Wondering about visiting Belarus and the Visa Free Region of Brest – Grodno? We recently crossed the border from Terespol, Poland and found interesting – albeit unique – things to do in Grodno, Belarus.
- Travel to Belarus
- Visa Free Region
- About Grodno
- Best time to visit?
- How long do you need?
- Getting there
- Getting around
- Things to do in Grodno
- Where to eat
- Where to stay
- More about travel in Eastern Europe
Travel to Belarus
Belarus is one of the least visited countries in Europe.
It is a country full of surprises, bizarre places – and it is the country with the largest and most amazing Soviet Heritage.
Do you need a Visa for travel to Grodno, Belarus?
Citizens of 76 countries can take advantage of 30-Day visa-free travel to Belarus and foreign nationals may visit any place in Belarus within the 30 days of their visa-free stay.
However, in this way foreigners must arrive and leave the country only by air to Minsk National Airport.
A tourist visa is required to stay more than 30 days, or if you enter or exit at a border crossing other than Minsk Airport.
The other option to visit Belarus is to travel in the Brest-Grodno Visa-Free region where it is possible to enter and exit overland and travel is permitted only within the specific region.
About the Visa-Free Region of Brest-Grodno in Belarus
The Brest-Grodno region is a visa-free territory in Belarus that allows foreign citizens to stay for up to 15 days.
The region includes the cities of Brest, Grodno and Lida, as well as the surrounding districts.
- Read about things to do in Brest, Belarus.
About Grodno, Belarus
Grodno or Hrodna is a city in western Belarus. Like Brest, it is one of the oldest cities of Belarus.
The city is located on the Neman River, about 300 kilometres from Minsk and only 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the Polish border.
The modern city of Grodno, founded in 1127, originated as a small fortress and trading outpost. Though Grodno has a rich history with various rulers and influences.
Today Grodno is the only Belarusian city with a preserved royal palace.
What is the best time of year to visit Belarus?
Like much of Northern Europe and Russia, Belarus gets very cold in the winter.
The best time to visit Grodno, Belarus is during the spring and summer months (May to September), when the weather is warm and pleasant.
We visited Brest and Grodno from Terespol, Poland in June.
How long do you need?
As fascinating as travel to Belarus is, the visa situation even for the Visa Free Region is quite complex. You need to state the exact number of days you will be in Belarus on your arrival card.
Visitors using the Visa Free Region VOA can stay up to 10 days.
However, Grodno is not a huge city. Even with one day you can see all the things to do in Grodno listed below.
Getting there
Grodno is one of the two Belarusian border cities with Poland that has the peculiarity they can be visited without a visa.
So, the best way to visit Grodno from Poland – and the only way to visit on the Visa Free Region VOA – is to cross overland from Terespol, Poland to Brest, Belarus.
From Brest to Grodno the drive is straight forward along a smooth highway.
Getting around
Once we had arrived in Belarus we spent two days in Brest. Then we drove in our own vehicle to Grodno.
Most of the key things to do in Grodno are located within walking distance.
Things to do in Grodno, Belarus
In no particular order (more so in the order we visited them in) here are 10 things to do in Grodno, Belarus.
1. Great Synagogue
The beautiful Great Synagogue on Vialikaja Trajeckaja Street dates from the 16th century.
This was the first on our list of things to do in Grodno as we parked the van in the carpark just outside.
It is an Orthodox Hasidic Jewish synagogue that has been impeccably restored. The style today is an early-20th-century art nouveau reconstruction of the original 16th-century synagogue.
2. Firewatch Tower
The impressive fire lookout tower is an architectural monument of the late nineteenth century.
It was opened in 1902 – built in Art Nouveau style – to replace the previous one that was thought too short.
At 32 metres (105ft) the new tower allowed someone to always be on duty watching for fires spreading in the city. If one were spotted, a bell would ring out.
The building beside it, the old station, is now a museum.
3. Grodno Old Castle
The Old Castle in Grodno originated in the 11th century as the seat of a dynasty of Black Ruthenian rulers.
It is a beautifully retored medivela castle that today houses a museum of Grodno’s history.
Both the Old Castle and New Castle in Grodno are the only surviving royal residences of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Grand Dukes of Lithuania.
We didn’t go inside the castle museum as it was closed when we visited in the evening. But the bridge to the castle door is impressive and it is right next door to the New Grodno Castle.
4. Hrodna New Castle
The New Castle is another royal residence in Grodno built in the 18th century.
The Grodno New Castle was built in the mid-18th century as a summer residence of the Polish kings and Grand Dukes of Lithuania. It is designed entirely in the Baroque style of architecture.
For 120 years, the castle was under the jurisdiction of the military administration of the Russian Empire. Then in 1924 it was rededicated as a museum.
There is a café in the main grand driveway entrance to the New Castle. Visiting the Old and New Castle are the most popular things to do in Grodno.
5. Holy Nativity of the Mother of God Convent
This is a beautiful Orthodox church close to the New Castle and Old Castle museums. We saw it marked on the map and went to check it out.
The style of the domes is beautiful. Though it also sounds like the history is quite outstanding too. We read that the monastery was first mentioned at the beginning of the 16th century.
6. Palace of Culture
The term ‘House of Culture’ is a common name (generic term) for major clubhouses or community centres in the form Soviet Union and Eastern European countries.
In Grodno, the Palace of Culture is very grand and located just off the main Savieckaja Square.
The opening of the Palace of Culture in Grodno took place in 1959.
7. Savieckaja Square
This is the central square for the city.
It is a busy town square lined with small parks and seating areas. There is a line of kiosk restaurants serving sit down foods and beer off to one side.
8. St. Francis Xavier Cathedral
The St. Francis Xavier Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral just off the main Savieckaja Square.
It is beautiful inside and out. Although it is the impressive colours of the fresco and murals inside that makes it worth checking out.
The cathedral was built in the Baroque style of 1678 to 1683 as the church of the adjacent Jesuit college. More recently it became a cathedral in 1991.
9. Grodno Central Market
The Central Market is one of the best things to do in Grodno.
I know I always say the same thing. But we love the markets everywhere we travel!
It is a bit of a walk from the central square in town to the market. Though it’s well worth the walk – and you do pass some very delicious bakeries to stop at along the route.
The market is set up inside with meats and cheeses and an upstairs floor with money exchange and small homewares shops. Outside the market is surrounded with a fruit and vegetable bazar and areas of homewares and clothes.
- Tip: We exchanged some more cash upstairs at the Central Market in Grodno.
10. Sovetskaya Street – Things to do in Grodno
Like in Brest, Sovetskaya Street is the main pedestrian street in the city.
Whether you are just out for a wander or looking for somewhere to eat, the Sovetskaya Street is a great place to be.
We found a sweet shop, toy shops and a café to sit down for coffee and ice cream.
Other things to do in Grodno, Belarus
If you have more time, there are other things to do in Grodno.
- Kalozha Church Boris-Gleb Church
- Holy Intercession Cathedral
- Grodno Drama Theatre
- Mir Castle
- Zhilibera Park
- Novyy Zamok
- Palace of Grodno Vice Governor Konstantin Maksimovich
- Kasya and Basya Water Towers
- Lehmhaus
- Neman River
- St. John Lutheran Church
- Augustow Canal
Restaurants, cafes and where to eat in Grodno, Belarus
The main pedestrian street – Sovetskaya – is lined with cafes, kiosks and small boutique restaurants.
Though we found the best place to eat was at one of the outdoor restaurants in the Town Square.
We also found a delicious bakery on the way to the Central Market.
Where we stayed in Grodno, Belarus
We parked for the night in the public carpark just outside the Great Synagogue.
There are public toilets in the carpark. Though they needed a coin to operate.
Other recommended places to stay
We stayed in our van while we were visiting the Visa Free Region of Belarus.
Though there are several other hotels that are recommend.
- Hotel Prival
- GoSteam Hostel
- Slavija Hotel
However recently there are sanctions prohibiting booking the hotels in Belarus through Booking.com!
Read more about travel in Eastern Europe
- Things To Do In Bucharest, Romania.
- Border Crossing: Romania to Moldova.
- Border Crossing: Kosovo to North Macedonia.
- Things To Do In Podgorica, Montenegro.
- Things To Do In Belgrade, Serbia.
- Border Crossing: Serbia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Border Crossing: Bosnia to Montenegro.
- Things To Do In Chisinau, Moldova.
More useful links for your travels in Europe and beyond
These are the companies we use and can recommend for planning and booking travel.
- Booking.com – The best all-around accommodation booking site that constantly provides the cheapest and lowest rates. They have the widest selection of budget accommodation. It is easy to filter and sort into price and availability with all the extras you are looking for personally.
- 12GoAsia – Book trains anywhere online.
- Skyscanner– This is by far our favourite flight search engine. They are able to search small websites and budget airlines that larger search sites often miss. We book all our flights through Skyscanner.
- GetYourGuide– Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace for tours and excursions offered all around the world. Everything from walking tours, to street-food tours, cooking classes, desert safari’s and more!
- SafetyWing – A global travel insurance that covers people from all over the world while outside their home country. You can buy it short or longterm; and even if you are out of the country.
- World Nomads – Make sure you have insurance before embarking on travel to Belarus!