Local Life Minsk - PDF Guide Quick intro This guide was generated automatically, using the latest information from www.local-life.com You can print it or just stick it on your mobile device for offline access. We hope you will find it informative and helpful during your stay. Have fun! Go online Free iphone app! Get it here: www.local-life.com/iphone Visit www.local-life.com Free, fast and optimized for mobile Upcoming events in Minsk Russian Art Of The 18th, Early 20th Centuries From Jan 1st 1944 until Jan 19th 2038, on More on www.local-life.com/minsk/events Best rated restaurants in Minsk Gurman Kommunisticheskaya 7 Grand Cafe Lenina 2 Lido Nezavisimosti 49-1 Graf Cafe Nezavisimosti 116 Tapas Bar Internatsionalnaya 9 News Cafe Karla Marxa 35 Verhniy Gorod pl. Svobody 4 Grunwald Cafe Karla Marxa 19 More on www.local-life.com/minsk/restaurants Most popular pubs & clubs in Minsk Loft Cafe Brovky 22 Next Kirova 13 Graffiti Kalinina 16 Live Pub Komsomolskaya 34 Drozhi United Sverdlova 2 Rakovsky Brovar Vitebskaya 10 ARKA pub Kolasa street 38
More on www.local-life.com/minsk/pubs Best hotels in Minsk Minsk Hotel Nezavisimosti 11 Sputnik Hotel 2, Brilevskaya street Planeta Hotel 31 Pobediteley Avenue IBB Hotel 11, Gazety Pravda Avenue Crowne Plaza Kirova 13 Tourist Hotel 81, Partizansky Avenue Yubileinaya Hotel 19, Pobediteley Avenue Orbita Hotel 39, Pushkina Avenue More on www.local-life.com/minsk/hotels Essential services in Minsk National Library Nezavisimosti 116 Central Train Station Privokzalnaja Ploshad 3 Minsk Metro Across Minsk Belarusian State University Nezavisimosti 4 Minsk National Airport National Airport, Minsk 220054 More on www.local-life.com/minsk/services Need some culture? Bolshoi Opera & Ballet Theatre Parizhskaya Kommuna Square 1 National Museum of History and Culture Karla Marxa 12 Church of Saints Simon and Helena Sovetskaya 15 Victory Square Ploshchad Pobedy Isle of Tears Island off Storozhevskaya Y Gallery Nezavisimosti 37A Belarusian State Philharmonic Nezavisimosti 50 Palace of the Republic Oktyabrskaya Square 1 More on www.local-life.com/minsk/culture
Travel tips Minsk is not exactly a tourist haven at this point, and you can go entire days without hearing a single word of English (or any other western European language, for that matter). However, locals are open and friendly, and are almost always willing to help with directions. It's worth learning a few words of Russian, the main language in Minsk, before you arrive as familiar Latin letters, let alone the English language, are few and far between. This is especially important when finding your way around the city - you might find your map has streets described in Latin letters, and then be faced with street signs exclusively in Cyrillic. It can be helpful to carry a Cyrillic alphabet around in your pocket a as a guide. One of the most striking aspects about Minsk is its cleanliness and safety. You'll rarely feel threatened by any shady characters, particularly in the city centre, and you will most likely never see a single piece of litter or graffiti throughout your stay. Streets are spotless and green spaces are immaculately cared for by city workers. The citizens are so law abiding you will quickly learn that jay-walking on even a small, empty street is frowned upon. Do like the locals and behave in a way that would make your gran proud. Make sure to carry your passport and visa documents with you while exploring Minsk, as well the health insurance details that you were required to purchase for your stay. If your stay exceeds 5 working days you'll have to register your visit at the local Regional Department of Internal Affairs. It's also a good idea to keep the address and phone number of your country's embassy at hand for emergencies. In general, acquiring a visa for Belarus is not a piece of cake so make sure to read up in our Visa section for further details on general visa procedures. Finally, public toilets are popular so if you find yourself needing one pronto, they'll do in a pinch (but don't expect any toilet paper). Most toilets are marked with familiar male/female symbols, though you may occasionally be forced to navigate a bathroom marked with the cryptic-looking symbol code2utf('1046',0) - which simply denotes a Ladies toilet (the alternative being M for Men's). Above: On the road Below: Cooling off Getting around
Above: No. 100 - a tourist favourite Left: Taking the metro Below: Bus tickets can be purchased on board By metro The metro is by far the easiest way to get around Minsk, even if you don't speak a word of Russian or Belarusian. With two lines criss-crossing the city in an X shape, the metro can get you nearly anywhere. Tickets can be purchased from booths in the station for 850 rubles. Don't even worry about asking for a ticket, since the vast majority of locals only buy one at a time, words are rarely wasted at the ticket cashier. Simply push through some cash and you'll receive a purple plastic token, and your change, in return. Drop the purple token in a nearby turnstile and you're on your way.
By bus, trolleybus, tram Bus stops are not well marked in Minsk, and it can be difficult to figure out which bus goes where from a given stop. If the metro, which is much easier to navigate, doesn't serve your destination, try using the Minsk public transport website to work out the best route. A useful bus is number 100 which goes up and down Minsk's central thoroughfare Nezavisimosti avenue. Single tickets can be purchased at kiosks or often directly on the bus from a ticket controller. Bus singles do not transfer over to metro lines - you must purchase a metro ticket separately, and vice-versa. By taxi Taxis in Minsk are cheap and convenient, but it's important to ensure you're catching an official yellow cab. Make sure the meter is running, and if you don't speak any Russian or Belarusian, write down the address of your destination in Cyrillic on a piece of paper to avoid any possible misunderstandings. Fare is about 1500 BYR (0.20) per km within the city. By car Unless you plan on leaving Minsk, there really is no need to rent a car to get around. However, there are several well-known car rental companies set up in Minsk such as Avis or Hertz which will rent you a small passenger car for about 50 euro per day. But add to the price the fact that street signs in Minsk are exclusively in Cyrillic, sticking to public transportation and the occasional taxi ride is probably a better deal.