10 Days Highlights of Belarus

About the destination: Minsk is a big city by the river Svislač. It is the capital of Belarus and is a progressive and modern place full of fashionable cafes, impressive restaurants and crowded nightclubs. Almost totally obliterated during WWII, it was rebuilt in a typical Soviet style: huge boulevards, all perpendicular to the other, huge classicist or functionalistic buildings in the centre and huge blocks of apartments in the close outskirts. Nonetheless, Minsk is an exciting city to visit with a deep old history and culture. The National Library of Belarus is probably the most famous modern building in whole Belarus. The National Library of Belarus was founded in 1922. The current 72 m tall building was completed in summer 2006 and consists of 22 storeys. It was designed in the form of a diamond and on top of the building is an open-air observation pad offering superb views over the city. Troitskoye Predmestye,Trinity Suburb, is the name of Minsk’s old town. The name comes from the former Trinity Church that once stood in the area. After the renovation this part was turned into an open-air museum where one can enjoy the stone architecture of the 19th century. Many buildings are located in the Trinity Suburb like museums, antique shops, souvenir stores, cafes, restaurants and art galleries. Trinity Suburb is a gem of the city's architecture where one can enjoy the old Minsk and get familiar with its cultural heritage. Minsk is a very interesting place and it has some very nice parts as well, a lively nightlife and very nice and friendly people.

About the destination: Brest is the third oldest city in Belarus. The Old Town of Brest is pretty small. Sovetskaya Street, a short walk away from Gogolya or Lenina Street, is closed for the traffic and is a nice place to walk around at night with a good choice of cafes and restaurants. Other sights worth a visit in Brest include the Orthodox Church of St. Simeon in Masherova Avenue, and others historic tourist attractions.