Minsk as a city is very much the product of the post-war Soviet era, and in comparison with some other Eastern bloc capitals we’ve visited, such as Tallinn, the process of changing and becoming more “Westernised” still has a long way to go. It’s not by any means a tourist destination and there’s not a huge number of visitor attractions; much of the architecture is classically Stalinist, and Minsk has been described as one of the most highly policed cities in the world.

Nonetheless, we’ve been assured that it’s not like Moscow, in that you’re highly unlikely to suffer the sort of random assaults and robberies that take place there, and generally the people are likely to be welcoming and friendly, even if that’s not the first impression picked up on the streets.

Still, a bit of commonsense doesn’t go amiss, so we’d suggest avoiding any unnecessary contact with the policing authorities. Don’t, for instance, take photographs of government buildings, and especially not the KGB building on Prospekt Nezavisimosti. Being drunk is not particularly likely, in and of itself, to get you into trouble, but being disorderly will.

The average temperature for Minsk is around 8-9°C in October, with minimums of around 6°C and maximums of 13°C. Be warned though, snow often arrives towards the end of October so wrap up warm, it could be colder than expected.