Getting to Belarus
Minsk National Airport
It’s easy to travel into Belarus by air, rail or land, with direct routes from most European and CIS countries
Flights to Belarus
Most travellers to Belarus arrive by plane. The National Airport in Minsk is the major national airport for Belarus. It is a modern airport with facilities including banks, restaurants and shops.
The national airline of Belarus is Belavia, which operates daily flights to many destinations in Europe and around the world, including:
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Abu Dhabi
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Amsterdam
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Astana
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Barcelona
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Berlin
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Warsaw
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Vienna
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Kiev
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London
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Moscow
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Paris
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Riga
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Rome
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St. Petersburg
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Tbilisi
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Frankfurt
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Tel Aviv
Other major airlines that fly into Minsk are:
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Aeroflot (Russia)
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Lufthansa (Germany)
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Аustrian Airlines
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Lot (Poland)
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Air Baltic (Latvia)
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Etihad Airways (United Arab Emirates)
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Air China
The first direct air service between Belarus and China was launched in May 2015. The route connecting Beijing, Minsk and Budapest became the longest route of Air China.
The airport is about 30km away from the city centre. Once you have cleared passport control you have a range of options to get to the centre of town:
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bus (hourly departures);
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train (a special shuttle bus takes you to the train station "National Airport Minsk" where you can take a train from Smolevichi to Minsk);
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taxi (pay around €25);
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hire a car (car hire is available in the Arrivals hall).
Belarus travel: by car
You can travel to Belarus by car from Europe and the CIS. There are several Belarus border crossings and an extensive road network running across the country.
You need an international driving licence to drive in Belarus. Traffic drives on the right. The motorway speed limit is 110 km/h.
Road signs are in Cyrillic, although signs at major junctions are also in Latin script.
Very few foreign travel insurance policies are accepted in Belarus. Insurance can be purchased at the border; charges start at 5 euros for 15 days.
As of 2013 Belarus has a digital system to collect road toll for the passage along motorways – BelToll.
The length of toll roads is 1 786km (MAP):
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motorway М1/Е30 Brest (Kozlovichi) – Minsk – the Russian border (Redki) (610km),
as well as individual sections of motorways:
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M2 Minsk – the National Airport Minsk,
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M3 Minsk – Vitebsk,
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M4 Minsk – Mogilev,
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M5/E271 Minsk – Gomel,
- M6/E28 Minsk – Grodno – the Polish border (Bruzgi),
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M7/E28 Minsk – Oshmyany – the Lithuanian border (Kamenny Log),
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P1 Minsk – Dzerzhinsk
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P21 Vitebsk – the Russian border (Liozno),
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P23 Minsk – Mikashevichi,
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P28 Minsk – Molodechno – Naroch,
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P99 Baranovichy – Volkovysk – Pogranichny – Grodno,
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Drive road to the Polish border from Р99 (Berestovica).
Passage along the motorways covered by the BelToll system:
chargeable – for drivers of vehicles:
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with the technical total weight of 3.5 tonnes and less (cars, passenger minibuses), which are registered outside the Customs Union,
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with the technical total weight of over 3.5 tonnes (trucks, buses, mobile homes).
free of charge – for drivers of vehicles with the technical total weight of 3.5 tonnes and less from countries of the Customs Union (Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan).
Exempt from road toll are as well:
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scooters and motorcycles,
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wheeled tractors and self-propelled vehicles, which are registered in Belarus,
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emergency vehicles,
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buses used for urban passenger transportation,
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vehicles used for defense and law enforcement purposes, vehicles used for emergency medical aid, mitigation of emergencies or the transportation of humanitarian cargoes.
Tariffs on the passage along Belarusian motorways have been set depending on the technical total weight of the vehicle and the number of axles and vary from €0.04 to €0.145 per 1km.
Mandatory condition – the presence of an onboard unit in the vehicle.
Click for detailed information about the usage of the BelToll system.
Belarus travel: by train
Belarus has excellent international rail links. You can take a train to Minsk from almost every major city in Europe and the CIS.
Minsk’s new Central Station is one of the largest in Europe. It’s open 24 hours a day and offers a wide range of facilities including:
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restaurants
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bars
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shops
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pharmacy
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lockers
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games room
Belarus travel: by bus
Most international bus arrivals in Belarus terminate at the Central Bus Station in Minsk.
Although there are few facilities at the bus station, it is located next to the Central Train Station and travellers are free to use the facilities there.
How do you arrange travel in Belarus?
There are a number of travel agencies in Belarus who can help you with your journey:
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