In winter, to Belarus by car. Automobile trip to Belarus. How to travel around Belarus without a car using public transport

The Russian Federation has banned the import of crop products from Moldova through Belarus. According to the Rosselkhoznadzor, the import of these products into the Russian Federation will be possible only through checkpoints located in the Belgorod, Kursk and Bryansk regions. In addition, the products must be accompanied by Moldovan phytosanitary certificates issued to recipients registered on the territory of the Russian Federation. This measure is due to the fact that the Rosselkhoznadzor notes a further increase in the supply of suspicious plant products of Moldovan origin through Belarus, the service explains.

Report on a trip to Belarus by car in the spring of 2017. Walk around Vitebsk and Minsk, "Ostrov" We got acquainted with the information on the Internet and knew that Belarus is very strict with violations There is a museum on Victory Square in Vitebsk military equipment, where you can look at The apartment had everything you need for have a nice rest after a long road.

The most difficult thing in organizing a trip around Belarus by car was to decide on the route, because it’s so difficult to fit in 5 days

From all countries former USSR The easiest way to get to Belarus is by car. Although the path from Moscow to Minsk is not close, 720 kilometers, it can be overcome very quickly with full observance of the speed limit, in just eight hours.

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There are a lot of photo and video recording cameras along the way, both from the Russian and Belarusian sides. The local traffic police does not forgive violators. Exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 km / h can cost up to 7,000 rubles. And this is not the most severe punishment. For a repeated violation, you will have to part with your rights for up to a year.

Two companies came under suspicion of optimizing taxes and duties by these companies. This, according to RIA Novosti, was announced on Friday, March 118, by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich. He stressed that we are not talking about some kind of global revision of relations in this area between Russia and Belarus, and the recommendations concern only two companies : Taneko (part of Tatneft) and Salavatnefteorgsintez (part of Gazprom). In addition, not the final products, but the raw materials for their production, fell under the restriction.

What you need to know for drivers who are going to go to Belarus by car. In this regard, many motorists are interested in what features and difficulties those drivers who are going to go to Belarus by car may face.

How to go, where to live and what to see in fraternal Belarus, if Pleasant appearance and good equipment, combined with a low price, is what a car buyer needs in the secondary market. To travel to Belarus, Russians do not even need a passport.

There is no need to prepare for crossing the border, because, by and large, there is none. All preparation consists only in the purchase of a "Green Card" - a compulsory car insurance policy for traveling abroad. If you travel only in Belarus, the cost of the document will be only about 900 rubles. It is almost impossible to forget about this nuance - along the road starting from Smolensk there are constantly kiosks with huge signs "Green Card". In order not to waste time on the road, it is better to arrange everything in advance.

Directly at the border, customs officers can selectively stop cars to check documents, but this does not take time anyway. Giant traffic jams and queues should not be expected even on holidays. The quality of the road is excellent almost all the way, except for a couple of repaired sections with two lanes for traffic in each direction. The Belarusian part of the route is better in every sense and not only in terms of the quality of the coverage. Firstly, the speed limit is higher here - 120 against Russian 90 km/h. Secondly, the highway never passes through populated areas, so you can drive all the way from the border to Minsk without changing your speed at all.

This is a response to the violation of the agreement on the supply of fuel to Russia"This is due to the fact that Minsk does not comply with the agreement on mutual fuel supplies, upsetting the balance of supplies," the source said.

What documents are needed for Belarus by car. The main thing to take If you decide to go to Belarus by car in 2018, then we managed to see Vitebsk alone by car, we did not regret that we decided to go to Belarus by car.

By car to Belarus what you need to know: toll roads in Belarus for Russians. What to see in Belarus by car. In order to get into it, you need to pass two exits to Lida and move along the highway towards Grodno.

However, on long holiday weekends, it is better to leave Moscow in advance. Although leaving at five in the morning on a weekend or on the night from Friday to Saturday, few people can please, but even half an hour of delay will affect the total time on the road. In addition to the traditional traffic from summer residents and other vacationers, the situation is aggravated by repairs in the Minsk direction in the Kubinka area. At 7-11 in the morning on the way from Moscow and at 19-22 when returning back, you can lose here more than an hour. As an option - go around through Novorizhskoe highway and Ruza.

It is better to refuel up to the border "to the eyeballs", because in Belarus gasoline is on average 3-4 rubles more expensive per liter. Savings are not significant, but nonetheless. Taking into account a trip to Brest and around Minsk, with an average fuel consumption of 7.8 liters per hundred on our Suzuki Vitara, 7,500 rubles were spent on gasoline. Even if you go not with a company, but at least together, it will turn out to be significantly cheaper than by any other mode of transport.

That evening, the presidential press secretary had a fight with a child and could not sleep, “We all live a simple human life. I had a normal evening. When you come home from work somewhere after 12 at night, sometimes you can’t sleep. Wife on a business trip. Quarreled with the child for the "deuce", can not sleep. That's how he was in sweatpants, got into the car, went to wash, ”Peskov explained.

Belarus is a foreign country, but you do not need visas to visit it. I will not talk much about the tragedy of Khatyn - everyone knows about it. The journey to Belarus by car was coming to an end. It was a pity to leave, we liked this hospitable country so much.

Watch the video about a trip to Belarus by car: Where to stay in Belarus? It is simply impossible to travel to Belarus by car for a few days and do without hotels or a hotel, but there are many such places. They are also in Minsk, and even on the territory of some

It is worth taking care immediately upon entering Belarus about local currency. Pair exchange offices there is literally a few kilometers after the border. If you miss them, there will be nowhere to change money until Minsk itself. However, there is still no problem. In Belarus, and in the most shabby roadside cafes, where it’s scary just to be, they accept bank cards.

You can see a lot in three days. Mir and Nesvizh castles with picturesque parks and museum complex Dudutki is located very close to the capital, the road will take no more than an hour. In Minsk itself, getting around by car is not difficult. The avenues are wide, the interchanges are simple, and there are few cars. And the main attractions are concentrated in the city center. You can leave your car and take a taxi - given the small area of ​​Minsk, almost any trip will cost no more than 500 rubles.

Single rooms in three-star hotels on holidays cost an average of 2.5 thousand rubles. It is convenient to rent apartments for a company - for one person it turns out even cheaper. And, of course, there is no limit to perfection.

In cafes and restaurants, Russians will feel like millionaires. True, we must still try to dine for more than a million Belarusian rubles. Food in Minsk and during the influx of tourists is inexpensive. Without denying yourself anything, in restaurants, most likely, you will not leave more than 2,500 rubles a day.

As for the upcoming Victory Day, events in Minsk in the Stalin Line complex will last from May 7 to 9. You can see the reconstruction of the battle for Berlin. Fireworks will take place on the day of the holiday at 22:00. The concert program, also ending with fireworks, will also take place in the Brest Fortress. However, only residents of neighboring regions will be able to stay for the celebrations in Brest and return to the working day. The return trip from Minsk to Moscow is more than 1000 kilometers, which, despite good road will take a lot of time and effort.

The new Xbox One S: everything you need to know.
As part of the E3 exhibition, Microsoft introduced a "refined" variation of the Xbox One game console. New model with the letter S (Slim - "thin") is 40% more compact than its predecessor, while it supports the output of content in a very high, 4K resolution. In addition to 4K Ultra HD, Xbox One S features HDR (high dynamic range) support for games and videos, a USB port that has been moved to the front for easier access, and a new infrared sensor. On the other hand, the novelty was deprived of a dedicated port for Kinect.

MOSCOW, July 21 - RIA Novosti, Sergey Belousov. Belarus is open for Russians in every sense of the word, and a trip there is not much different from a visit, for example, by a resident of Pskov to the Smolensk region. However, the laws for motorists in this country still have their own characteristics. About the intricacies of traveling by car to the fraternal republic - in the material of RIA Novosti.

No paperwork

The automobile border between Russia and Belarus changed dramatically in early 2017: now there are Russian border guards at all checkpoints who carefully check passports and other documents. At the beginning of the year, the Belarusian authorities simplified the rules for entering the country for citizens of 80 states, so the Russian side was forced to take such measures.

However, Russians and Belarusians should not worry: it is enough to show their national passports and calmly cross the border without unnecessary inspections and delays. Medical insurance citizens of Russia are not required, the only additional document for the car will be the international civil liability insurance policy "Green Card". It can be purchased in advance or bought right at the border. If the trip is planned only through the territory of Belarus, then the European OSAGO will cost about 750 rubles (at the border - up to a thousand rubles). It is better not to neglect the purchase of a policy, the fine for its absence will be 3.5 thousand rubles.

Free for paid

More than 1.5 thousand kilometers in Belarus toll roads, however Russian cars weighing up to 3.5 tons, as well as cars of other countries - members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), are exempt from payment.

The speed limit in Belarus is the same as ours: 60 km/h in populated areas, 90 km/h outside the city and 110 km/h on motorways marked with a green background. On six highways, including the main M1 / ​​E30 (Moscow - Minsk - Brest), through which most Russians get to Belarus, the speed has been increased to 120 km / h, as indicated by the corresponding signs.

Gasoline costs a little less than in Russia: AI-95 - an average of about 38 rubles (we have about 40 rubles). A few years ago, it was possible to pay at Belarusian gas stations Russian rubles, but since 2015 the country has switched to cash only in national currency. As an option, there are always bank cards.

Crimes and punishments

Belarusian rules traffic similar to ours, except for some details. There, for example, you can move around during daylight hours without dipped headlights on, and no one will be punished for fog lights that work during the day. But young drivers are treated more strictly: if your driving experience is less than two years, in Belarus you can drive at a maximum speed of 70 km / h, moreover, you must stick an appropriate sign on the car in the form of the number 70 in a red circle. Penalties for such drivers are calculated accordingly: if an inexperienced driver drives at a permitted speed of 120 km/h, then it is considered that he exceeds the speed limit by 50 km/h with all the consequences.

Fines are measured in base units (BV). From January 1, 2017, one BV is equal to 23 denominated Belarusian rubles, which is about 700 of our rubles. In Belarus, you can easily lose about seven thousand for the usual spitting through open door during movement. An unfastened seat belt is not so "dangerous" - a warning or a fine of 700 rubles.

There will be no fine for driving 10 km / h faster than the permitted fine, but then everything is very strict. Exceeding just 30 km/h in terms of severity of punishment is no different from driving at a speed of 250 km/h: from two to seven thousand rubles. Repeated violations will result in disqualification. But this is only if you are caught by traffic cops. Cameras in Belarus are much more loyal than law enforcement officers: the maximum fine for driving in excess of the speed limit by 40 km / h or more will be about four thousand rubles.

For driving into the oncoming lane, they will be fined seven thousand rubles or their license will be taken away for a year, they will issue a warning or require a fine of 1.4 thousand rubles for talking on the phone while driving, and 700 rubles or a warning for violating parking rules. In connection with the latest changes in the traffic rules of Russia, which made it possible to transport a child between the ages of seven and 12 in the back seat without using seats, it should be noted that different rules apply in Belarus. A child between the ages of five and 12 must sit either in a seat or on a booster or special cushion that allows them to be safely fastened using seat belts.

Drunks and drug addicts are not liked in Belarus: the punishment for them will be from 35 to 70 thousand rubles, plus deprivation of rights for three years. The same threatens for refusing to undergo a medical examination. By the way, the permissible level of alcohol content in the exhaled air is 0.3 ppm (previously it was 0.5).

You will probably have to pay fines, because local traffic cops are allowed to pick up foreign citizens rights until debt repayment. The Procedural and Executive Code of the Republic of Belarus on Administrative Offenses allows you to do this in cases of speeding and violation of parking rules. Both "crimes" must without fail be recorded by special technical means working in automatic mode, read - cameras in the traffic police car or mobile radars. No money? Then, instead of rights, you will be given a temporary permit.

In addition to the police, hundreds of cameras monitor the order on the roads of Belarus. You will be caught speeding, and before the border your car can be "caught" by a camera that checks foreign cars according to the base of violations. You will have to pay at the nearest control and payment point (PKO). For example, along the M1 / ​​E30 highway, it is 20 km from the border with Russia.

In early September, Nina and Yevgeny and I went by car to Belarus. We had five full days, for which we managed to see a huge number of sights, live in a castle, shoot from a machine gun, taste delicious Belarusian cuisine and drive more than 2000 kilometers on excellent roads.

Traveling in Belarus

How greedy for the sights Nina and Natasha made up the route

Castles of Belarus

It turned out to be the easiest to agree on where and for how many days to go, because as soon as we opened the guidebook and other sources, it immediately became clear that it would be very difficult to satisfy our appetites for five days. Nina was ready to overcome 800 km a day, but to have time to look both to the north of Belarus and to the south-west. I wanted to make more optimal route to drive less a day, but watch more. As a result, we decided that we would choose the sights that are located along our path, which will start from the Nesvizh Castle and continue north around Minsk. To make it clearer, we can figuratively represent our route as follows. If we mentally put a compass on the map at the point "Minsk" and draw a radius of about 150 km from north to northwest, we will get approximately our route.

You can read more about our travel preparation, hotel reservations and so on in separate article.
This is what our route looked like on the map.

View Route in Belarus on a larger map

After studying the information about the sights of Belarus, we made a trip plan that covers some of the must-see places in the country.

Travel plan for Belarus by car

1 day. Road by car Moscow - Nesvizh. Overnight at the Nesvizh Castle (See. first day of travel in Belarus).
Day 2 Nesvizh palace and park complex- Mir Castle. Overnight at the Nesvizh Castle (See. second day of travel in Belarus)
Day 3 Kossovo, Ruzhany, Slonim, Synkovichi, Novogrudok, Lida. Overnight in Lida (See. the third day of the trip to Belarus).
Day 4 Lida Castle, Zaslavl and the Day of Belarusian Literature (more details here), Stalin Line, Smolensk. Overnight in Smolensk.
Day 5 A short walk around Smolensk and the road to Moscow (See to how to see Smolensk in half a day).

Belarusian national costume

Fields, roads and Belarusian expanses

Before the trip, we read on the Internet that Belarus had very good roads, which were vehemently opposed to ours. As soon as we crossed the border, we were a little surprised because the road surface was old and not very smooth. But, in fact, we did not come as road service auditors, so we began to look around.

We were moving along the M1 highway, constantly passing signs with information about paid sections roads. You should not be afraid, since 2012 all roads have become free, but for some reason the signs have not been removed. The speed limit is 120 which is very comfortable.
The first thing that catches your eye is the sown fields and a huge number of tractors. Perhaps, they have a tractor on the road with the same frequency as Infinity jeeps in Moscow.

Tractor Belarus

On the roads you can also meet a harnessed horse.

In Belarus

Since it was September outside, most The harvest has already been removed, the fields have been watered with natural fertilizers ... the aromas were simply “magic”.
On the way, we constantly came across fields sown with fodder corn, turnips, once we passed a field of sunflowers, but Nina and Zhenya really did not let them climb into it. Well, at least they let me pick corn, and thanks for that.
By the way, after we drove a few kilometers from the border with Russia, the road became very good, both the highway and secondary roads.

And everywhere perfect cleanliness. As if the streets are washed with shampoo.
It can be seen that agriculture is well developed in Belarus. The fields are cultivated, cattle graze in the villages, locally produced products are sold in shops, many trucks carrying milk, meat, sausages, etc. drive along the road.

Belarusian cows

The decorations made of straw, bags and other improvised items, which glorify farmers and talk about how many tons of crops were harvested this year, look funny along the road.

Traveling in Belarus

In general, folk art is very developed, even in cities you can find such compositions .. Cheap, but beautiful, right?

Composition

The signs along the road are almost all written in Belarusian language. In general, everything is clear, although a bit unusual, because in the Belarusian language almost everywhere “A” is placed where we have “O”, “E” - where “E” is. For example, "dvarets" - is it clear? The only time we had a misunderstanding with the Belarusian language was the search for the city of Zaslavl. It turned out that in Belarusian, it is written Zaslaўe, so we drove past the sign. In addition to signs, museums have price lists and work schedules in Belarusian, but absolutely everyone speaks Russian.

Commercial signs, such as posters, we met almost always in Russian. Once we were walking through one of the towns, and on the fence of a private house there was a large banner advertising a concert by the Belarusian singer Koldun. Zhenya was very surprised that psychics earn so well here that they can afford to buy such advertising space. And then he was surprised again when he found out that this was such a surname.

Along the roads, as in Europe, everywhere there are brown tourist signs for each attraction, and the more significant the attraction, the more often and for more far distance pointers appear from it.
Photo
We had a road map of Belarus, a guide with a poor description of how to get to interesting objects, that was enough. Navigator Garmin, despite the update before the trip of maps, knew only Minsk and a couple more major cities which we didn't need.

The story about the M1 road to Belarus is here.

Nature of Belarus

A trip to Belarus can be a great anti-stress adventure. In the country Fresh air, beautiful nature, many kilometers of fields, creating a feeling complete freedom, delicious high-calorie and natural food, a sea of ​​​​architectural and natural attractions, as well as opportunities for active rest: fishing, hunting, rafting, horseback riding, hiking, cycling, walking along the routes in national parks. This topic is endless, it is impossible to cover everything in one note.

Nature of Belarus

As part of this journey, we have chosen for ourselves cultural tourism, but next time we will definitely come again for fishing and visiting national parks.
If you like outdoor recreation, then Belarus is perfect for this and can be a great alternative to Finland and other lakes. European countries. Especially in financial terms, because prices in the country are one and a half times lower. If we talk about the service, then what kind of service do you need for outdoor recreation?

In Belarus there is a large number of agriturismo is something between a holiday home and the private sector. There are farmsteads different levels, you can live in a real village with all the ensuing consequences, or you can choose a comfortable house. Usually farmsteads offer Additional services in the form of home meals, horse riding, organizing fishing, hunting and various excursions.
The next time I plan to stay at the farmstead, I think it is very interesting and unusual.

About the sights of Belarus

The sights of Belarus deserve to be told about them separately, since you can’t fit everything in one small paragraph. Interesting places of this country can be divided into several large groups: natural (for example, Belovezhskaya Pushcha), architectural (castles, estates, palaces), ethnographic (Dududka Museum near Minsk), memorable places associated with the Great patriotic war(Khatyn, Brest Fortress), pilgrimage and religious places(Cathedral in Polotsk, etc.). We did not set ourselves the goal of covering the immensity, so we strictly followed the planned route. Looking ahead, I’ll say that this was more than enough, since we were overwhelmed with impressions at the end of the trip.

Once Belarus was called "a country of castles", of which there were a lot. But even today one can be surprised by the special beauty of the castles of Belarus, first of all, Mir Castle (included in the list world heritage UNESCO) and Nesvizh Castle.

Mir Castle

For tourists, a whole a tourist route, which includes both restored castles (for example, Lida Castle) and picturesque ruins.

Ruins of Novogrudok castle

We independently visited the ruins of the Kossovsky castle, the ruins of the Palace in Ruzhany saw the remains of the towers of the Novogrudok castle. All these places are covered interesting legends, historical events. In general, we were impressed and with a great desire to return.

Having traveled through Belarus, we got the impression that tourists are clearly expected here. I didn’t notice the country’s advertising in our country, but it is clear that the state program for the restoration of architectural values ​​​​and the preservation of natural attractions is working effectively. Funds are being invested in the restoration of castles and palaces, ethno-museums have been created, ancient churches and other churches are operating.

Some towns in the country are similar to Poland and Baltic countries especially churches, catholic churches, palaces.

Town Hall in the center of Nesvizh

The urban development of the historical part of the cities dates back mainly to the 18-19 centuries, and, of course, the hand of the Bolsheviks is visible everywhere: gray Khrushchevs of the working class, factories, administrative buildings.

In the city of Slonim

Since Belarus suffered a lot during the Second World War, its echo can still be heard. Along the road, we constantly saw monuments to soldiers and their mothers, fresh flowers near them. I can imagine how the echo is heard if you visit Brest and Khatyn. We also visited the military museum "Stalin's Line", located not far from Minsk. Under open sky the defensive line, which was built during the years of Soviet power, was recreated in order to deter enemy troops in the event of an offensive. Taking private tour, we went down to the bunker, in which machine guns and a periscope were placed, then we went past the anti-tank defense, along the ditch and saw a lot more. I will tell you about visiting the museum separately.

Stalin Line

Stalin Line

IN weekdays There are few tourists, but there are even foreigners among them. We also saw companies of Belarusians who travel by car around their country, we met Ukrainian and Russian cars.

Feast of the belly and Belarusian food

Belarusian cuisine

Many people come to Belarus in order to eat tasty and cheap. I know one person who goes there exclusively for this. I think many have already tried Belarusian products, which have become very numerous on our shelves, and can imagine what a variety of sweets are inside the country. The fields are fertilized with manure, the cattle are well fed - everything indicates that the Belarusians produce a natural product.

For many, Belarus is associated with potatoes and for good reason. The potatoes there are extraordinarily tasty, and National dish from it called "pancakes" is beyond praise. In addition, various sauces and ingredients are added to potato pancakes: wild mushrooms in a creamy sauce, meat, etc., they are served in a frying pan, pot, on a plate - which is enough for the cook's imagination. In all restaurants. Focused on tourists, they serve potato pancakes, pancakes with pancakes, rich fatty soups and a lot of tasty and unhealthy dishes. The portions are large, the cost is low, so we constantly overate. Each time we told ourselves that we would not order so much more, and each time we rolled out from the table. The average check per person after a very hearty lunch or a three-course dinner is 300 rubles for our money, in expensive restaurants 500-700 rubles, which is very cheap by our standards. In general, keep yourself in hand).

About Belarusians

I can characterize Belarusians as unhurried and rather modest people who do not smile once again. At the same time, if you start communicating with them, then gradually they open up and feel much more free, almost all the people we met were very nice and sympathetic. We were always helped to find the way when we tried to leave the city on the right track, they explained how to get to the castles. But the Belarusian ladies working in the service sector were unpleasantly surprised. Administrators at the hotel, waitresses do not bother to treat the client politely, they constantly had to put up with the Soviet service. At first it shocked me, then I got used to it.

Masterpiece from the hotel

For example, we stayed at a hotel on the territory of the Nesvizh Castle, so the administrator did not even want to explain to us where the cafe was located, where a paid breakfast would be waiting for us in the morning. But she quickly taught us to be smart.
In small towns it is felt that the population is not rich. People are very modestly dressed, there are a lot of drunken men on the streets on a weekday, strange youth, a lot of gopniks. But dacha palaces have been built near Minsk, it is felt that many people are doing well with money there.

On bicycles

Shopping, gifts, souvenirs

When planning the trip, we didn’t think much about shopping, but we still brought half a trunk of purchases. Nina and I should not be allowed into the store at all, only the owners of the establishment benefit from this.
When I got to the festival of Belarusian writing, I bought all sorts of fairy-tale characters in the face of a hedgehog grandmother, a brownie and another cute little man who should bring happiness to the house.
Here we bought 5 books about the sights of Belarus, received two as a gift.
But it’s not enough for me, I grabbed three more sets of linen bed linen: for myself and as a gift to my parents.
In Nesvizh, Nina and I made a deal with a woman who sold hand-embroidered and lace tablecloths. We undressed her tent, buying a total of 6 tablecloths.
In Slonim, we went to a Belarusian cosmetics store and got a big bag of all sorts of jars and bottles. After spending 1,000 rubles at home, we realized that you can only use hand cream, toothpaste and soap, and all sorts of masks, hair emulsions are complete nonsense. At least after Israeli and American cosmetics worth at least 1000 rubles. for one remedy, of course, the Belarusian does not roll. If you use Shamtu, Elseve and similar brands, then Belarusian cosmetics can be a good alternative and much cheaper.

Belarusian cosmetics

From edible we bought Belarusian chocolate and Lida beer. Many still bring tinctures and vodka, but I can’t say anything, I haven’t tried it.
Initially, we planned to go to a supermarket and buy food at Belarusian prices at home, but there are no shops along the road, and we no longer had time to drive into the city.

I can say that for myself I decided to definitely go to Belarus again to see the rest interesting cities, castles, churches and fortresses. For example, ancient Polotsk, Vitebsk and Grodno, Belovezhskaya Pushcha and others National parks, Brest Fortress.

Prices and reviews for hotels in Minsk

Prices and reviews for hotels in Brest

All hotels in Belarus

The time of holidays has come and many people tend to drive their car not only out of the city to relax, but also to the sea or to go fishing, but we went to road trip across Belarus.

Traveling by car always captures me, it's new experiences, adventures. In this post I will try to tell you about the trip I like to travel by car. I can control the departure time, stops and route myself, I don’t worry about the number of things I take with me))

Preparation

Then there was the issue of insurance. To visit European countries by car, including the territory of Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova, you need a green card. This is such an insurance policy (something like our OSAGO). If you drive on the territory of Belarus by car without a local OSAGO or a green card, this may entail administrative liability in the form of a fine. The cost of insurance on the territory of Belarus in Belarusian insurance companies is slightly higher than in Russia, so it is wiser to issue a green card for a car in advance before crossing the border.

Before, I always applied to the Soglasie insurance company, but this time there were no forms, I had to go to Reso-Garantia and draw it up there. The minimum validity period of the policy is 15 days, it will not be possible to issue a shorter period. I bought insurance for a period of one month. Since the cost in all Russian Green Card insurance companies is the same, it does not make sense to waste time stopping to study this issue. It cost me 940 rubles (in 2011, insurance cost 640 rubles).

Then there was the issue of children. How to entertain them while driving? They took a bunch of gadgets on the trip that brightened up their trip. Juices, water, apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, smoked sausage were taken from food for the journey. The products were in a car cooler bag.

I recommend to take more water. Needed for personal hygiene wet wipes, napkins. The adult daughter was driving with a seat belt (FEST), and the youngest was in a car seat.

Route

It was necessary to go along the following route - Cheboksary-Yadrin-Vorotynets-Nizhny Novgorod-Vladimir-Vyazniki-Noginsk-Zhukovs cue-Moscow (MKAD)-Kubinka-Vyazma-Safonovo-Yartsevo-Sm olensk-Arkhipovka-Belarusian border-Vitebsk-Shumilino-Polotsk -Deep.

The road from Cheboksary to Zhukovsky took 10 hours. Having left on July 7 at 7.20 in the morning, at 17.24 we were already in place. There is nothing special to say about the road, in many places repairs are being made and from time to time you have to drag yourself behind the trucks. We drove 663 km., The total fuel consumption was 34 liters.

After spending the night, at 9.35 on July 8 we left Zhukovsky. We had to get to the Moscow Ring Road-South and get to the Mozhayskoye highway (on the M1 highway). Before leaving, I specifically looked at Yandex traffic jams with the hope of their absence. Unfortunately, there were a lot of traffic jams ((I even had to go in second gear at a speed of 12 km / h in some places

In general, we got to Mozhayskoye highway two hours later)) Further, Mozhayskoye highway merges with the M1 highway, which is the fastest way to get to Minsk. We keep the course straight.

The road to Minsk is easy, no one should have difficulty in overcoming it. Minsk highway is considered one of the best federal highways. Good road surface and several lanes in one direction. There are few such tracks in Russia, and driving is a pleasure.

On such a road, you want to "sink" to the fullest. But be careful, because. There are cameras everywhere on the track. There are a lot of them there, the main cluster of cameras - in the Moscow region, in Smolensk region they are much smaller. But there are some scams out there, so be careful.

The border between Russia and Belarus as such does not exist (after all, the Union State). You can guess that you are leaving Russia and entering the territory of Belarus by road signs.

Only trucks are stopped for inspection. A foreign passport and / or a visa to enter the Republic of Belarus is not required. You will only need to have a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation with you. The same goes for a driver's license.

From the border with Russia we go 320 km. The roads are good, from time to time I tried to accelerate, not paying attention to the radars (I hope that they do not yet have a single traffic police base). In the event that there were ambush DAI (analogous to our traffic police), oncoming cars honked their headlights. The last kilometers were the hardest.

Four hours later we were at home.

Statistics

Of all the countries of the former USSR, it is easiest to get to Belarus by car. Although the path from Moscow to Minsk is not close, 720 kilometers, it can be overcome very quickly with full observance of the speed limit, in just eight hours.

Even at five in the morning, a small traffic jam had already formed at the exit from Moscow for 10 minutes due to road repairs. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

There are a lot of photo and video cameras along the way, both from the Russian and Belarusian sides. The local traffic police does not forgive violators. Exceeding the speed limit by more than 30 km / h can cost up to 7,000 rubles. And this is not the most severe punishment. For a repeated violation, you will have to part with the rights for a period of up to a year.

Roads in Belarus are of better quality than Russian ones and are not as busy. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

There is no need to prepare for crossing the border, because, by and large, there is none. All preparation consists only in buying a "Green Card" - a compulsory car insurance policy for traveling abroad. If you travel only in Belarus, the cost of the document will be only about 900 rubles. It is almost impossible to forget about this nuance - along the road starting from Smolensk there are constantly kiosks with huge signs " Green map". In order not to waste time on the road, it is better to arrange everything in advance.

Photo: AiF / Denis Sveshnikov Directly at the border, customs officers can selectively stop cars to check documents, but this, in any case, does not take time. Giant traffic jams and queues should not be expected even on holidays. The quality of the road is excellent almost all the way, except for a couple of repaired sections with two lanes for traffic in each direction. The Belarusian part of the route is better in every sense and not only in terms of the quality of the coverage. Firstly, the speed limit is higher here - 120 against Russian 90 km / h. Secondly, the highway never passes through settlements, so you can drive all the way from the border to Minsk without changing your speed at all.

However, on long holiday weekends, it is better to leave Moscow in advance. Although leaving at five in the morning on a weekend or on the night from Friday to Saturday, few people can please, but even half an hour of delay will affect the total time on the road. In addition to the traditional traffic from summer residents and other vacationers, the situation is aggravated by repairs in the Minsk direction in the Kubinka area. At 7-11 in the morning on the way from Moscow and at 19-22 when returning back, you can lose more than an hour here. As an option, go around Novorizhskoe highway and Ruza.

If you want to visit Brest, you can spend the night in one of the park hotels with private parking near the city. Photo: AiF / Denis Sveshnikov It is better to refuel to the border “to the eyeballs”, because in Belarus gasoline is on average 3-4 rubles more expensive per liter. Savings are not significant, but nonetheless. Taking into account the trip to Brest and the outskirts of Minsk, with an average fuel consumption on our Suzuki Vitara of 7.8 liters per hundred, 7,500 rubles were spent on gasoline. Even if you go not with a company, but at least together, it will turn out to be significantly cheaper than by any other mode of transport.

It is worth taking care immediately upon entering Belarus of the local currency. There are a couple of exchange offices just a few kilometers after the border. If you miss them, there will be nowhere to change money until Minsk itself. However, there is still no problem. In Belarus, and in the most shabby roadside cafes, where it’s scary just to be, they accept bank cards.

Mir Castle. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

Nesvizh Castle. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

You can see a lot in three days. Mir and Nesvizh castles with picturesque parks and the Dudutki museum complex are located very close to the capital, it will take no more than an hour to get there. In Minsk itself, getting around by car is not difficult. The avenues are wide, the interchanges are simple, and there are few cars. And the main attractions are concentrated in the city center. You can leave your car and take a taxi — given the small area of ​​Minsk, almost any trip will cost no more than 500 rubles.

In the center of Minsk there are many hotels with free guarded parking lots. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

Single rooms in three-star hotels on holidays cost an average of 2.5 thousand rubles. It’s convenient to rent an apartment for a company – it’s even cheaper for one person. And, of course, there is no limit to perfection.

In cafes and restaurants, Russians will feel like millionaires. True, we must also try to dine for more than a million Belarusian rubles. Food in Minsk and during the influx of tourists is inexpensive. Without denying yourself anything, in restaurants, most likely, you won’t leave more than 2,500 rubles a day.

Brest Fortress. Photo: AIF / Denis Sveshnikov

As for the upcoming Victory Day, events in Minsk in the Stalin Line complex will last from May 7 to 9. You can see the reconstruction of the battle for Berlin. Fireworks will take place on the day of the holiday at 22:00. The concert program, which also ends with fireworks, will also be held in the Brest Fortress. However, only residents of neighboring regions will be able to stay for the celebrations in Brest and return to the working day. The way back to Moscow is more than 1000 kilometers, which, despite the good road, will take a lot of time and effort.