Getting into Russia advice

Belarus

Anybody else got any thoughts on Belarus? Or indeed anywhere that should/shouldn't be visited?

I travel to Belarus regularly both by road and by air and dont find it as grim as its portrayed.I do agree it is by far and away the most soviet of the former USSR republics but like any strictly regimented place, once you tick all the boxes they expect to see ticked nobody will go against the system. My advice is contact the Bealrus embassy in London and ask them to send a list of what exactly they require in terms of documentation for you to enter with your motorbike.

Getting a visa is the same as getting one for russia, you can get a tourist invitation from a registered tourist agency(list available from the embassy or on the internet) and then apply to the consular section of the embassy in london for a visa. Its very easy in my experience.You need to register the visa within 3 days of arrival, not a problem if you stay in a hotel as they will do it for you. A lesser known rule is that you must re register your visa if you change location to another hotel in a different city, no bother as the hotel will do it if you ask.

As regards the country, the capital Minsk is worth visiting for a few days and has good clubs with the most stunning local talent you can imagine. The ugly stick was thrown away here generations ago !! All the major cities have good hotels and restaurants.Outside the cities in the countryside the choice of hotels is limited and the standards are low by western standard. Life is quiet and rural, overall living standards are low but theft is not a major problem as there are police (Militia) everywhere. Speed traps are very common with on the spot fines being the norm.

The best hilly/lake scenery is north of Minsk towards the lithuanian border. In the south are the Poleysse marshes, great if you are into wildlife but very flat and lots of mossies in the summer.On the border near russia in the Gorki area are huge collective farms spread over thousands of Sq Km of hilly countryside.

It all depends on what you want from your trip, if you want to cruise seamlessly around europe then choose a route that excludes most of eastern europe( they love beurocracy there- a soviet legacy)
If on the other hand you take it as part of the experience then I would say go for it. If you want to experience a "timewarp" sensation to soviet russia then go now because it is changing rapidly and becoming more like any other eastern european country.

Enjoy the trip.:thumb2
 
I travel to Belarus regularly both by road and by air and dont find it as grim as its portrayed.

I concur. I went through Belarus from Brest to Gomel then the Ukraine and Chernobyl last year as part of a group of 8 riders. Personally I found the wide open plains and incredibly huge skies quite lovely.

Brest is a very attractive town, especially the fort which is a Must See. Otherwise, if you want to have a good look at what the former Soviet Union was like, this is a good place to be.

The borders can be difficult and slow but WTF, it's only time :)
 


Back
Top Bottom