Visa-free Belarus: fly via Minsk, not Russia, with insurance

Listapad, the Minsk International Film Festival, fills about a week around the start of November with screenings across the city, including at the Moskva cinema on Pobediteley Avenue. It has run since 1994 and is the country's biggest film festival. Audiences vote for the Bronze Audience Award, and the opening and…

The Monastyrsky Hotel occupies the former Bernardine monastery, founded in 1624 and remodeled in 1752, on Cyril and Methodius Street in the Upper Town. Ask which rooms keep the original vaulted ceilings when you book. The Trinity Suburb, the town hall and the Svislach embankment are within walking distance, and Nemiga…

The Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theatre stands in a park below the Trinity Hill, in a building that reopened after a major renovation in 2009. Opera and ballet seats are among the most sought-after tickets in Minsk, so book ahead through the theatre. If a show is full, ask about the group backstage tour, which covers the…

The Belarusian State Philharmonic on Independence Avenue is the city's main stage for classical, folk and early-music concerts, with a chamber orchestra, folk groups and visiting soloists. It also hosts the Belarusian Musical Autumn festival in October and November. Check the program and buy through the Philharmonic's…

The open panoramic lift at Hotel Belarus takes you to a deck about 73 m up, with the Svislach, the small houses of the Trinity Suburb and the white cathedral below and Victory Park on the other side. Rides run in half-hour sessions from morning until late evening, and you can stay up to about 30 minutes. Pick a slot…

The National Art Museum on Lenin Street shows only a small part of its collection across 19 halls, so go in with a short list. Look for Mikhail Savitski's Partisan Madonna and works by Yehuda Pen, the teacher of Marc Chagall. Casual visitors need about an hour, and a floor plan is sold inside. An audio guide is…

The Island of Courage and Sorrow, often called the Island of Tears, sits on the Svislach in the old center and is reached by an arched footbridge. It is a memorial to Belarusians who died in the Soviet-Afghan war, with a chapel and sculptures of grieving mothers and widows. Go in the early morning or late afternoon…

For a souvenir beyond fridge magnets, look for Belarusian linen, straw work, ceramics and embroidery. The city tourism site lists linen and craft shops along Independence Avenue, including Kirmash and the TSUM department store, plus Slavutast Gallery for handmade pieces by Belarusian artisans. The tourist office on…