Fall In Love With Minsk, Belarus

Katya Wednesday, October 03, 2018 3 Comments

The recipe to fall in love with a new place is simple. Open, curious mind and positive attitude. With Minsk, however, you won't need much of a recipe. This city is beautiful, friendly, spotless like no one ever dares to litter, with enough parks and boulevards to keep your feet restless and enough cafes, shops and theaters to keep you entertained.

We spent two weeks in Minsk and... Well, let me be fair first, Minsk is my husband's birth city and his parents, schoolmates and friends live there. Yap. That makes us visitors rather than tourists or travelers and creates a whole new experience, because of all the sweet (and sour should I say? :-) time spent with family and fun times with friends. Nevertheless, it was my first time in the city and I did fall in love with Minsk! I wish this city would become a hot destination for travelers as it is really worth the hype. Aaaaand if you are looking for a road less traveled and for a destination that still stays aside of the main tourism plague, consider Belarus and its capital, Minsk.

I am in no position to write a guiding post with best things you should do in Minsk, as I did not do them myself. Instead, I'd like to tell you what I did cross off my list and what I enjoyed the most.

1. City parks

Minsk has countless gorgeous green parks right in the city center, with huge and shady oaks, willows and maple trees, secluded trails, lakes, amazing playgrounds for kids and great pavement tracks for bikers, rollerbladers or alternatively, families with strollers.

Just to name a few:

Victory Park (Here you can visit the Museum of WWII. We didn't, but it looks promising from outside)
Central Botanical Garden (big, beautiful and peaceful)
Chelyuskinites Park (next to Botanical Gardens)
Gorky Park (in the heart of Minsk)
Many many pretty little squares with romantic sculptures and benches under the trees

2. Pedestrian streets and boulevards

When the whether allows, nothing beats slow city walks with a cup of coffee here and a bite there.

Karl Marx Street (Reminded me of Paris. Start in Mikhailovskiy Square and walk through Dzerzhinsky Garden till Aliaksandraŭski Garden Square)
Upper City, Trinity Hill and Nemiga Street (cobblestone pavements here and there, preserved charm of old town, beautiful river banks promenades)
Oktyabrskaya street (Former industrial street turned into an open air art gallery with gorgeous wall size murals. Check Cafe Enzo there - fun place serving crepes with unthinkable fillings)

3. Sights and Landmarks

We didn't necessarily go sightseeing. But we did visit:

National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre - gorgeous opera house located in a beautiful square. If it is the season, I suggest definitely go see an opera or ballet. Even if you are not a fan!
Yanka Kupala National Academic Theater and Square - we went to see a play but if you don't feel like wandering in the web of a foreign language, you could simply walk in the square and surroundings.
The Central Post Office Building - good example of the 1950th Soviet architecture, massive and monumental. Very nostalgic for any child of former USSR.
Victory Square and Independence Square (one of the biggest in Europe) - you can feel the grand scale of the city there and again pay reverence to the monumental style of Stalinist architecture (or Socialist Classicism)

4. Svislach River

Take a boat tour (they've got a variety of options) around Trinity Hill and along the Upper City. Great way to give your hour feet a break from walking and enjoy the breeze and the views.

5. Shopping

Why not enjoy sweet Belorussian prices? I say definitely a must!

GUM - big department store, a landmark and a beautiful another example of Stalinist architecture (I might sound like a Stalin fan, but I am not, I swear, I am not!!:) You can find pretty much everything here. I went crazy on Belorussian cosmetics one buck a piece! Some say the quality is good enough for just that, a buck. I've been using face masks and body lotions for weeks now and I do like them. To be fair, I am not a picky buyer when it comes to cosmetics, but my skin is acne free and soft. Checkmate.
Linen clothing - I would buy every dress in the store if only I could afford those. Not very cheap, $50-$100 price range, but so very beautiful and feminine. I bought two. Look for Belorusskiy Len stores.
Burvin - women clothing by a Belorussian designer. Gorgeous, meticulously made, amazing fabrics and prices are very affordable for an American perspective. I'd compare to highly acclaimed brands, like Burberry or Giorgio Armani.
Flowers from babushkas at Metro entrances - please do buy those little cute bouquets. An instant mood lifter and a good deed. Perfect combo!

6. Food

Belorussian cuisine is good! Rivers and mountains of potatoes, (try draniki!!) lost of dough dishes, kvas (bread non alcoholic beverage) and nastoika (liqueur, infusion of herbs, berries an fruits in alcohol, tasty and strong). We liked Draniki (Svobody 4) and Kuhmistr (Karla Marksa 40)

7. Night scene

Minsk is lovely when the sun sets down. Buildings get illuminated, street musicians fill squares and boulevards, cafes and bars get loud and busy. There is entertainment for ay taste - younger crowds go bar hopping while mature couples enter theaters.

Zybickaja Street - they say the street was pretty much abandoned until someone decided to turn it into a bar mile. Now this street is the party heart of the city with many many hipster bars, lounges and rooftops. Loved the place!
The View Restaurant - one must see Minsk from above and the View is a perfect spot to do so. Fine dining place with a terrace where you can enjoy a cocktail with a killer view.