The 14 things to do in Minsk

Visit Minsk: what are the best things to do and see in the capital of Belarus?

When one evokes Belarus, a priori, one does not imagine that one can spend a very pleasant stay as a tourist. But it is without knowing the city of Minsk which offers an incredible luxury for Westerners with very low prices. In addition, the city offers an incredible quality of life: many parks, cultural outings at ballet or restaurant, the opportunity to visit a museum, go to a concert, etc... As you go to Minsk, you are sure to get away from your daily life and what you are accustomed to seeing or doing: a little common destination, it remains attractive, even if the tourist places are not as numerous as in other major cities of Eastern Europe.

First of all, there is an atmosphere, a typical atmosphere in Minsk: the city was destroyed by the German army during the Second World War and slowly rebuilt, even if there are still stigmats there. The city no longer has a historical district itself, but this unique atmosphere describes Minsk, between nostalgia and desire to move forward in the future.

1. Place Oktyabrskaya

The main square of the city is called universally by its Russian name, Oktyabrskaya pl (Place d’Octobre: in Belarus, it is said pl Kastrychnitskaya ). This is where opposition groups gather to protest President Alexandre Loukachenko from time to time, and is where the sadly famous protests of 2010 during the presidential election ended in violence. revolution in jean or the blue revolution, which failed in March 2006, was also tempted here.

Here you will find the impressive Palats Respubliki (Palais de la République), a showroom. Also on this square are the Hotel de Ville, the Cathedral of Saint Mary and the former Belarusian Museum of the Great Patriotic War, now transformed into a luxury hotel.

2. The Belarusian Museum of the Great Patriotic War

Located in a new crib building after leaving its very obsolete premises in Oktyabrskaya Square, the best Minsk museum houses an excellent exhibition detailing the suffering and heroism of Belarus during the Nazi occupation. Black and white pictures of civilians and soldiers can be admired to better understand the history of this city and the atmosphere that reigned for many years. This is one of the most popular attractions in Minsk.

With explanations in English, dioramas and a collection of real tanks, planes and artillery of the Second World War, it is a great progress compared to its dusty predecessor. His section on concentration camps is particularly troubling: 2.3 million people in Belarus were killed during the war, including 1.5 million civilians.

3. The National Museum of Culture and History of Belarus

Originally known as Muséum, opened in 1957, this museum informs visitors about the economy, local traditions and the history of the city but also of the country. Today, the National Museum has the largest collection of cultural objects and monuments since ancient times. Most visitors leave the museum a little unbushed (the explanation panels only in Belarus do not help). This museum takes us on a journey into the enlivened history of the nation, and has a replica of the print used by the national hero Francysk Skaryna.

4. National Museum of Fine Arts of Belarus

This superb museum is the largest in Belarus. It was renovated and includes an extension bathed in light in the back that presents local art from the 1940s to the 1970s. Don’t miss Valentin Volkov’s work, Minsk 3 July 1944 (1944-1945), representing the arrival of the Red Army in the city in ruins. Yudel Pen, Professor of Chagall, is well represented, including his 1914 portrait of Marc Chagall. There is also an impressive collection of icons, some great realistic representations of life at the end of the 19th century in the Russian Empire and several works by Nikolai Ge, Ilya Repin, Isaak Levitan, Isaak Brodsky, Mikhail Nesterov and Konstantin Makovsky.

Let's go into the heart of Minsk. Minsk is an atypical city, a political, economic and cultural centre that is over 900 years old. As such, the city still offers beautiful curiosities.

5. The Quarter of the Trinity Faubourg

The city centre of Minsk consists of large administrative buildings and old churches, but it is above all the only area that remains intact during the Second World War. This neighborhood is the Trinity Faubourg (or Traetskae Pradmestse ) that was renovated in the 1990s and is now one of the most valued and most appreciated places in Minsk for its authenticity, its history but also for the geography of the places with typical houses with so disparate colors. The renovation of the pre-war buildings, on a pretty elbow of the river just a little north of the centre, is very pleasant. It is worth walking through this neighborhood for its small cafes, restaurants and shops, but Minsk's "given and modern monoliths" are never very far away...

6. L’Île des Larmes (or L’Île du courage et de la sadsse)

This island faces the Trinity Faubourg and is known to commemorate the war in Afghanistan where many Belarusians died. The centre of the island is surmounted by a chapel and close to it, one can still see the figure of an angel crying that he could not save and protect the soldiers during this terrible war. Built in the form of a small church with four entrances, the monument is surrounded by high unloaded statues of the sad mothers and sisters of Belarusian soldiers who perished in this war between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan (1979-1989).

7. Hotel de Ville

Still close to the Faubourg de la Trinité district is the Hotel de Ville which represents exactly what it could be during the war when it was totally destroyed. Near the Hotel de Ville, there is the only wooden house in Minsk, this house is the only one that survived the bombing of the war, it is today a museum.

8. The National Library of Belarus

The national library is extremely recent, since it has only existed since 2006: it is a 74-metre high building with nearly 19 reading rooms spread over 22 floors. This is one of the finest libraries in the world , according to the eye you look at it (it may seem horrible for some). It is estimated that there are almost 90,000 registered readers who come every year to compel the approximately 3.2 million books available. It should be noted that the national library has focused on new technologies by creating a national information and culture centre. The library also serves as a conference center, art gallery for permanent and temporary exhibitions. The building is a giant rhombicuboctaedron that is lit at night that also contains art galleries and an observation platform on the 23rd floor.

You can take a guided tour of the library in English for 100,000 BYR (€6.40), or explore it alone for much less: you just need to show yourself at the counter in the lobby with your passport. The view from the summit is not exceptional, but it is an interesting perspective on the urban landscape of Minsk in perpetual evolution.

9. Saint-Siméon-et-Sainte-Hélène Cathedral

This huge building is very impressive, it is more commonly called the Red Church, it was built in 1910. Before the Second World War, it was built in a cinema studio and then in 1941 it regained its original function, namely a Catholic church. It is a high place of religious, cultural and social life in the city of Minsk.

10. Independence Square (Pl Nezalezhnastsi)

So called Lenin Square (before 1991), Independence Square is now the most beautiful and the largest square in Minsk. It dates back to the 1930s and is dominated by the Belarusian government building on its north side but also by the state university on its south side, or by the educational university and the Red Church. The latter, the Saint-Siméon-et-Sainte-Hélène Catholic Church, is nicknamed for its red bricks. The square is a very important place for Belarusians where we can attend military parades. It should be noted that there is an underground city in the square with a two-storey shopping centre.

11. Némiga Street

More than just a place, Némiga Street is a place that Belarusians really appreciate. It is the oldest street in Minsk and it brings together the city centre with the western part of the city. Dating from the 12th century, it then connected the old castle to the river Némiga which no longer exists today. It was rebuilt and is today the shopping street of the Belarusian capital.

12. La Praspekt Francyska Skaryny (Perspective Francyska Skaryny)

The main artery of Minsk impresses in its pure circumference. Trepidant and gigantic, it has tripled in width when it was rebuilt after the Second World War and extends over 11 km from the station to the outside of the city. The most busy section, with the best examples of architecture of Soviet monumentalism, is sandwiched between pl Nezalezhnastsi and pl Peramohi and between the streets Lenina and Enhelsa . This is a meeting place for popular youth in the evening.

13. The Castle of Niasvij

Located in the heart of the city of Niasvij 120 kilometers from Minsk, it is known to be the residential, architectural and cultural complex of the Radziwiłł family which was responsible for its construction from the 16th century until the mid-20th century. It is the only Belarusian monument classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This high place of Belarus is five hundred metres from the Church of Corpus Christi. This immense architecture has become one of the references for the construction and development of other types of this kind throughout Central Europe and in Russia.

14. The castle of Mir

The castle of Mir, of the 16th century, rises majesticly above the city and resembles something straight out of Disney. A meticulous renovation over the last decade has been completed and the place is simply adorable, with beautiful gardens, beautifully restored interiors and a great exhibition on the life and time of the Radziwił. The interior of some parts has been recreated, and even if it is clear that they were not the Romanovs, there are many attractive furniture that leave mouth bent. The place visits much better in the week, the world coming over the weekends.

Minsk: How to get there? Where to stay?

Regardless of the type of French passport held, any entry to the territory is subject to the visa requirement. Applications for visas in France must be filed in person or through a tourist agency at the consular service of the Embassy of Belarus in France . It is also possible to obtain a Belarusian visa directly to Minsk International Airport by having previously transmitted a visa application file under certain deadlines Competent Belarusian authorities .

We mainly arrive in Belarus by plane. Minsk International Airport, the largest in the country, is located about 30 kilometres from the capital. You can reach the city by bus, or by taxi (about 20 euros). To find cheap flights to Minsk, use the Compare flights Skyscanner . Once in the country, you must be registered by the police within three days, under penalty of being a crime. A medical insurance certificate must also be in possession.

To stay, Minsk is full of small neighborhoods with undeniable charm . In the historic centre, by the river or near a park... It's for everybody. To find a cheap hotel in Minsk, search our Compare hotels .

Have you visited Minsk?