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Host: Elena

Saint Petersburg, Russia

USD
$118 per person

Enjoy a day in Saint Petersburg with a local family

Host offerings
  • Apartment
  • Home cook
  • Pets
  • Vegetarian
  • Alcohol
  • Transportation
  • Cooking class
  • Market visit
  • Food tour

Meet Elena

Elena, a Russian-English translator and former tour guide, her husband, Sasha, an author, are incredible cooks and have tons of experience hosting people from all around the world. They live in the historical city center of St. Petersburg in a beautiful vintage apartment. Elena learned to cook Russian cuisine from her mother, grandmother and mother-in-law and will be preparing traditional Russian dishes to share with guests.

If you're looking for something beyond the usual tourist path, then this experience will give you a sneak peak into how locals live. It starts with a typical Russian breakfast, then a tour around the neighborhood to visit hidden gems, followed by a home-cooked lunch using century-old family recipes, in a beautiful apartment in historic St. Petersburg.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (2-10 guests) Spend a day with with locals, Elena and Sasha, and discover St. Petersburg in the most unique way! Elena's family has been living in Tavricheskaya Street for almost 120 years now, and understandably it is her favorite neighborhood in the city! Tavricheskaya Street is very centrally located and nearly every building is an architectural masterpiece in the Art Nouveau dating from the beginning of the 20th century. Walk along the elegant streets, stroll in the old parks and discover hidden gems that only locals know about. You will also visit Elena and Sasha's traditional St. Petersburg apartment with 19th century furniture to enjoy a home cooked Russian meal.

Meet Elena at her apartment for a typical Russian breakfast of syrniki (Russian cheese pancakes) served with sour cream and/or sweetened condensed milk, tea or coffee and mazurka cookies (with raisins and walnuts). Then set out to discover the neighborhood on your 2 hour walking tour of the area, where Elena will introduce you to Fieldmarshall Suvorov's Museum, Taurida Gardens and Palace (from outside), and Smolny Cathedral. Later walk back to Elena and Sasha's apartment to enjoy a precooked lunch at their dining table. Your menu might include dishes such as Russian salad, cabbage pie and borsht or mushroom soup. End your meal with some wine, tea or coffee and dessert.

Notes: Your host is happy to accommodate lactose free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan requests.
An umbrella, comfortable clothes and footwear is recommended for this tour. Please note that Elena and Sasha have cats in their apartment, so this experience might not be suitable for guests with severe cat allergies.

Languages spoken: English

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Breakfast: Syrniki (Russian cheese pancakes) served with sour cream and/or sweetened condensed milk and mazurka cookies (with raisins and walnuts)
  • Lunch: Russian salad, cabbage pie, borsht or mushroom soup and desert
  • Tea or coffee
  • Russian table wine

Traveler reviews

This is a new host who does not yet have any reviews. You can see reviews of our other Saint Petersburg Traveling Spoon experiences on TripAdvisor:
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Elena

$118 USD

per person
100% VETTED
Learn more
  • 100% satisfaction guarantee or your money back
  • Credit card is not charged until the host confirms your booking
  • Private experience
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
In-Home Meal
Not offered $118 $118
Alcohol
$0 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
In-Home Meal
Not offered $118 $118
Alcohol
$0 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
10:00am-3:00pm

Meet Elena

Elena, a Russian-English translator and former tour guide, her husband, Sasha, an author, are incredible cooks and have tons of experience hosting people from all around the world. They live in the historical city center of St. Petersburg in a beautiful vintage apartment. Elena learned to cook Russian cuisine from her mother, grandmother and mother-in-law and will be preparing traditional Russian dishes to share with guests.

If you're looking for something beyond the usual tourist path, then this experience will give you a sneak peak into how locals live. It starts with a typical Russian breakfast, then a tour around the neighborhood to visit hidden gems, followed by a home-cooked lunch using century-old family recipes, in a beautiful apartment in historic St. Petersburg.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal: (2-10 guests) Spend a day with with locals, Elena and Sasha, and discover St. Petersburg in the most unique way! Elena's family has been living in Tavricheskaya Street for almost 120 years now, and understandably it is her favorite neighborhood in the city! Tavricheskaya Street is very centrally located and nearly every building is an architectural masterpiece in the Art Nouveau dating from the beginning of the 20th century. Walk along the elegant streets, stroll in the old parks and discover hidden gems that only locals know about. You will also visit Elena and Sasha's traditional St. Petersburg apartment with 19th century furniture to enjoy a home cooked Russian meal.

Meet Elena at her apartment for a typical Russian breakfast of syrniki (Russian cheese pancakes) served with sour cream and/or sweetened condensed milk, tea or coffee and mazurka cookies (with raisins and walnuts). Then set out to discover the neighborhood on your 2 hour walking tour of the area, where Elena will introduce you to Fieldmarshall Suvorov's Museum, Taurida Gardens and Palace (from outside), and Smolny Cathedral. Later walk back to Elena and Sasha's apartment to enjoy a precooked lunch at their dining table. Your menu might include dishes such as Russian salad, cabbage pie and borsht or mushroom soup. End your meal with some wine, tea or coffee and dessert.

Notes: Your host is happy to accommodate lactose free, gluten free, vegetarian and vegan requests.
An umbrella, comfortable clothes and footwear is recommended for this tour. Please note that Elena and Sasha have cats in their apartment, so this experience might not be suitable for guests with severe cat allergies.

Languages spoken: English

Sample menu

This is just a sample menu to give you an idea of the types of dishes the host cooks. Your menu will vary according to seasonal availability.
  • Breakfast: Syrniki (Russian cheese pancakes) served with sour cream and/or sweetened condensed milk and mazurka cookies (with raisins and walnuts)
  • Lunch: Russian salad, cabbage pie, borsht or mushroom soup and desert
  • Tea or coffee
  • Russian table wine

Traveler reviews

This is a new host who does not yet have any reviews. You can see reviews of our other Saint Petersburg Traveling Spoon experiences on TripAdvisor:
Pricing (per person)*
1 person 2-4 ppl 5+ ppl
In-Home Meal
Not offered $118 $118
Alcohol
$0 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
1 person 2-4 people 5+ people
In-Home Meal
Not offered $118 $118
Alcohol
$0 per person
*Does not include 3% payment processing fee applied at checkout.
Experience Timings
Lunch Dinner
In-Home Meal
10:00am-3:00pm
ABOUT TRAVELING SPOON

Traveling Spoon connects you with meaningful culinary experiences, from private cooking lessons to homecooked meals in people's homes. Enjoy an immersive cultural experience that gives you a glimpse into the local way of life.

FAQ

    You can cancel your reservation up until 48 hours before your experience for a full refund minus a 3% processing fee. Experiences within 48 hours are not refundable.

    If you have a question for your host, you can include a note in the field "Write a note to your host" during the booking process. Once your booking is confirmed, you will be emailed your host's direct contact information and you will also be able to message the host through your profile. You can always cancel your booking and receive a full refund 48 hours or more before your experience. If you have other questions you can also email us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Most of our hosts are able to accommodate dietary restrictions and allergies, including vegetarian and gluten free options. For vegetarian travelers, we have an icon on each host profile to indicate whether that host can also offer a fully vegetarian menu. There is a section in the booking form to note any allergies or dietary restrictions which will be sent directly to your host.

    Some hosts offer alcohol as an optional add-on for travelers who are of legal drinking age. Pricing for alcohol is visible on the host profile page and includes one to two glasses of wine, beer or local alcohol.

    Have a flight or other tour planned and can’t make the timing provided? If the timing listed on the host’s profile doesn’t work for you, our hosts can often accommodate timing changes. Because all of our experiences are private our hosts are happy to tailor experiences to meet your travel needs. Simply note your request in the booking process.

    Your card will not be charged until your host accepts your booking. Typically hosts respond to bookings within 72 hours. In the event your host is unavailable on your selected date and your host rejects your booking your credit card will not be charged.

    Your host's detailed contact information, including their phone number, address, and direction notes, will all be provided immediately upon successful confirmation of your experience (after your hosts accepts your booking and your credit card is successfully processed). This information will be emailed to you to the email address you used to sign up, and will also be visible on your Traveling Spoon profile.

    All prices are noted per person prices unless otherwise specified. Transportation is typically charged on a per car basis. Children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free. Hosts set their own prices and Traveling Spoon marks up the experiences; on average hosts receive over 70% of the price paid by the traveler.

    100% of Traveling Spoon experiences are private! Just you and your host and host’s family.

    Hosts typically respond to booking inquiries within 72 hours. If for some reason you have not heard from your host or if you have any questions you can always contact us at reservations@travelingspoon.com.

    Your safety and security are our top priority. To ensure this, Traveling Spoon personally vets 100% of all hosts, including an in-person host visit, to ensure each host and experience meets our strict quality requirements.

    Some hosts offer transportation as an optional add-on for travelers. Typically this is round trip transportation with pick up and drop off at your hotel. Pricing is quoted per car. Specific instructions for transportation will be provided in your confirmation details when your booking is confirmed.

    Many of our hosts accommodate solo travelers. You can see if a host accepts solo travelers by looking at the traveler range found next to the experience descriptions on the host profile (indicated by the numbers in parentheses next to "In-home meal", "Cooking experience" and "Market visit").

    Most of our Traveling Spoon experiences are incredibly family friendly and can accommodate infants and children. If a host is unable to accommodate children that will be noted in the “Notes” section of their profile. Our child pricing policy is children aged 5-11 are 50% off, and infants aged 0-4 are free.