The national currency is the New Belarusian Ruble, denoted as p (ISO code: BYN), also known as the “third ruble”. The first post-Soviet ruble is debased x 1000 and basically worthless. The second (marked with 2000) is still exchangeable.

Within Belarus, you can buy rubles (but seldom western currencies) from ATMs using western credit or debit cards. You can also change US dollars and euros into rubles and vice versa at exchange kiosks in Minsk airport, main railway stations and big city centres. Convert leftover cash before you leave, as changing rubles outside Belarus will be difficult and poor value, except in the bordering post-Soviet countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Moldova.

Exchange kiosks will not exchange notes that are damaged or marked, or may charge extra commission for doing so.

Most larger supermarkets, stores and hotels have credit card terminals, but smaller shops often do not. Visa and MasterCard are accepted, but American Express is not.

Belarus is not a large country, and a traveller can reach from one side of its border to the other in less than a day.

BY CAR:

Travelling by car will get you far, since the infrastructure in Belarus was well developed after World War II. Gasoline is relatively cheap by European standards; 1 liter of petrol costs 1.37 BYR (July 2018), with the price fixed by the government at all fuel stations on a daily basis. You can rent cars in Minsk at the airport or city from the major international rental chains or smaller local companies.

There are many taxi companies. Yandex Taxi, which can be accessed via its mobile app or the Uber mobile app, is the most popular and offers good prices if booked via the app.

BY TRAIN:

Travelling by train around the country will get you to a lot of desired destinations relatively cheap and fast. Timetables for all means of transports can be found here and for trains of course on the site of the Belarusian railway. Also, you will get a chance to capture a glimpse of Belarusian nature, as the forests and plains often start right on the edges of the cities. The country is mostly flat.

Train tickets can be bought in advance (usually 60 days in advance) on the Belarusian railway Web site. If your ticket includes an e-registration, you can print your ticket and directly board the train. If your ticket does not include the e-registration, you must first exchange it for another ticket at the station counter.

BY BUS:

Inter-city buses are cheap, relatively comfortable and relatively punctual but may be more expensive and less comfortable than trains. Bus schedules can be found online here and [here. Note that some buses sell out, so it is better book the tickets in advance. They can be purchased in bus stations.

BY MINIBUS:

Little minibuses (known as a маршрутка, marshrutka), typically painted yellow, are generally cheaper than buses. Seats on inter-city ones can be reserved by phone or by walking up and paying cash.

EAT:

In a nutshell: potatoes, pork, beef, bread.

If you are looking for a national gourmet meal – you are in the right place. Most of the products and ingredients are organic, and radiation levels are constantly checked in the food to avoid contamination.

Modern Belarusian cookery is based on old national traditions, which have undergone a long historical evolution, with similarities to the Russian cuisine. But the main methods of traditional Belarusian cuisine are carefully kept by the people.

Common in Belarusian cuisine were dishes made with potatoes, which are called “the second bread”. The Belarusians bring fame to their beloved potato in their verses, songs and dances. There are special potato cafes in the country where you can try various potato dishes. Potato is included in many salads and it is served together with mushrooms and/or meat; different pirazhki (patties) and baked puddings are made from it. The most popular among the Belarusians is traditional draniki (known as “latkes” to North Americans, but eaten only with sour cream, never apple sauce), thick pancakes prepared from shredded potatoes. The wide spread of potato dishes in Belarusian cuisine can be explained by natural climatic conditions of Belarus which are propitious for growing highly starched and tasty sorts of potatoes.

Meat and meat products, especially pork and salted pork fat, play a major role in the diet of Belarusians. One of the people’s proverbs says: “There is no fish more tasty than tench, and there is no meat better than pork”. Salted pork fat is used slightly smoked and seasoned with onions and garlic. Pyachysta is one of the traditional holiday dishes. This is boiled, stewed or roasted sucking pig, fowl or large chunks of pork or beef. Dishes prepared from meat are usually served together with potatoes or vegetables such as carrot, cabbage, black radish, peas, etc. It is characteristic that many vegetable and meat dishes are prepared in special stoneware pots.

Among fish dishes, the Belarusians prefer yushka, galki and also baked or boiled river fish without special seasonings. In general, the most common seasonings are onions, garlic, parsley, dill, caraway seeds and pepper; they are used very moderately in Belarusian cookery. The national dishes are hearty and tasty nonetheless. Among the fruit and vegetable choices are fresh, dried, salted and pickled mushrooms, and berries such as bilberry, wild strawberries, red whortleberry, raspberries, cranberries and some others. Of flour dishes, the most popular is zacirka. Pieces of specially prepared dough are boiled in water and then poured over with milk or garnished with salted pork fat. The Belarusians prefer to use whole milk, which affected some methods of making yoghurt and the so-called klinkovy cottage cheese. In Belarusian cuisine, milk is widely used for mixing in vegetable and flour dishes.

Signature dishes include Draniki, Potato babka, Knish, Pyachysta and Zacirka.

Foreign cuisine:

There are several foreign chains in Belarus including McDonald’s, KFC, and TGI Friday’s. There are also French, Italian, and Asian restaurants. Pizza is a very popular dish at many restaurants.

DRINK:

Typical non-alcoholic drinks include Kefir, which is a sort of sour milk, similar to yogurt, Kvas and Kompot.

Vodka (harelka), bitter herbal nastoikas (especially Belavezhskaja) and sweet balsams are the most common alcoholic drinks.

Krambambula is a traditional medieval alcoholic drink which you can buy in most stores or order in a restaurant. It’s a pretty strong drink but its taste is much softer than vodka.

Medovukha (or Myadukha) is a honey-based alcoholic beverage very similar to mead.

Sbiten is a combination of kvass, another common soft alcohol drink, with honey.

Berezavik or biarozavy sok is a birch tree juice which is collected in March from small holes in birch tree trunks with no harm to the plants themselves. There are several variations of this very refreshing alcohol-free drink, which is a good thirst-quencher in hot weather.

Don’t leave valuable items, such as computers, mobile phones, or wallets/cash in hotel rooms as there have been reports of thefts by housekeepers.

Prices are typically much lower than in Western Europe, especially for supermarket food and the service industry.