Orsha Tourist Places to Visit in Orsha, Belarus, Europe

Orsha Tourist Places to Visit in Orsha, Belarus, Europe

Orsha is a city belonging to the Vitebsk Voblast (province) in Belarus, located about 190 km from Polatsk, 220 km from Vitebsk and 205 km from the national capital, Minsk.

Geography of Orsha:

Orsha is positioned on the divergence of the rivers of Dnieper and Arshytsa between latitude 54°30′33″ in the north and longitude 30°25′33″ in the east, positioned at an altitude of 192 meters covering an area of 38.90 sq. km.

History of Orsha:

Orsha is one of the oldest cities of Belarus as it was initially founded in 1067 by name Rsha. Rsha derives its name from the river of the same name that may be derived from the Baltic language word ‘rus’ which means ‘slowly flowing’. The Orsha Castle was constructed between 1398 and 1407 during the period of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

How to reach Orsha?

Orsha is one of the railway hubs in Belarus since it is passed by trains coming from Moscow and Saint-Petersburg in Russia to Western Europe.

Orsha is also passed by the two major highways such as the M8/M20 Saint Petersburg – Odessa and the M1 Moscow-Brest.

Orsha is located around 75 km and 85 km from Vitebsk Airport and Mogilev Airport respectively. Minsk National Airport is situated about 190 km away from Orsha.

To reach tourist destinations, airport and neighboring cities, tourists can use rental cars or buses.

Food and Shopping in Orsha:

There are numerous upgraded food corners in Orsha and the city also houses many modernized shops with tourist favor products like perfume, clothes and shoes.

The major restaurants in and around Orsha are listed below:

Vitebsky Traktir
Gubernskiy Traktir Restaurant
Amsterdam Restaurant
Vitebsky Traktir
Kofeynya

Things to do in Orsha:

Visiting Churches
Visiting Parks
Walking

What to see in Orsha?

Orthodox church of Saint Illa:

Orthodox Church of Saint Illa is the major religious site as well as tourist attraction of Orsha. It was constructed in 1880 and it presently receives tourists for its typical ancient architecture and holiness.

Railway station of Orsha:

Orsha has well built railway station and receives continuous trains from Moscow, St. Petersburg and many other foreign cities. It is located few kilometers away from the city centre.

Vitebsk regional Museum:

Located in Vitebsk, Vitebsk Regional Museum is one of the major museums in Belarus featuring more than 2, 00,000 items related to history, culture and tradition of Vitebsk. It can be reached by bus or private vehicles.

List of other places of interest in Orsha includes:

Berezina Biosphere Reserve
Braslau Lakes National Park
Uspensky Cathedral
Saint-Efrosinya Monastery
Slavianski Bazaar in Vitebsk
Saint Euphrosyne Monastery
Marc Chagall Home
Repin’s country house in Zdrawneva
Jewish Cemetery
Lyalka Belarusian Theatre
Trinitarian Catholic Church in Vitebsk
Lyalka Belarusian Theatre
Barbara church in Vitebsk
Marc Chagall Art Center

When to visit Orsha?

Orsha experiences pleasant climate throughout the year, so all the months of the year are best to trip Orhsa.

Where to stay in Orsha?

Orsha is pleasant city housing less upgraded accommodation centres. On this point, visitors can refer hotels of nearby cities such as Polotsk, Vitebsk and Navapolatsk for better hospitality services. Here is the list of reputed hotels in and around Orsha: