Belarus

Despite its location in the geographic centre of Europe, the former Soviet republic of Belarus has only recently begun to cautiously open its doors to international travelers. The few days’ visa-free allowance is more than enough to venture into Minsk – the capital city that breathes Soviet nostalgia – and beyond, to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Mirsky and Nesvizh Castles, passing through the vast natural expanses of fields, blue lakes and primeval forests (the Belovezhskaya pushcha, still inhabited by European bison) en route.