transportation

Comprehensive information on Belarus transportation issues including Minsk bus and train stations, Minsk transportation, Minsk airport building, etc.

Where do I buy railway tickets in Minsk?

There are local and international railway tickets and respectively there are different places where you can buy these. Need assistance in buying train ticket in Minsk, Belarus? Don't hesitate to contact me.

The best way to buy a railway ticket to a domestic or an international destination from Belarus is the official website of the Belarusian Railways.

The ticket desks (ÊÀÑÑÛ in Russian) of the Minsk Central Railway Station can be found on the first floor of the building, open round-the-clock. Note that the cashiers are non-English speakers and the cash desks are divided into local (ïðèãîðîäíûé) and intercity (ìåæäóãîðîäíûé) ones. It is highly recommended to purchase your train (return) ticket late at night at the Central Railway Station to avoid queues of the summer season (about 50 nervous people for each window).

International Ticket Office. The new office is to the far right across the square from the train station. There are certain issues one can encounter buying an international railway ticket in Minsk. Tickets to the Baltics and the CIS countries can be purchased at the International ticket office – a separate building that you will see on your left once you’ve walked out of the Minsk Central Railway Station. An office in 2 Kirova Street opposite the Central Railway Station is open round the clock and sells international tickets to remote foreign destinations (all the rest ones).

You will need your last page passport data (specify: your full name in Latin and Cyrillic letters, citizenship, passport No., date of birth and train departure details - train No., date and time) and perhaps some basic Russian to buy the ticket you need (no e-sales yet). There are no efficient international Internet sales (local tickets can be purchased online using a plastic card - but have to be fetched from the ticket desk anyway).

Please note that Minsk City Railway Ticket Office near GUM and McDonalds has been closed. Local intercity tickets like tickets to Gomel, Mogilev or Vitebsk as well as tickets to Moscow that are not regarded as remote foreign destinations can only be bought at the Central railway station. Your ID will be required, too.

Types of seats: SV (Russian - ÑÂ) - top class two-berth compartment, Coupe (Russian - êóïå) - first class four-berth compartment, platskart (Russian - ïëàöêàðò) - second class four-berth compartment without door, shared (Russian - îáùèé) - a train car without compartments, you are buying a single seat on a bench for three.