Once upon a time, I was proud to say that in all my travels I always do without excursions and guides. But now, on the contrary, I often notice that an interesting excursion in itself can become an excuse for a trip. In this article, I have collected 14 similar examples that can inspire you to hit the road. Everything will be here – from giant trucks and the “Belarusian Chernobyl” to little-known castles and mystical quests on the streets of the old city. In general, I will try to surprise you. Let me show you which excursions in Belarus I personally consider the best.
“Secrets of the city”
A mystical quest through the streets of Grodno. In fact, it is something between an excursion and a theatrical performance, the scenery for which are the old streets of the city. There will be a ghost of a nun walking near the walls of the Brigitte Monastery, and dark stories about medieval knights, and a bit of magic that can revive centuries-old legends.
I have never seen anything like this in Belarus before. Therefore, if you are going to Grodno, be sure to pay attention to this project. Even for those who are not in this city for the first time, it will help them discover something new.
You can view all the details on this page.
Theatrical backstage
Excursions with a mystical touch are also available in Minsk ( here, for example, is one of these). But the scale of the action there is not as impressive as in Grodno. Therefore, in this article they will be only as short mentions.
Another thing is this excursion to the Bolshoi Theater. Here she is really worthy of attention.
You will be taken backstage, shown the rehearsal halls and workshops where the scenery is being created, told about the history of the most famous performances and what happened on the legendary stage in different years. The Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre is one of the main ones in the country. And such excursions are a great chance to get into its atmosphere and see how much work is hidden behind each performance.
Prostitutes, bras and stories “about it”
Several unusual walks can also be found with private guide Victoria Murashko. For example, she has tours of bars with a story about the drinking culture in Belarus, as well as a very cool project “The intimate history of Minsk“. You will find out where the first brothels were located in the capital, what documents their workers received, and how society’s attitude to sex changed at different stages of history.
You can read all the details and sign up for a tour here. Recently, this walk has become very popular among the residents of Minsk itself.
Tractors and beer
Continuing the topic of Minsk, I will write a couple of lines about various industrial enterprises. I have recently told you how in early summer I went on a tour of the Minsk Tractor Plant – and was completely delighted with it.
Just imagine – a huge factory the size of 200 football fields. Inside there are squares, a railway and 33 streets with separate postal addresses. At various times, the number of its employees reached 30 thousand people (which is three times more than the population of the conditional Kopyl). Therefore, MTZ is a real city within a city. And to visit such a place is a very interesting experience.
You can sign up for a tour of the factory, for example, here.
If you wish, you can also look inside the Alivaria plant. In case anyone doesn’t know, this is the oldest brewery in the country. Their excursion program includes the so-called “Historical Route”, which allows you to trace the history of Belarusian brewing since 1864.
You will walk around the 19th century building, walk through the halls with antique equipment and see modern workshops. The cost of such an excursion is 30 BYN. You can view all the details on the websitealivariamuseum.by .
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
As a final chord, I will tell you about another similar excursion – to the Kommunarka factory, where a variety of sweets, waffles and chocolate are produced on an industrial scale. You will see how chocolate bars are poured, walk through the waffle shops and go to a candy tasting. For a hike with children, this is a good option. All the details can be viewed on this page.
Ghost villages and shadows of Chernobyl
Let’s move from non-banal formats of excursions to non-banal destinations for trips. And here my main favorite is Polessky Radiation Reserve. It is located in the far south of the country – in those regions that were completely depopulated after the accident onChernobyl nuclear power plant. For many years without people, these regions have become a very special place. Here, posters of former Soviet leaders still hang in abandoned towns and villages, abandoned ships rust at silent berths, and wild bison roam among dense forests just like that.
It is only in recent years that tourists have begun to travel to this reserve en masse. There are 7 routes laid along the Belarusian part of the exclusion zone (although only 2 of them are available at the time of writing this text).
The classic route includes deserted schools, an abandoned flour factory, an abandoned cultural center, former post office and hospital buildings, as well as a dental nursery and a ferry crossing. All excursions are designed for 1 day. Find out more about the routes on the websitezapovednik.by . Private companies also organize trips to the exclusion zone, for example, “Going to the people” (walktofolk.by ).
Little-known locks
However, you can go to the south of the country not only for the sake of abandoned villages and wild bison, but also for the sake of little-known castles. For example, for the sake of the palace in Zhilichi (which is often called the Belarusian Versailles) or for the sake of the estate Krasny Bereg (which they like to compare with Notre Dame). The first palace is famous for its golden halls and huge columns in the Greek style. The other is with pointed towers and bizarre gargoyles on the facades.
At the same time, both palaces are perfectly preserved not only from the outside, but also inside. And this is almost a unique phenomenon for Belarus. There are coffered ceilings, Ionic frescoes on the walls, and halls in a rare Moorish style. Therefore, it is definitely worth seeing these places. They are not inferior to the famous castles in the World and Nesvizh in anything.
Auto photo: Kasia Syramalot, @palasatka. Source — 34travel.me
You can check the cost of excursions to Zhilichi and Krasny Bereg here.
Tour of picturesque ruins
In general, the Belarusian land is literally dotted with castles, palaces and ancestral estates. The history of such places has been going on for centuries. But unfortunately (or fortunately?), many of them are now in an abandoned state.
Photo of the Dormant spadchyna project (@spiachaya.spadchyna)
There is a whole photo project on social networks – @spiachaya.spadchyna – entirely dedicated to the picturesque ruins of our country. And the Minsk travel agency Zefir travel has created a special tour of the “Scattered Nests” – the most beautiful noble estates that now lie in ruins.
Yastrembel. Photos from the website — planetabelarus.by .
You can find out more on the websitezefirtravel.by or by phone +375 (29) 113 71 71 (Viber). The route includes the Gothic Kotlubaev manor in the village of Yastrembel, the eerie tomb of the Reitans in Grushevka, the romantic Bokhvitsa house in Pavlinovo and many other locations, which I once wrote about in my article about the sights of the Brest region.
Tomb Reitanov is in the village of Grushevka. Photo — travel project “Volan de Moor” (@volan_de_myyr).
Ancient swamps, walks among the stars and other trips to nature
Recently, quite a lot of interesting excursions with a natural bias have appeared in Belarus. You can go to observe bison in Nalibokskaya Pushcha. Or go on a “Walk through the stars” with Belarusian astronomer Viktor Malyshits.
For a long time he was engaged in shooting the starry sky, and then began to conduct excursions to places where this very sky looks most beautiful at night. You can read more about such trips on the websitewalktofolk.by .
Starry night in Pripyatsky National Park, author of both images @viktar_malyshchyts.
Another cool destination for nature excursions is Yelnya swamp. People come here to listen to the trills of black cranes, swim among the crystal lakes and look at the endless fields dotted with ripe cranberries.
Photos from social networks. The author is @colors_mars.
The most popular project organizing trips to these parts is called yelnyatrip. If you are interested in seeing a swamp that is more than 9,000 years old, be sure to check out their page.
A few platitudes
As a final chord, you can also recall excursions to the BelAZ plant (where the largest cars on the planet are assembled) or trips to Mir and Nesvizh (which have already become real Belarusian classics). But you probably already know about them without me. Therefore, today they will be only as worthy of mention. And that’s it for me. Bye, everyone! I hope my story will help you choose interesting excursions in Belarus and make your trip a little brighter.
