Mogilev

Mogilev  is a city in Mogilev Oblast.

Understand
Mogilev (another pronunciation Mahilyow, Belarusian: Магілёў, Russian: Могилёв) is a city in eastern Belarus, the third biggest city in a country with 367,788 inhabitants (2007 estimate). Mogilev is major local cultural, educational and industrial center.

By train
Regular trains arrive and departure from and to Gomel, Minsk, Moscow (Russia), Vilnius (Lithuania) and many small local stations. Railroad transportation is quite reliable with ok service and probably your best choice for travel.

Without Belarusian or Russian language skills though you will find it next to impossible. Nothing at even the main train station in Minsk is translated into other languages so consider that you have to be able to understand your ticket and the billboard to work out which platform (платформа) you need to go to, which train (поезд), which car/carriage (вагон) and which seat (места). The platforms are downstairs in Minsk. There is a conductor for each carriage who will take your ticket (called a beel-yet) at the carriage doorway on the platform and give it back to you before you are due to get off. A website on train travel is being developed so check in to see how the languages are coming along.

The seats are really hard with plenty of storage when you lift the seat. B class sleepers are open to the corridor with another two seats facing each other on the opposite side. There are bedrolls, pillows and blankets down the end of the car along with hot water and tea. Obviously you should take your shoes off if you're going to lie down. There is a little table for those with a window seat.



By bus
Reliable service from anywhere in Belarus. Safe, cheap and comfortable. There is a bus from Mogilev to Minsk that takes 3 hours. It cost US$9 in 2012 and is very safe.

By car
There are highways from Minsk and Moscow (through Orsha). If you are crossing the border, ensure you have a visa or are from a country that is permitted 3 day transit entry.

If you have the language skills, you can hire a driver from Minsk to Mogilev for about US$100 one way (very expensive) or you can hire one through a travel agent. Train is a far better alternative for the budget conscious.

Get around
Local transportation system includes buses, trolleys and minibuses (marshrutkas). They are quite cheap: buses and trolleys in March 2008 were roughly US$0.25, and minibuses were around US$0.40. Cabs prices can be quite different, especially they might be expensive for not fluent in Russian language travelers.

Do
Star Gazer Square. For luck you are supposed to sit in one of the 12 chairs, make a wish then walk full circle around the star gazer before touching the finger you can reach.

The zoo. The animals are not extensive and many are in large cages at the entrance but they are well cared for. The highlight is the area beyond this which is beautiful forest with lots of picnic spots, cheeky squirrels and if you're lucky you may spot the small herd of bison that roam beyond the fences through the acres of forest and out into grassland. Wear a scarf in case of ticks.

Stay safe
In general Mogilev, like the rest of Belarus, is very safe. Just exercise the usual precautions. The people of Mogilev are kind and hospitable. They are interested in where you come from and your culture.

Go next

 * Vitebsk
 * Gomel
 * Minsk
 * Smolensk in Russia