Brest

Brest sits at the confluence of the Mukhavets and the Bug in the far southwest, and its centre is a nineteenth and early twentieth century grid, rebuilt after wartime destruction, with Sovetskaya Street pedestrianised through the middle. That street is the town's set piece: it is lit by kerosene lanterns, and a lamplighter in uniform walks it at dusk each evening with a ladder, lighting each of the several dozen lamps in turn, a practice revived in 2009 and now the thing visitors come to watch. The Museum of Rescued Artistic Values holds icons and objects recovered at the customs post. Belovezhskaya Pushcha and Kamyanyets are within an hour.

What you actually see

• The lamplighter - the evening lighting of the Sovetskaya Street lanterns.
• Sovetskaya Street - the pedestrianised centre and its restored buildings.
• The Museum of Rescued Artistic Values - the recovered icons and objects.
• The rivers - the Mukhavets and Bug meeting at the city.

When to go

May to September for the streets and the long evenings; the lamplighter works year round at dusk, which is early in winter and late in summer. Museums close on Mondays.

Honest expectations

The lamplighter walk is short and gathers a crowd; arrive a few minutes early for a view. Much of the historic fabric was destroyed and rebuilt. Museums are labelled in Belarusian and Russian. The city is a long way from Minsk.

Nearby

Kamyanyets lies north; Belovezhskaya Pushcha is northeast.