I could stretch this article to the size of a telephone directory, telling you about the “Fairyland of Malivur”, eco-trails of various nature reserves and small estates scattered in different parts of the Minsk region. But all these are heroes of the third plan. And your life will not lose anything without a trip to the chalk quarries of Lyuban or to the agro-town of Rakov.
Therefore, in this article there will be only the main stars and only those sights of the Minsk region that made the most pleasant impression on me. I will tell you about haunted monasteries and giant cars from the Guinness Book of Records, about ancient distilleries (where you can taste Belarusian whiskey) and retreat hotels lost in the depths of Nalibokskaya Pushcha.
Let’s see what the Minsk region has to offer tourists. Articles about Vitebsk, Brest and Grodno turned out to be cool. I hope you enjoy this story too.
Nesvizh and his ghosts
The city is famous for legends about two ghosts at once. One – lives in Nesvizh Castle. Another is rumored to live in the former Benedictine monastery (on modern Chkalov Street).
Back in Soviet times, an assembly hall was opened in the former church of the 16th century, and a dormitory of the pedagogical college was built in the monastic cells. Since then, the building has been regularly featured in news bulletins. Then ancient burials are found in the basements. Then the frescoes of the 19th century begin to appear under a layer of paint. In 1989, the Soviet newspaper Znamya Yunosti first wrote about a ghost that was seen in the walls of the former monastery. And in 2019, enthusiasts from the projectUfo.com even conducted a separate investigation in order to piece together all the stories about local ghosts. You can read it here.
In the meantime, I’ll tell you about a few more places that are worth coming to Nesvizh for. While walking around the city, take a look at the Farny Church (1593) and the local town hall (16-18 c); find a small “Craftsman’s House” on the former market square and Slutsk Brahma (which is one of the few fragments of the former city fortifications).
In addition, before traveling to Nesvizh, I recommend that you take a look at the official website of the local castle (niasvizh.by ). Recently, jazz concerts and night theatrical quests have been regularly held within its walls, during which you can see the famous Black Lady and the sorcerer Pan Tvardovsky. Tickets cost 40 BYN, but “theatrical tours” take place only on certain dates.
Where to stay in Nesvizh? Personally, I liked the hotel “Bialystok”. In my opinion, this is the best option in terms of price/quality ratio.
How to get to Nesvizh? On minibuses (7667.by or dovezem.by ) or by train with a transfer to the city. Complex tours to Nesvizh and Mir Castle are also very popular in Minsk. You can check their cost here.
Nalibokskaya Pushcha: bison, mysticism and magic of forest lakes
Naliboki is an amazing place to come to for many different reasons. Do you want to tickle your nerves? Then go to the ruins of the “cursed” Tyshkevich manor and the abandoned sanatorium “Lesnoye” – which has become a real Mecca for various kinds of stalkers.
The author of the photo is Kira Litvyakova (@kira13li).
Photo from the website — hawat.by . Detailed information about the abandoned sanatorium can be found there.
Do you want to get in touch with nature? Then try kayaking on the Isloch River (turpohod.by) or take a walk along one of the ecotropes laid across the territory of the forest.
- The first one called Belokorets starts from the village of the same name and is built in the shape of an eight;
- The other one is Syabrinsky crossroads is more diverse. There are blueberry fields, swampy areas and even towers for observing bison.
There is also a beautiful lake in Nalibok (called Kroman), and water meadows where wild tarpan horses are bred, and a lot more. There is only one disadvantage in all this – it will be difficult to organize such a trip without a car. All details about the main natural park of the Minsk region can be found on the website nature reserve- naliboki.white.
Dzen Forest
There is also one very cool hotel in Nalibokskaya Pushcha, which I want to tell you about separately. This is not even a hotel, but a “forest ecosystem” with 16 small chalets, around which various spaces are built for mental rebooting.
There is a fireplace room with a library in the style of “keep silence”, and Japanese furako fonts, and spaces for yoga and meditation, and even various Zen practices (such as tea ceremonies and master classes in Japanese calligraphy). And all this in the middle of a dense forest. This is a very unusual format for Belarus. You can view all the details on the websitedzenforest.by . The hotel even organizes transfers itself.
BelAZ Plant and steel giants
If the heart asks for something more unusual, then send it to Zhodino, to the local BelAZ plant. There, in a huge enterprise that looks like a separate city, giant cars (as tall as a 3-storey building) are assembled.
Once upon a time, the sight of these powerful steel giants caused me complete delight. For several years in a row, the 75710 dump truck was the largest car on earth and was officially included in the Guinness Book of Records.
Imagine one wheel with a height of 4 meters! Recently, the Belshin plant (cooperating with BelAZ) has released a whole calendar dedicated to the theme of these very wheels.
Belshin’s factory calendar with the company’s employees.
And Minsk travel agencies began to regularly organize excursions to the factory in Zhodino. Now BelAZ is one of the most popular and unusual sights of the Minsk region.
You can view the cost of excursions here. You can also get to Zhodino by minibus No. 473 from the Vostok metro station.
Lake Naroch and Belarusian Atlantis
One of the most beautiful places in our country. You can come here for the sake of crimson sunsets overflowing over the water; or old legends about the “Belarusian Atlantis” – underground castles that supposedly still rest at the bottom of Naroch.
In 2024, a well-maintained beach called Urliki was opened on the lake. There is a VIP area with tents and sun loungers (30 BYN). And there is a free part, which also makes a very pleasant impression.
Wooden decking is equipped by the water. There are showers, toilets and changing rooms nearby. And near the beach there is a bar, a restaurant, a SUP-board rental and even an observation deck (which you can climb for 2 rubles).
There is also a yacht club on the lake (an hour of yacht rental costs 120-240 BYN, depending on the specific vessel). In October 2024, they promise to open a glamping near the beach.
Find all the details about the work and infrastructure of the beach in social networks @plyazh_urliki.
The author of the photo @iam.valeryia.
How do I get there without a car? By bus from the Central Station to the stop “ Naroch resort village“. And from there, 900 meters on foot. See the schedule and prices on the website ticketbus.by .
Myadel, “Blue Lakes” and other places near Lake Naroch
If you want to stay longer in Narochansky Park, pay attention to the tourist farm “Malinovka”. They offer a rather unusual All-inclusive holiday format. Guests are accommodated in retro huts of the XIX century, fed traditional dishes, organize gatherings in a sauna on the river and even conduct master classes on pumping honey.
You can view all the details here.
In the meantime, I’ll tell you about other interesting places located near Lake Naroch. If you love history, be sure to visit the town of Myadel to see the Baroque Church of Our Lady of Scapularia (1754)…
Meat. The author of the photo is Kasia Syromolot (@palasatka). Source — 34travel.me .
Or make a stop in the village of Nanosy, where the ethno-cultural complex of the same name is located (with wooden huts, a mill and a trophy hall, like in an ancient castle).
Not far from the village of Gatovichi there is a cozy Apothecary Garden (in the style of “Alice in Wonderland”). Here you can take a walk (5 BYN), buy herbal teas, sachets, steams and even care products. The perfect souvenir from the lake district.
Naroch agro-town also has its own distillery (or distillery ), founded back in the 19th century. Today, whiskey, gin, calvados and traditional Belarusian vodka (rye vodka with apple and pear leaves) are produced here.
At the same time, the production looks as colorful and even cinematic as possible.
The tasting tour costs 30 BYN (without tasting – 12 BYN). See all the details on the websitenarochdistillery.by .
Well, in search of unusual experiences, you can go towards the village of Olshevo, where the Blue Lakes nature Reserve is located. You can walk here only on special routes (4 or 7 km). But they include coniferous forests, secluded beaches, and wetlands with forest streams and small waterfalls. Therefore, the “Blue Lakes” are suitable for both a short walk and a rest for the whole day.
The author of the photo is Yulia Krutsko.
Entrance fee: 3 BYN. The coordinates of the ecotrope are 54.960451, 26.361573. You can find out all the details by calling +375 (17) 97 29884 and +375 (17) 97 29807.
Belarusian skansens
There are three large open-air museums in the Minsk region at once, where you can plunge into the past of Belarus. There are still Uniate churches and houses with thatched roofs; girls by the river let wreaths, and young nobles arrange saber battles.
Photo from the website parksula.by .
The closest to Minsk is the ethno-cultural complex “Strochitsy” in the village of Ozyortso. Buses No. 150 and No. 170s run from the Malinovka metro station to the museum, as well as minibus No. 1111, which runs almost through the entire city. The skansen itself is open every day, but I personally recommend going here during some kind of ceremonial reconstructions.
These days, tickets are more expensive – but you will be able to see with your own eyes how our ancestors celebrated spring, wooed, arranged the feast of the first cenacos, held “Viachorki”, dressed up on the eve of Christmas Yuletide and celebrated other important dates.
The poster of the upcoming events can be viewed on the websiteetna.by .
The Dudutki Museum of Ancient Crafts offers visitors something similar. Here you can drive goats, eat freshly baked bread from the oven, ride a cart and see how dolls were made from straw.
The complex has about 30 different locations – from a blacksmith shop and a cheese factory to a zoo and a bee hunter’s house. The museum also has its own tavern with author’s moonshine and half-forgotten dishes (like black bread with honey and pickled cucumber). Therefore, all excursions to this museum usually include several tastings.
You can view the cost of tours to Dudutki here.
Another interesting museum is located in village of Sula. Here you can trace 10,000 years of Belarusian history in one day – from pagan temples to knights’ castles.
There are ballrooms, a witch’s house with a pantheon of ancient gods, an armory, a Belarusian theater with a traditional batleyka, and even its own drakar by the lake, where you can ride. At the same time, everything around is as contact and interactive as possible.
One of the excursions to the Grand Duchy of Sula can be found here.
Zaslavl
One of the most ancient cities in Belarus (founded in the 10th century), and now it is just a quiet suburb of Minsk. High-speed trains run to the city (RW.BY ). Therefore, the journey from the central station takes only about half an hour.
As for interesting places, there are several of them in Zaslavl at once. These are:
- The Transfiguration Cathedral (16th century) on the site of the former Zaslavsky Castle;
- Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary (17th century);
- And a very unusual museum “Malyavanki” of Belarusian painted carpets made in a unique technique. Most of the carpets date back to the 30s and 40s of the last century. And I was sincerely inspired by these works.
Author Viktori@ smile.
If you are traveling with children, you can also take a look at the small but very colorful Museum of mythology and forests, located on the outskirts of Zaslavl. Look at the Snake King, mermaids, foresters and the goblin with burning eyes. The ticket price is 5 BYN.
A little bit about everything
Priluki
As a final chord, I will tell you about several more sights of the Minsk region, which for various reasons were not included in our main list. These are:
- Budslavsky Church (severely damaged by fire in 2021, but still remains one of the most majestic temples in Belarus);
- Chapsky Palace in Priluki;
- And the “mountains” of Logoisk, where you can ride funiculars against the background of endless forests.
You can read more about these places in the post at the link below.
BONUS
As an afterword, I want to share with you some short tips that will help you plan your trip around Belarus.
- You can find housing in Minsk here (there is a good selection of apartments and private apartments on this site);
- And in this reviewI have collected all the cheapest hotels in Minsk.
- To view the schedule of intercity transport is most convenient on the website ticketbus.by .
- And in order to check the routes of city buses, trolleybuses and trams, use the websiteminsk.btrans.by .
- For navigation in the city – I recommend the free offline (!) navigator MAPS.me .
You can read more about all the nuances associated with a trip to Belarus in a large article at the link below.
And now I just have to say goodbye. I hope my story helped you to get to know the sights of the Minsk region a little better, and to get interesting ideas for future trips.
