Belarus Express

Day 1 - Home - Prenzlau (D)
Starting point is a hotel on the outskirts of the town of Prenzlau in Eastern Germany near the border with Poland. The hotel has a covered outdoor terrace where you can relax and enjoy food and drink - rain or shine.

Day 2 - Prenzlau - Chojnice (PL)
After the border passage you leave the main roads and you reach the village of Chojnice southwest of Gdansk through rolling hills.

Day 3 - Chojnice - Gierloz
Malbork is located halfway along the route. Malbork Castle (Mariënburg Castle) is the largest castle in Europe and an imposing example of the typical robust brick architecture of this region. Just past Elblag you leave the hustle and bustle in the direction of the Masurian Lake District. At Ketrzyn are the remains of the 'Wolfsschanze', the bunker complex from which Hitler led the war against Russia for several years. There the attack was committed by Von Stauffenberg. Although the Germans blew up a lot on their departure, it is well worth a stop. We will stay this unique night in the vicinity of this historic complex.

Day 4 - Gierloz - Elk
In the morning time for a visit to the 'Wolfsschanze'. Then a short stage to the town of Elk. You can take a break in the afternoon after the long previous days. But of course there is also plenty to do here. In the afternoon you can, for example, take a tour through the lake area or take a trip to the Biebrzanski National Park, see the city or do nothing.

Day 5 - Elk - Vawkavysky (BEL)
Not too long a stage today either, because the border passage can take a lot of time. We do have an extra hour due to the time difference. Vawkavysky is a more than 1000 year old provincial town in western Belarus. A fun and only noteworthy excursion from the city is the so-called Swedish Mountain, a 350-year-old artificial hill with a panoramic view of the surrounding area.

Day 6 - Vawkavysky - Minsk
In Belarus we mainly drive on the mostly good main roads. Beyond that, you quickly end up on unpaved roads and trails. On the way to Minsk we cannot ignore the historical palace complex of Nesvizh. The restored palace with surrounding gardens has only been open to the public since 2012. Of a more robust nature is the 16th century castle of Mir (Unesco) a little further away.

Day 7 - Minsk - Stay
Only a few historic buildings survived the WWII bombings and the Stalinist construction projects. However, there are typical remains of the old Soviet architecture such as the old spacious boulevards and large parks. But above all, Minsk is a surprisingly modern and progressive city with a trendy nightlife culture.

Day 8 - Minsk - Vilnius (LT)
Unique city architecture, many parks and terraces make Vilnius a cozy and lively whole (Unesco heritage). Highly recommended is a visit to the KGB museum where 70 years of terror and oppression have been extensively exhibited. If the border crossing has not taken too much time, you can still take the motorbike to nearby Trakai with its medieval fortress in the middle of a lake.

Day 9 - Vilnius - Klaipeda, departure ferry
Via Kaunas and close to the border with the Russian enclave Kaliningrad we set course for the Lithuanian Baltic Sea coast. Kaunas is the second largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius. After the fall of communism, Kaunas has been modernized at a rapid pace. The old town has been restored and the Laisvės alėja has been turned into a wide shopping promenade. Due to Klaipeda's Prussian past, the restored old center has a German feel with half-timbered houses and cobblestones. Klaipeda is the only port in Lithuania. Early in the evening we board the night boat to Germany, departure at 10 pm.

Day 10 - Arrival ferry - Home
The crossing takes about 19 hours. We arrive in Kiel, Germany at the end of the next afternoon. The distance from Kiel to Utrecht is approximately 540 km.