I arrived just before midnight in Minsk and was really fast through passport control, baggage claim and customs. Within an hour of touchdown I arrived at my hotel that was 45 km away from the airport.
BonHotel is a modern business hotel outside the city centre. Clean rooms, enough plugs, free wifi. The next metro stop is 5 min on foot.
Belorussians are very helpful - giving me directions, helping me with my heavy luggage and ignoring my bad Russian.
Minsk is a typical capital - in the sense of big avenues and classical monumental buildings. After London’s Oxford Street last Sunday, Minsk felt really lonely to me. But that impression was shattered after a metro ride at rush hour.
After dropping off my luggage at the railway station, I headed to Ploshad Nezalezhnastsi (Independence Square) which was surrounded by the monumental Belorussian Government Building and Belorussian State University.
At one side, there is the beautiful, 1910 built Church of SS Simon & Elena in red-brick.
If you go underground, you will find the Stolitsa Shopping Centre with foreign and local brand shops on three levels.
I headed north on Independence Avenue and passed Hotel Minsk, the Post Office and the GUM (old shopping centre). The difference to Stolitsa was quite obvious in the offerings and clientele.
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A bit further on the avenue opens to another big square - Oktyabrskaya Ploshad. In front of the Palats Respubliki and Trade Unions Culture Palace, usually, opposition demonstrations take place - so far they did not have much luck.
Behind the Republic Palace is the Upper Town - a lovely neighborhood to which also Ploshad Svabody belongs. There are several churches around and it’s a favorite of wedding couples for getting their pictures taken.
Crossing the Svislach river, I headed to Traetskae Pradmestse - here pre-war buildings were re-created to give an old town feeling.
After a thunderstorm just started, I used the chance and tried one of the restaurants there for lunch. I had potato pancakes filled with minced pork and mushroom sauce. Very delicious.
The metro took me back to the train station for the next part of the trip.
BonHotel
my room
Ploshad Nezalezhnastsi
At one side, there is the beautiful, 1910 built Church of SS Simon & Elena in red-brick.
If you go underground, you will find the Stolitsa Shopping Centre with foreign and local brand shops on three levels.
Church of SS Simon & Elena
Stolitsa Shopping Centre
Post Office Post Office
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Hotel Minsk
GUM Shopping Centre
Oktyabrskaya Ploshad
Behind the Republic Palace is the Upper Town - a lovely neighborhood to which also Ploshad Svabody belongs. There are several churches around and it’s a favorite of wedding couples for getting their pictures taken.
Concert Hall (Old Holy Spirit Church)
Church of Saint Virgin Mary
Minsk Town Hall
Holy Spirit Cathedral
Svislach River
After a thunderstorm just started, I used the chance and tried one of the restaurants there for lunch. I had potato pancakes filled with minced pork and mushroom sauce. Very delicious.
Getting dark - thunderstorm coming
Restaurant Korchma
Yummy!
Oktyabrskaya Metro Station
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