Information about visa requirements, fees, restaurants, prices, and so forth, change very quickly, so refer to any of those things in the following publications as only a very approximate guide.
Have a wonderful and safe visit!
Also refer to the other topical documents for travelers, including pregnant travelers and travelers with children, that are found in the travel directory.
Note: Select "Belarus" in "country" window; then select city, etc.
"The focus of the International Student Travel Confederation (ISTC) is to develop, promote and facilitate travel among young peoplestill undergoing their formal education. This is pursued from a global perspective, aimed at increasing international understanding."
"Since 1968 about 20 million students have owned the International Student Identity Card as the sole student identity and travel card. This credit-card size plastic document, enriched by a hologram and displaying the holder's photograph and personal details, commonly known as ISIC, enables the holder to obtain numerous discounts on air, rail, ferry and bus fares. In addition, benefits include entrance fees to cinemas & theaters, concerts, cultural and special events as well as free entrance to museums, art galleries and sites of historical interest. As an Identity Card, ISIC is also used on several campuses, banks and other public places. " File last updated: 1996/09/25
ISIC
St. Kongensgade 40 H
DK - 1264 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Phone: (+45) 3311 2155
Fax: (+45) 3391 4353
E-mail contact: isicinfo@istc.org
Go to the Belarusian Writers Web page Go to the Books about Belarus Web page Go to the A Belarus Miscellany Topic List
Information about visa requirements, fees, restaurants, prices, and so forth, change very quickly, so refer to any of those things in the following publications as only a very approximate guide.
Have a wonderful and safe visit!
Russia, Belarus & Ukraine by Rail Guidebook by Athol Yates; published by Bradt Publishing, UK, (June, 1996).
Please send updates to Athol Yates' internet e-mail address
The Globe Corner Bookstore - Books and Maps for the Traveler
Minsk in Your Pocket
Thorough guide booklet to Mensk, with some information about Belarus in general, that does fit in your pocket--and it is also on the Web (see below). Printed twice per year in Lithuania, though not all information is updated. 6,000 copies (3,000 each in English and Russian). Summer, 1997, issue advises, don't pay more than one dollar for it [approximately 60,000 Belarusian rubles--July, 1998].
Note: For a no-nonsense guide with a lot of "official", government of Belarus-sounding information, refer to the entry here for Belarus: Business & Tourist Guide.
PO Box 52, 2000 Vilnius-C, Lithuania
Tel: +370 2 22 29 78; Fax: +370 2 22 29 82; Advertising: +370 2 61 20 40
E-mail: vivp@post.omnitel.net
Minsk in Your Pocket Web site
Said to be found in Mensk at the major hotels (e.g., Hotel Orbita is your best bet) and news kiosks near them but it can be very difficult to locate a copy. People who have copies will often let you look at their copies, but almost never let go of them--that speaks volumes about the value of this little guide. Although unlikely, sometimes used book shops will have older copies, plus the whole thing is on the Web (see Web address, above).
"In Your Pocket Publications Satire-laden travel guides to cities in the Baltics and Belarus contain all the information any potential visitor could need!"
Eight Days a Week
Belarus: Business & Tourist Guide
A no-nonsense guide to Belarus, though it appears to depend too much on official government of Belarus information (thus limiting its usefulness for the potential investor, but possibly good for a laugh for the knowledgeable tourist). It does contain a lot of useful information, especially brief, factual entries for basic information about each major city in Belarus, and I do recommend picking up a copy.
For an antidote to the drab, Soviet architecture and possibly equally drab attitudes in Mensk, a much better guide is Minsk in Your Pocket. If you're in a restaurant with "Soviet-style" service, it will give you hours worth of reading while you are waiting for your waitress. . . .
First produced in 1996 or 1997, its second edition appeared in 1998. Apparently intended more for the business visitor, rather than for the tourist. [NB. Although there are not many of either in 1997-1998, there are probably more of the latter, including as part of humanitarian relief organizations.]
The booklet appears to successfully depend upon advertising, so if you're also interested in a Belarus tractor or buying steel wholesale, get this guide! (There are other advertisers as well.)
Available from: publisher; possibly other sources, such as hotels (I will research this).
Tel:/Fax: +375 (17) 265-7350; 268-8794
Russia, Ukraine & Belarus: A Travel Survival Kit; Lonely Planet books, 1st edition by John Noble, Richard Nebesky, Andrew Humphreys, Nick Selby & George Wesely. ISBN: 0 86442 320 9 960pp & 150 maps
A$32.95 - US$24.95 - UKñ4.95 - S$39.95 - C$29.95 - 180,00FF
Most of the Web sites in the following have "place holders" for information about Belarus on the Web.
Note: Do use your Web search engines and access the listservs, usenet newsgroups, and chat forums to find the latest information. Things change very quickly.
TEL: (172) 269 840 FAX: (172) 231 143 Telex: 252270
TEL: (212) 757 3884; (212) 757 3885 FAX: (212) 459 0031
PO Box #150, 43 Prospekt Skoriny, Minsk 220005, Republic of Belarus
tel. (37517) 284-67-66, 284-71-71, 284-74-74, fax (37517) 210-13-62
E-mail: mail@smoktravel.com
"Please visit our other web-site at www.chernobyl.org.uk to see what we are doing and hope to do."