Sometimes when you buy locally manufactured goods, you don't get the best quality. However, there are things that are worth buying in Minsk. You will find very good woollen and linen garments which are good value for money. The women's lingerie brand, Milavitsa, is well known in the former USSR, and its good quality at cheap prices. A good brand of cosmetics here is O2. Probably the finest vodka in the world, which makes brands like Stolichnaya, Absolut, and Smirnoff seem average in comparison, is produced in Minsk by the Brest Spirit Factory. If you're looking for duty free fragrances, spirits, and souvenirs, you'll find them at the Minsk airport.
Stay clear of international brands in Minsk as these cost nearly 20-50% more than in Europe.
This Minsk shopping guide lists a few of the shops that you may wish to have a look through on your visit to Minsk. It also gives some general information about shopping in Minsk. To learn about some traditional souvenirs and Belarusian goods that you may wish to pick up, either as a memento for yourself or as a gift for someone back home can be found on our Belarus shopping guide. And what better way to end a day of shopping than by having a nice meal at one of the great Minsk restaurants?
Minsk Shopping Guide
The variety of things you can buy in Minsk keeps growing year by year. One of the well-known stores you can check out is GUM at 21F.Nezavisimosty (formerly known as Skoriny) Avenue (Oktyabrskaya metro station). The three floors of GUM are packed with local as well as international brands, and offer a huge selection of goods from cosmetics to carpets. It's the place to buy kitschy locally-made digital watches by Elektronika which are quite the collector's item. GUM is a good example of the Soviet style of architecture. If you are looking for something more contemporary, try the Torgoviy Dom na Nemige in Nemiga Street. 8 (Nemiga metro station). You'll also find a bankomat and an exchange office in this store.
You could try the Trade Centres in Minsk which are like shopping malls with their numerous kiosks and small shops selling a wide range of garments, accessories, cosmetics, electronics, and more. The largest and most popular of these Belarusian malls are just 5-10 minutes from Yakuba Kolasa metro station.
Markets
For bargains visit a market or fair in the city. Komarovsky Market (5-10 minutes from Yakuba Kolasa metro station) is packed with all kinds of foodstuff including dairy products, meats, vegetables, sweets, and local specialties. The Dinamo Market located in the Dinamo stadium has a large shopping mall with hundreds of stores selling the latest fashion.
If you prefer a western grocery store, head to Centralny near McDonald's on Nezavisimosti Street, the main street in Minsk. There are cafes, bakeries, and a liquor store on the ground floor, and on the floor above, a supermarket with all sorts of western goods like French wine and peanut butter. But check the expiry dates on products. There's a bankomat and exchange office in front of the supermarket.
The Outdoor Art Market is half way between Oktiabrskaya and Pobedy Square and just behind the War Museum. It is a great little place for local crafts and some interesting paintings. You can buy an oil painting here complete with frame and packaging at very reasonable prices. There are some lovely landscapes to choose from. Belarus, after all, is a beautiful country and affords lots of inspiration to artists. Do not hesitate to bargain.
At the Lenina Artist's Market, which is between the Metro stops of Kupalovskaya and Nemiga near McDonald's, you can bargain for handicrafts, paintings, and matryoshka (nesting dolls which can be stacked one inside the other). If you have time, you can get an artist to make a set of nesting dolls of your family, celebrities, or of Russian Leaders from the past.
The Zhdanovichi Market is the country’s biggest market. It takes only 10 minute to drive down the highway from Masherova, and you can buy a variety of things here from radios to San Francisco 59er hats to shoes that look like they're made by Nike and even New York Raider shirts. Make sure you taste the delicious shashlik, which are like shish kebabs.
Duty Free
Here's a list of goods that you can import into Belarus free from customs duty:
- 400 cigarettes or 100 cigars or 500 grams of tobacco products
- 2 litres of alcohol
- A reasonable amount of perfume for personal use
- Other goods up to a value of $5000
Note that on entering Belarus, tourists must fill in a customs declaration form and retain it till departure. The form is a record of the imported items (including currency and valuables) meant for personal use.
Prohibited Imports:
- Weapons and ammunition for the armed forces
- Pornography
- Drugs
- Loose pearls
- Any item owned by a third party that is to be carried in for that third party.
- Prohibited Exports:
- Annulled securities
- Lottery tickets
- State loan certificates
- Antiques and any work of art (unless approved by the Ministry of Culture)
- Saiga horns
- Punctuate deer skins
- Punctuate and red deer antlers (the exception is if you are on an approved hunting trip)
