Country Information

Belarus' national airline Belavia (www.belavia.by) offers direct flights from a number of destinations, including London, Berlin and Stockholm. Other airlines servicing Belarus include Austrian Airlines (www.austrian.com), LOT Polish Airlines (www.lot.com) and Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com). Direct flights to Moscow are regularly available with Belavia and Aeroflot (www.aeroflot.ru).

None.

International flights land at Minsk-2 airport (www.airport.by) which is approximately 40km (25 miles) east of the capital. Most domestic flights and also flights to Kiev and Moscow leave from the smaller Minsk-1 airport. In 2008, a number of agreements with foreign airlines were made, greatly expanding the number of flight possibilities.

Belarus is a landlocked country with no approaches by water. However with the Baltic States and Russia close by it could always make a viable extension to any journey.

There are several rivers running in and through Belarus, however these routes are not to be relied upon for transport in and out of the country.

All trains arrive and depart from Minsk Central Railway Station located in the centre of Minsk. There are several lines from Berlin via Warsaw and Brest with connections to Minsk. Another line runs from Vienna via Warsaw and Brest. Further direct trains are available from other cities, including Kaliningrad, Moscow, Odessa, Riga and Vilnius.

Belarus does not offer and is not included on any rail pass schemes. However it should be noted that it is possible to travel as close as neighbouring Poland with a European Eastpass for rail travel.

Train is probably the most convenient way of getting to and from Minsk. Due to its location it is no surprise that Belarus sees a lot of travellers in transit and a transit visa will allow you 48 hours within the country if you are just passing through. You should also make sure the correct visa and documents are in place for final destinations.

There are approximately 10 'official' road routes into Belarus âEuro“ which should be stuck to in order to avoid undue complications. The roads between Vilnius (Lithuania) and Minsk and between Minsk and Bialystok (Poland) are probably the most popular. International driving permits are required to drive inside Belarus.

As long as you have the correct visa, entering Belarus by road is (in theory) relatively unrestricted. That said, due to long queues at border crossings it can be a very time-consuming experience. For the more adventurous traveller, hitchhiking in Eastern Europe is still popular and commonly used âEuro“ Belarus is no exception, of course crossing any border in such a way should be entertained with due caution.