Minsk is perhaps as far removed from a typical holiday destination as it is from being an architectural showpiece, but for those bored with a mundane beach holiday the Belarussian capital is one of the true gems of the east.

Lacking the profile of former Soviet capitals such as Kiev, Talinn and Riga, to most westerners Minsk remains something of an enigma, with few conventional attractions to advertise.

But bored as I was with the same old beach holidays spent consuming my own body weight in watered down vodka and slowly baking my skin to an attractive shade of crimson, I felt in the mood to break new ground.

So there I found myself, standing at Minsk Airport suitcase in hand, wondering precisely what I had let myself in for.

To be honest I had done little research on Minsk, or even Belarus, before I went. Beyond a well-publicised nuclear incident 20-odd years ago and a booming market in Communist memorabilia, both of which they do better than anyone else in the world, I was armed with nothing more than my preconceptions about what the Belarussian capital would be like.

But riding into town in a clapped-out taxi coughing out fumes like one of Minsk's industrial chimneys, the city's sheer aesthetic horror was revealed.

Like many cities that recovered from the ravages of World War II under the Stalinist architectural style seemingly inspired by a concrete-fetishist, Minsk is far from being one of the most beautiful cities of the east.

Nevertheless, the break-up of the Soviet Union has heralded a wave of western imports, from sushi bars to nightclubs, making it an unusually dynamic and exciting city.

However, the scale of Belarus' suffering during the war - with one in four people being killed - has left an indelible mark on the city. As a result, Victory Square is a key city landmark definitely worth seeing, with a great stella and an eternal flame paying tribute to those who died.

Visitors may also want to stroll around the Botanical Garden, built in 1932 and featuring 9,000 types of plants, see the Russian Orthodox Cathedral, or explore the heart of the city on Skoryny Street with its collection of cafes, shops and bars.

Minsk also has a rich cultural offering, with the Belarusian Ballet and fine museums such as the National Arts Museum, the National Museum of Belarusian History and Culture, the Museum of History of the Great Patriotic War and the Museum of Old Belarusian Culture.

However, culture vulture that I am I decided to give both the ballet and the many museums a miss, and instead explore Minsk's more worldly attractions.

Despite a creeping western influence the majority of Minsk's bars and restaurants retain their formal Belarussian ambience.

The food was rather uninspiring in more than one back-street eatery the explorer in me convinced me to try, but was more than compensated for by the variety of entertainments on offer.

The hairy lipped, keyboard-backed singer was most certainly entertaining, if not in the way it was intended, producing one of the most hilarious performances outside of the comedy circuit.

So while Minsk may not rival Paris or Florence for the title of world's most beautiful city, what it lacks in grace it more than makes up for in character, or more accurately, 1.8 million of them.

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