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…From London Heathrow Airport
Getting downtown from the world’s busiest airport is easier than you might think. Most flights from the United States arrive in Terminal 3; the rest in Terminal 4. The best route is the Heathrow Express non-stop rail service between the airport and Paddington Station. It’s a 15-minute ride and leaves every 15 minutes from all terminals. Fares are about $16.

From 6 a.m. to midnight, you may use the Underground–the Circle Line, which connects to the District Line to downtown London. This will set you back a little more than $6. At the tourist information center in the terminal, you may ask about bus service between Heathrow and the many bus stations downtown. Of course there are taxis–about $70 for a black cab each way, or roughly $40 for a mini-cab.

…From London Gatwick Airport
From the South Terminal, take the convenient, speedy Gatwick Express directly to Victoria Station. This is the most popular way to get from the airport to downtown, takes about 30 minutes, and costs about $18. If you arrive at the North Terminal, take the free shuttle to the South Terminal to connect to Gatwick Express.

If you don’t have too much luggage and you can spare the time, save a few bucks by taking the regular British Rail service. The trip takes only a few minutes longer and costs a few pounds less. You may also try the Thameslink, regular rail service to Blackfriars, Farringdon, and Kingscross stations in central London. Check the BritRail office in the terminal for more information on both services.

And the taxis… about $70 for a black cab each way, or roughly $40 for a mini-cab.

…From London’s Waterloo, Liverpool, Victoria, Kings Cross, Paddington, or other rail stations
Rail stations of London are all served by the London Underground. Pick up an Underground map at the information center or tourist center once you arrive.

…From Dublin International Airport
Buses run at most sane hours of the day between the airport and the city center bus station. From there you can board either a double-decke bus to all points of the city. Schedule information and route maps are located at the tourist information booth right in the bus station. The fares are just a few euros, depending on where you’re going. First-come, first-serve taxis line up outside most terminals for a more private, but $27-dollar fare into town.

…From Dublin’s Heuston, Connoly, and Pearse Stations
DART, Dublin’s rapid transit system, serves all three of Dublin’s main train stations. DART uses very economical tickets available in one-trip, one-day, or four-day packets.

…From Edinburgh Airport and Waverly Station
Double-decker Airlink buses take you to the city center from the airport. They depart every 20 minutes for as little as $6, while a taxi could cost upwards of $20 per ride. Once in town, pick up an Edinburgh Freedom Ticket, allowing one day of unlimited travel on the city’s bus routes for less than $4.

Introduction to the Belarus Travel Guide

Belarus travel can be a wonderful experience. Belarus is rich in culture and history, relatively inexpensive and not yet over-run by tourists. However, because English is not common and information is not widely available, Belarus travel can be challenging for the first-time visitor. This Belarus Travel Guide goes into depth to give Belarus travelers much of the information necessary to get here and get as much from the visit as possible. The pages of this Belarus Travel Guide offer information about visas, accomodation, sightseeing and transportation for Minsk and the rest of Belarus. On the bottom of each page of the Belarus Travel Guide you will find a comment box. Your suggestions will help us to develop the Belarus travel guide to be an important source of travel information for Belarus travel.

Arriving in Belarus
Belarus travel allows you to experience a different world. Belarus still clings to the Soviet past and has a very different atmosphere compared with neighboring countries, such Lithuania. In fact, a trip to both Lithuania and Belarus, two ex-soviet states and very close neighbors, is a remarkable experience. Lithuania has rapidly become very Western-oriented while Belarus is still very much Eastern-oriented and you feel the difference instantly. (The contents of this website are copyrighted by TravelsWise.com, the Europe Travel Guide).

Clearing customs and the border to Belarus can be stressful, but foreigners usually have an advantage: Belarusian boarder guards rarely speak English. Most of the time, they look quickly at your passport and leave you in peace.

Checking into your hotel may be unpleasant. You may not feel the warm welcome you would expect at a hotel reception desk. Don take it as a sign that you are not welcome. Most hotels in Belarus are state owned and customer satisfaction is not the priority on their minds. However, enter a restaurant and the attitude is very different.You will be welcomed at the typical restaurant and treated with a high level of service. Why the difference? Most restaurants are privately owned and their survival depends on customer satisfaction.