Boutique hotels in Belarus

Belarus is a flat, forested country between Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine and Russia. Its landscape holds some of Europe's last primeval woodland, a chain of lakes in the north and two UNESCO-listed castles, Mir and Nesvizh. Minsk, the capital, is a city of wide Soviet-era boulevards and a rebuilt old town.

Good to know

Many governments, including the United Kingdom and Germany, currently advise against travel to Belarus because of the risk of arbitrary detention and other restrictions. Check official travel advice, entry rules and insurance cover before making any plans.

The cities

Minsk was largely rebuilt after the Second World War and has a leafy center, museums and a handful of boutique hotels. Brest has a large memorial fortress on the Polish border, Grodno is a river town with a handsome old center, and Vitebsk was the home of the painter Marc Chagall. Polotsk, founded in 862, is the oldest city in the country.

Castles, lakes and forest

Nesvizh and Mir are the two great castle complexes of the former Grand Duchy of Lithuania. The Braslav Lakes in the north form a quiet landscape of water and pine woods, and Belovezhskaya Pushcha, shared with Poland, is a UNESCO-listed forest and home to the European bison.

Hotels

Choice is limited and mostly confined to Minsk; elsewhere, hotels are plain, state-run or attached to the main sights.

When to go

Late spring and summer are the best months, and autumn colors are lovely in the forest. Winters are cold and snowy.