Cuisine and restaurants of Brest
According to liuxers.com, there are many cafes and restaurants in Brest with cozy interiors, delicious food, affordable prices and excellent service. The best establishments are concentrated on Sovetskaya Street – the local Arbat. There are also colorful cafes with traditional Polissya dishes, Italian pizzerias, and atmospheric coffee houses with a wide range of drinks and desserts. The “chip” of many institutions is the days of national cuisines from around the world.
Most traditional Polissya treats are made from meat and fish. You should definitely try the “Teschina snack” – smoked meats seasoned with horseradish, as well as stuffed pike and all kinds of homemade sausages. The most popular soups are borscht, hodgepodge and fish soup.
It is impossible to visit Belarus and not taste the “bulba” – potatoes cooked in a hundred different ways: boiled, fried, baked, stewed with meat and mushrooms. And, of course, potato pancakes!
Of the drinks, local dark beer deserves attention (it is brewed masterfully here), mead and “krambambulya” made with honey and spices. For lovers of “raise the degree”, we recommend “zubrovka” – a bitter and strong tincture with herbs.
There are many rural estates in the vicinity of Brest, where guests are happily offered dishes from organic products: from ruddy piglets to lush pancakes with machanka. For national flavor, you can also look into the Svayaki tavern with a traditional interior, a varied menu (the time of preparation is indicated opposite each dish) and reasonable prices.
Lunch for one in an inexpensive Brest cafe will cost from 14 BYN, many establishments have discounts in the daytime. For a dinner for two in a good restaurant, you will need to pay from 45 BYN.
Entertainment and attractions of Brest
Brest is divided into two parts by the Mukhavets River: the left bank is modern, actively built up, and the right bank seems to be woven from cozy streets with old houses and numerous sights. The symbol of the city is the Brest Fortress, a witness to the tragic events of the Second World War. It stood here back in the 19th century, but took the brunt of it already in the 20th century. It was here that one of the first battles on the territory of Belarus took place, and today monumental sculptures, places of bloody battles and the Museum of Defense, opened in the restored barracks, remind of the feat of the Brest soldiers.
Stored on the territory of the fortress and traces of a more ancient past: in the historical and archaeological museum ” Berestye ” under a glass dome – the ruins of buildings of the 14th century. Another ancient architectural monument is Belaya Vezha, a defensive watchtower 40 km from the city. The majestic building, 35 meters high, was built in the 13th century; now a branch of the Brest Museum of Local History operates here.
There are many churches and churches of different styles and eras in the city. The most beautiful are the snow-white Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, built in the style of late classicism, and the Trinity Church in the village of Chernavchitsy, dating from the 16th century. St. Nicholas and St. Simeon Cathedrals were built in the Byzantine tradition. In the village of Khmelevo, there is the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery, decorated in the style of classicism with baroque elements. Here is stored an ancient copy from the myrrh-streaming Czestochowa icon, which, according to legend, was painted by the apostle Luke himself.
Center of Brest cultural life – st. Soviet, where magic happens every evening: 17 gas lamps are lit by a real lamplighter in a blue uniform.
One of the most unusual exhibitions awaits visitors to the Museum of Rescued Values. Brest is a border city, and local customs officers literally daily seize jewelry, paintings, icons and other unique artifacts from smugglers, which it was decided to collect into a single collection. And the works of Belarusian painters are exhibited in the Art Museum (website).
7 things to do in Brest
- Watch how the lamplighter lights the night on the street. Soviet.
- Honor the memory of war heroes in the Brest Fortress.
- Wander through the spiral staircases of the medieval Belaya Vezha.
- See a bison in its natural environment and meet Father Frost’s brother Zuzey in Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
- Have a bite to eat “zubrovka” with “mother-in-law snack” or pancakes with “machanka”.
- Fill your wardrobe with fashionable ethnic clothes with traditional Belarusian ornaments.
- Curious about what smugglers do at the Museum of Saved Values.
Brest for children
A great idea for family leisure is a trip to the legendary Belovezhskaya Pushcha. This is one of the best European reserves, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Magnificent forests with winding hiking trails, rare animals in the natural environment, developed infrastructure – everything is provided here to make a walk through the national park unforgettable. Children will most of all like visiting the residence of Father Frost – the Belarusian master of winter Zyuzya lives here.
Acquaintance with the fauna, only already exotic, can be continued at the ostrich farm, the largest in the CIS. More than 200 adult birds and a hundred funny chicks live here. You can watch the ostriches on your own or hire a guide, and then take a chance and enjoy ostrich meat, known for its unique taste.
Another interesting place for children and adults is the Open Air Museum of Railway Technology (website). More than 50 exhibits are presented here, which can trace almost the entire history of railway transport.
Weather
The climate of Brest is the most comfortable in all of Belarus – temperate continental, with mild winters and long warm summers. The coldest month is January, the hottest month is July. Most precipitation falls during the warm period, snow falls from late December to early March, but due to frequent thaws, it does not lie on the ground for long. Moderate westerly winds do not bring the slightest discomfort. It is best to go to Brest in late spring, early autumn or summer, when walking around the city is a maximum of pleasure.
