev. What are your thoughts about it? I'm going with my wife, we are 27 and we speak zero russian. What's the best place to really learn Russian? I've heard that the Ukranian Russian accent is kinda bad. Also, how safe is to live in both countries?

>>1280788
>But then someone told me that Misk is even cheaper than Kiev.
As a tourist at least, it isn't. Eating at restaurants was cheaper in Kiev (and there was way more variety.)
However, people don't like Russian/Russians.

>>1278084
I did not read all the other posts, but here some things I have done when I was there in January for one week:

- war museum
- ballet
- circus
- several cultural museums
- ice hockey match

It's really a must to have a ride with the subway, cause of the soviet style. To go to other cities, I would recommend to use the new trains they bought for interregional connections.

i've heard that Belarus women are the most beutiful of Europe, do you agree?

>>1280949
yes

Bring a bag of potatos as souvenirs for locals, I heard they love potatos.

>>1280949
No