BEST GUIDES TEAM

IRINA RUBASHKINA

I am enthralled with being a guide. I like meeting new people and sharing with them my knowledge of the history, art, and architecture of the city, and also my impressions of its unique charm and special aura.

I was born in Saint-Petersburg, and have lived here all my life. I always feel pride when our visitors, having been charmed by Saint-Petersburg, exclaim “What a beautiful city you live in!”

As a guide, I feel myself the “ambassador of peace”, because very often I am the first Russian person our tourists meet. I try to do my best to convey the idea that although we are from different countries and Russian history is complex and unique, we share the same values as people elsewhere.

Being a passionate traveler I always try to put myself “in the tourist’s shoes” and make the stay of our guests here comfortable and enjoyable, as people travel not only to get knowledge but also to relax and unwind.

SVETLANA SHOSTATSKAYA

My name is Svetlana. I was born in Leningrad and live in St. Petersburg now, but I’ve never moved. Our city changed its name several times, reflecting the most significant turning points of the country’s history.

St. Petersburg is not only my native city but also my hobby and my inspiration. I believe that I have found my vocation, which is the greatest achievement of my life so far. I enjoy sharing the love for my city with people from all over the world, showing the splendor of the Northern capital, and just having fun discussing everyday life. I can say without any hesitation that I am a happy person. I work with enthusiasm and pleasure because I really enjoy guiding. I can’t imagine any other profession which could make me as enthusiastic and satisfied as this one.

IRINA AVDEEVA

I am Irina Avdeeva. I have always been keen on English since I started to study it at school when I was ten. After receiving higher education I started teaching English, and I really liked it. But then I decided to change my life, took a course in tour guiding and made it my full time job.

I entirely enjoy my profession. Meeting new people, showing them around our stunning city and sharing knowledge with them feels great for me. It is very exciting and challenging to deal with people from around the world, get to know their cultures, traditions and views. In my opinion, I am quite a sociable and outspoken person and also, I reckon, quite talkative. So, apart from sharing my knowledge about the city, I enjoy talking about the past and the present of our country, people’s everyday life and concerns and any other issues that might interest our guests.

ELENA KUZNETSOVA

Hi, I am Elena, a licensed guide with a vast experience and many satisfied customers. I was born in St. Petersburg. To my mind, it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I’m proud to live in such a fascinating place. The Northern capital of Russia is known for its monuments of history and culture, and unique architectural ensembles. I enjoy making my tourists happy, helping them to have the greatest time and see beautiful sights of my beloved city. I always try to consider the guests’ wishes during the tour, so everyone could feel the hospitality of St. Petersburg.

NINA POKROVSKAYA

Hello! My name is Nina Pokrovskaya. I love this job so much that it seems I was born to be a guide. I moved to Saint Petersburg from Murmansk in 2005, and fell in love with this city forever! People find me very communicative, passionate and active (one of my tourists compared me once to a firework), so I’ll be happy to share my love for this wonderful city with you!

Believe it or not but one of my hobbies is answering questions! I like when people are interested in Russian history, our past and present, cuisine, everyday life, whatever! The best gratitude for me is to see that our guests from different countries enjoy the city and my excursions, and they would like to come to Saint Petersburg again. Quite often they really do!

ELENA GLAZKOVA

Welcome to St. Petersburg! My name is Elena Glazkova. I like meeting people and sharing my knowledge of history and art, and also my memories, views, my personal experience of living in my country that has come through major changes.

I wasn’t born in St. Petersburg but it became one of my favorite hobbies long ago. I like discovering new pages in the history of this beautiful city. Together with my friends and my daughter Sasha I like strolling along the embankments, visiting museums, walking in the shades of trees in the huge gardens of Peterhof, Tsars Village or Pavlovsk. I would be pleased to share my love for St. Petersburg with you!

ALEXANDER GORODINSKY

Hello dear travelers! I love travelling myself, because it’s a great opportunity to learn about people and the world. When I came to St. Petersburg for studying, I fell in love with this magnificent city – full of history, elegant architecture and intellectual, literate and open-minded people. I received higher education in geography and traveled a lot around Russia, exploring the country, from hi-tech or ancient cities to the real wild. Then I realized I would like to show all of this cultural and natural beauty of Russia to people around the world so they can broaden their point of view on Russia.

I prefer to be informal in my excursions, having conversation with our guests rather than talking like an audio guide. During our excursions we cover not only interesting and funny facts about the highlights of the city, but also discuss everything that happens to us in Russia: everyday life, habits of Russians, customs, politics, etc. See you on the magnificent streets of St. Petersburg!

NADIA SMOTKINA

My name is Nadia. I have been living in St. Petersburg all my life, it’s my native city. It is the city of my parents and grandparents. Therefore St. Petersburg is more than just my home — it is my culture, my lifestyle, my character that has formed through generations. I have always felt a spiritual connection with my city and I never stop admiring its unique beauty: the magnificent and romantic rivers and canals, endless bridges, long and wide avenues decorated with elegant European-style buildings, its treasures under the sky where every single stone and every house can tell its own story, where every palace still remembers its noble owners and the time of ceremonial receptions and luxurious balls.

Guiding for me is not just a job, it’s my hobby and my pleasure to show the city where I live and share my knowledge of history and art. I became a guide many years ago, and I never regretted my choice! 

KSENIA SIMUTENKO

My name is Ksenia, which means “welcoming”. I’ve been doing my beloved job for almost 10 years. It was my dream as a child to become a tour-guide and, since all my dreams come to life, I am a tour-guide.
I was very lucky with my teacher, one of the best guides in Saint Petersburg, who used to say: “Your number one goal is to make your tourists happy”. I try my best to succeed in it. I put a lot of humor in my excursions, making them interactive and vivid. Dialog is greater than a monologue, and I learn a lot at my work.
When my clients ask me how I manage to know SO much about Saint Petersburg, my native city, my answer is: “It’s not a problem to study something that you love with all your heart and mind”.
I’m also very lucky with my boss Tatiana, it’s a pleasure to work with a person you like and know very well.
My original education is teaching kids, so this is my second favorite activity. I put my pedagogical ideas into practice with my little one. My hobby is travelling, I’ve been to many countries and have many more to visit.

MARIA

My name is Maria, I was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and graduated from St. Petersburg State University, faculty of sociology. My tour guide experience (in English and Spanish) began in 2003. 

Even though I've spent all my life in my native city, I love to travel very much and love to meet people who travel. This is one of the reasons I became a tour guide. 

Besides visiting old towns and museums around the world, my favourite hobby is exploring my own country, Russia, which has lots of wonderful places on its vast territory. This helps me to understand the history, people, spirit and mentality of the country better. 

I love to share my experiences with our guests, interested in true Russian life and culture.