Belarus

Capital Minsk

Population 9,498,700

Area 207,600 km2

Key facts

Belarus is a country located in Eastern Europe. There are 5 countries (Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russian Federation, Ukraine) that Belarus shares its borders with. As for languages, the country’s residents speak Belarusian and Russian. Unfortunately, if you speak English, it might be problematic to communicate fluently unless you know Belarusian.

In the EF English Competency Index (EF EPI), which assesses the language proficiency of non-native speaking countries, Belarus was ranked 38th out of 100 countries in 2021.

The national currency in Belarus is New Belarusian ruble (BYN). The ruble (р) is subdivided into 100 kapeyka (к).

Belarusian
Banknotes

5102050100200500

Belarusian
Coins

k1k2k5k10k20k5012

Check with your bank before your trip to find out if there are any fees for using your card abroad. Some banks do not charge fees when you use a foreign ATM or pay in foreign currency, but others may charge a fixed cost for each transaction or allow a limited number of free withdrawals. The travel card provided by Wise.com, Revolut or Monose might be an excellent option to cut down on transaction fees.

Ookla® Speedtest The average fixed internet speed in Belarus is 109.28 Mbps and mobile is 26.79 Mbs.The global average is 187.01 Mbps and 128.37 Mbps respectively.

ATM Density When compared to the world average, Belarus has more ATMs.57.30 ATMs per 100,000 people.The global average is 39.49.

SIM Registration In order to purchase a SIM card in Belarus, a passport or ID is required as identification.

Socket types

There are 2 socket types used in Belarus. Type C is a popular socket type throughout Europe (except the United Kingdom), Russia, and certain Asian countries.

Type C 220 V, 50 Hz  Type F 220 V, 50 Hz  

The sockets’ shapes and voltage differ from country to country and a travel plug adapter may be required. Portable devices, such as phones, notebooks or tablets, usually handle the entire range of voltages used across the world (110-240V).

Public holidays

In the year 2024, Belarus will celebrate 10 national public holidays. The next one Labour Day will take place on May 1.

Date Holiday name
January 1, 2024 New Year’s DayНовы год
January 2, 2024 New Year’s DayНовы год
January 7, 2024 Orthodox Christmas DayКаляды праваслаўныя
March 8, 2024 International Women’s DayМiжнародны жаночы дзень
May 1, 2024 Labour DayДзень працы
May 9, 2024 Victory DayДзень Перамогi
May 14, 2024Moving holiday Commemoration DayРадунiца
July 3, 2024 Independence DayДзень Незалежнасцi
November 7, 2024 October Revolution DayДзень Кастрычніцкай рэвалюцыі
December 25, 2024 Catholic Christmas DayКаляды каталiцкiя

Tourism

What hotel chains are present in Belarus?

There are Mariott hotels in Minsk.

The Hilton hotel chain operates in Belarus.

There are no IHG hotels in Belarus.

There are no Best Western hotels in Belarus.

There are no Radisson hotels in Belarus.

There are no Accor hotels in Belarus.

What fast food chains are present in Belarus?

The McDonald’s chain operates in Belarus.

The KFC chain operates in Belarus.

The Burger King chain does not operate in Belarus.

The Subway chain does not operate in Belarus.

The Domino’s Pizza chain does not operate in Belarus.

The Starbucks chain does not operate in Belarus.

Weather

What is the weather like in Minsk?

Today the sun in Minsk, rises at 6:50 AM and sets at 7:38 PM. The climate of Minsk may be categorized as a Humid continental (Dfb), according to Koppen’s classification system.

TodayMar 28OvercastLow: 3.2°C (37.76°F)High: 13.5°C (56.3°F)
FridayMar 29RainLow: 7.9°C (46.22°F)High: 13°C (55.4°F)
SaturdayMar 30OvercastLow: 7.1°C (44.78°F)High: 17.7°C (63.86°F)
SundayMar 31OvercastLow: 9.5°C (49.1°F)High: 22.9°C (73.22°F)
MondayApr 1RainLow: 11.7°C (53.06°F)High: 21.5°C (70.7°F)
TuesdayApr 2ThunderstormLow: 9.8°C (49.64°F)High: 22.3°C (72.14°F)

Weather data for Minsk (capital city) by Open-Meteo.com

Transport

Railways There are passenger trains operating between some cities.

Subway Systems The subway system is available in Minsk.

Taxi Apps Unfortunately neither Uber nor Bolt are available in Belarus.

Car Rental Hertz is available, but Avis , Sixt are not present in Belarus.

Road Connectivity Index (2016)  No data available.

Driving Side In Belarus traffic is right-handed.

Safety

Theft Occurrence Rate  429.00 thefts per 100,000 people in 2014.The global average is 544.

Road Traffic Casualties 7.60 deaths per 100,000 people in 2019.The global average is 16.74.

Travel Advisory Level (U.S. DoS)  Level 4: Do not travel. 

Emergency phones in Belarus

102 Police
103 Ambulance
103 Fire police

Sources

Smoking & Alcohol

Smoking ban No known rules against smoking, or no information is available.

Cananbis legality Both recreational and medicinal use of cannabis is prohibited.

You are not entitled to a duty-free allowance for tobacco or alcohol if you are under the age of 18.

Alcohol allowance

  • 3 liters of alcoholic products

Tobacco allowance

  • 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco or a set of these products weighing over 250g
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