Irina

My day with Irina was absolutely one of the highlights of my time in St Petersburg. I combined this 'Journey to the Past' tour with her other cooking master class. We started the day baking traditional Russian bread at Irina's place, during which time we drank tea, chatted and helped each other with our language skills :) Afterwards, Irina took me to her favorite bric-a-brac stores so I could find some little treasures to take home as Russian mementos. These are not shops you would find without local know-how! Irina introduced me to the shopkeepers who were all very friendly, and she helped me select some special souvenirs along the way, telling me the stories of many objects and their significance to Russian culture and history. We also made a trip to the local food market to sample delicacies from all over Russia, which was a lot of fun. By the time Irina and I parted ways in the evening, I really felt as if I had spent the day with a good friend. I would highly recommend to do this tour in conjunction with Irina's cooking tour as well, as she is a formidable cook :)

This tour was great! Irina is very friendly and we spent several hours chatting about everything from Russian food and culture, to what's going on in the city! She took me to an antique shop while the bread was baking and recommended several 'off-the-beaten-track' events in the city over the course of my stay that so far have all been great! The conversation was great, and Irina was very knowledgeable. I would recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn about Russia and St Petersburg over a cup of tea, and take home a delicious loaf of bread! Thanks Irina!

Irina is a kind teacher. She introduced me to an old apartment, a nice house, tell the history of communal apartments in Saint-Petersburg. We enjoyed cooking traditional Russian food and talking about daily life. For me this was a different experience during the trip and it was time to learn about the lives of the Russians. I can not speak Russian, but Irina was so good at English that I was able to speak easily.

Irina is very kind and cheerful, she explained me all the ingredients of our dishes(and taught me the ingredients' names in Russian even i speak very bad, ha-ha),then taught me how to cook step by step, she is professional. During the tea time, she shared me interesting knowledge of Russia living style and introduced flea market to me. I am glad to have a great time with her, absolutely recommend this tour.

I spent a great couple of hours with Irina, learning to bake Russian bread. The bread was delicious (I'm still enjoying it a couple of days later!) and Irina was very friendly and welcoming. She even took me to an antique shop and a church after we finished baking, and talked to me all about her travels. I would highly recommend this tour. Thank you so much Irina!

If you would like to see a side of St. Petersburg that the regular tours don't take you on please try this one! Irina knew the best vintage shoppes. And my Mother in Law is a foodie. Irina took us to the best place where both of us had a great time. This is different view of St Petersburg and we highly recommend it.

What a unique and fantastic experience. This is a must-do experience out of all the things we have done in St. Petersburg. The hosts make you feel truly at home, in Russian or English. Best ever experience and definitely best experience we’ve tried in St.Petersburg. Highly recommend.

Wonderful, fantastic experiences that I really enjoy eating Borsch while knowing the culture behind it. She is very enthusiastic and open and willing to learn people from all over the world. Strongly recommended! Thanks for your great experience.

One of the best experiences during my trip. Irina is just a lovely and interesting person and makes you feel comfortable at her place. You leave enriched, with a tasty memory of the encounter. Thank you very much Irina!

Irina was a warm and hospitable host with personal knowledge of cooking, sharing family recipes and experience. She also shared tasty appetizers and drinks. We had a wonderful time - better than we could hope for!

"Irina created a wonderful experience In her lovely kitchen. We made a lot of delicious dishes and I even went home with some! She explained every step and made it super fun. Highly recommend this experience."

Very good class, Irina is very nice and helpful. She gave great tips on how to cook brocht. She also helped me to purchase vodka in local shop. Highly recommended!

It’s very nice experience during a trip in St.Petersburg. Local Food is an important part for me when traveling. The hospitality is also very nice. Thanks a lot.

Had an excellent time with Irina. We made some delicious Borscht and learnt a lot about Russian culture and way of living. Thoroughly recommended!!

Irina was super friendly and welcoming and made the shared cooking experience one that we would like to repeat back at home!

Our excursion to Kronstadt was a wonderful experience. Irina is just a good guide and everything worked as it was planned.

Enjoyed a great time with Irina. We cooked Borscht. It's tasty! Irina shared a lot of Russian culture and history with us and advised various attractions in St Petersburg. It’s an interesting experience. We highly recommend it :)