Belarus

Belarus
Information
Language:	Russian, Belarusian (not generally spoken)
Capital:	Minsk
Population:	9,800,000
Currency:	Belarusian Ruble (BRB)
Hitchability:	from (average) (average) to (very good) (very good)
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Belarus is an ex-USSR country in Eastern Europe. The European route E30 passes through it, entering at Brest on Polish border, and leaving at the Russian border between Orsha and Smolensk.

72% of the population live in towns and cities, and virtually all the population speaks Russian as their first language. In rural areas a mix of Russian and Belarusian may be spoken, but it is not a good idea to try to speak Belarusian (in the capital of the country you will especially be frowned upon by the police, as Belarusian is the language of governmental opposition). It is therefore better to make destinations signs in Russian when required

In big cities, especially Minsk, you can expect youth to speak at least some level of English. If you are hitch-hiking to Russia along E30/M1, expect some truck drivers to speak Polish as well as Russian.

Also, there are two versions of the Belarusian flag - the official one is red-green flag (also jokingly known as "dusk over a swamp"), whereas the one used by the opposition is a three-striped white-red-white flag. For your own safety, it is not advised to demonstrate it in public.

Customs and Borders

<map lat='53.8' lng='28' zoom='6' view='0' float='right' width='420' height='380'/>

Belarus is neither in the European Union nor in the Schengen Common Travel Area, and most non-CIS nationals would require a visa to enter the country. Please note that while there is no border control between Belarus and Russia if you are travelling by train, Belarusian transit visa is still required if you are transiting through the country going from Russia to Poland or vice versa.

Customs Locations (Entry Points)

With Poland:

• "Warsaw Bridge" (Варшавский мост) - the biggest crossing point located on E30 near Brest. Crossing is possible only in a vehicle.

With Latvia:

With Lithuania:

With Russia:

With Ukraine:

Cities

• Brest (rus: Брест, bel: Брэст, pol: Brześć)
• Gomel (rus, bel: Гомель)
• Grodno (rus: Гродно, bel: Гродна)
• Minsk (rus: Минск, bel: Мiнск)
• Mogilev (rus: Могилёв, bel: Магiлёў)
• Vitebsk (rus: Витебск, bel: Вiцебск)

This article is a stub. This means that the information available to us is obviously insufficient. In these places little information is available or the description is severely outdated. If you have been there, whether hitchhiking, for travel or as part of an organized tour − be sure to extend this article!

digi:world/Europe/Belarus cswiki:Belarus wikitravel:Belarus