Night Life

There's quite a developed club scene in Minsk that caters for most budgets and tastes. You’ll see scores of pretty girls on the dance floor, loads of men who may appear very dodgy but in reality just have big muscles and no fashion sense, and a scattering of foreigners either indulging themselves or looking bemused.

The general rule is that if you want to sit at a table then you have to pay extra for this. It can cost as much as the entry fee itself but the upside of this is that you know the table is yours for the night. So you don’t have to leave any half-full drinks or any other little sign that you’re planning to return.

Security is always tight and expect to be searched before you enter. Everyone gets the same treatment and at least it underlines that the venue is safe.

Western DJs are fashionable at the moment and expect to pay a lot more if they’re playing one of the clubs. Alternatively go somewhere else. A worrying trend at some night clubs is the occasional presence of ‘face police’ on the door. If you’re not young enough or pretty enough then you won’t get in. This policy generally affects the more expensive and pretentious events that you probably won’t want to go to anyway.

Gentlemen beware! That scantily dressed woman sitting on her own at the bar giving you the look is probably a lady of the night. It's fair to say that a Belarusian woman won’t go to a night club on her own unless she's ‘working’.

When you roll out of the club in the early hours of the morning don’t expect the taxi driver to take you home by the metered rate so agree a fare before you get in. If you’re not far from the place you are staying at then walking is an option. As mentioned elsewhere on this site Minsk is a very safe city and the crime rate is low. The only real danger if you are drunk is a passing policeman who may ask for a few dollars as an alternative to taking you down the station to sober up.

Night Clubs       Late Drinks       Late Shops       Adult Entertainment