They call the train to Minsk the Time Machine because it takes you back at least 20 years. In just one night we leave capitalist Europe behind and enter the forgotten glories of the USSR, preserved in the odd bubble that is Belarus. Three Ukrainians share my compartment and giggle nervously as childhood memories flash by the window: gigantic collective farms, long lines at the currency exchange and billboards featuring the Soviet-era diva Alla Pugacheva.

I feel the difference at the border at midnight, when a gruff female officer in Soviet-style military uniform inspects my passport with a magnifying glass and accuses me of not resembling my ID. Notwithstanding the effects of age, I am granted entry.

On March 19 Aleksandr Lukashenko was re-elected to his third term as President of Belarus, claiming 83 per cent of the vote in an election that the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe said was severely flawed.

The demonstrations that followed resulted in a brutal police crackdown in which hundreds of people were beaten and arrested. Many were (and still are) imprisoned, including leaders of opposition parties. The EU condemned the violence and banned Lukashenko and several officials from travelling to EU countries. Relations with the West have turned from strained to spiteful.

Yet in the country, stability reigns. In October Square in Minsk, where the protests took place, I watch hundreds of ice skaters circle to Elton John blaring from a loudspeaker. Tourists are welcome as long as they do not interfere and, politics aside, this is a beautiful country.

Opposite the railway station stand the City Gates, a pair of 11-storey clock towers that once marked the Western gateway to the Soviet Union. Heavily bombed in the Second World War, Minsk offers an impressive display of such Stalinist architecture — all of it, remarkably, restored. The result is a unique capital, orderly but grandiose and devoid of traffic jams and glaring signs.

Belarus means White Russia and while I was there it was. The continual snowfall added to the serenity of the forests — some of the last virgin woodlands in Europe. These include Belovezhskaya Pushcha — a national park that is home to a recovered population of European bison. Obtaining a visitor’s permit is tedious, but worth it to see the ancient oaks and wildlife of a lost Europe.

Preserving the past is a daily affair at Dudutki, an outdoor museum village celebrating Belarussian country life. Amid the thatched cottages and working farms, tourists are plied with homemade vodka, potato pancakes, smoked cheese and sausage while shopping for rustic handicrafts. Away from the tourist theatre are identical scenes in the rural villages that dot the countryside. These inspired the artist Marc Chagall, whose birthplace I visit in Vitebsk. The museum houses few of his original works, but it connects the artist’s life to the evocative landscapes.

I am surprised at how freely I am able to wander around the country. Nobody seems to be watching me, and the country is safe in the way that most dictatorships are: there is little petty crime and pickpockets are unheard of. Flagging down a taxi is the only annoyance — many drivers are reluctant to interact with foreigners.

On my last evening, my Intourist-era hotel recommends upmarket restaurants and nightclubs that cater to foreign guests. Instead I choose the Belarussian National Circus. The two-hour performance is superb, with acrobats and death-defying stuntmen. In the finale, an acrobat on a galloping horse unfurls a huge Belarussian flag. The Minister of Culture steps into the ring and the performers garland him with flowers. The children in the audience scream with delight.

Alas, my visa expires in six hours and I catch the train back to a less innocent time.

Page 2: need to know

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Getting there: Belavia, the national airline, makes two flights a week from Gatwick to Minsk. Trains connect from other European cities, including an overnight sleeper from Berlin to Minsk via Warsaw.

Visas and red tape: UK tourists visiting Belarus require a visa, issued at the London embassy (020-7938 3677, www.belembassy.org/uk). Visa applicants require an original invitation from a registered Belarussian tour agency, which is issued only after a hotel booking has been paid in full by direct bank transfer. The visa process can take two weeks or more. Zierer’s visa service charges £50 and can reduce some of the stress (0870 8900185, www.visaservice.co.uk). All foreigners must register with the local police station within three days of arrival.

Tour operators: In the UK, Regent Holidays (0117-921 1711, www.regent-holidays.co.uk) offers a three-night city break to Minsk from £340, including flights, transfers and B&B. In Belarus, Alatantur (00 375 17 227 7417, www.alatantour.com/eng) offers visa support, hotels and excursions with English- speaking guides. Top-Tour offers the same and can arrange visits to national parks (www.toptour.by).