Homestay Accommodation

Living with a Russian family is a vital part of your stay.  Our families enjoy having students in their

homes.You will be regarded as part of the family, having meals together, chatting, watching TV, and going out at the weekends. You will find that the time you spend talking to your host family is one of the best and most enjoyable ways of improving your Russian. Very often, the relationship between student and family develops into a lasting friendship.   St. Petersburg is a beautiful city with almost 5 million citizens, so we have no trouble to select the very best families for our students to stay with.

We pay careful attention to choosing a suitable "host family" for you, and to making sure that you feel comfortable and relaxed during all your stay. All our accommodation is inspected regularly, so you can always be sure of a high standard of comfort and a friendly, warm welcome. Some families offer a double room for couples, but normally every student gets a single room with study facilities and half board. If there is anything you are not satisfied with, we will deal with the situation sensitively and sympathetically, and you will be able, if necessary, to move.

Here is what our students say:

"I sincerely recommend anyone to stay with a host family. It not only provides you with ideal conditions for improving your language skills, it also offers a glimpse of every day life in Russia. I very much enjoyed my stay with my host family. They took me to their 'dacha' and introduced me to their friends. This put me in contact with a lot of different Russians, with whom I could practice my Russian." Maarten Groothuizen, The Netherlands - august 2002    "The most delicious Russian specialties are served 'u mamy na kukhnii' ('in mama's kitchen'), rather than in expensive restaurants and hotels. The most striking chronicles of Russian history are not the dusty volumes in libraries, but family photographs, explained by members of your host family. Staying in a Russian home during my visit to St. Petersburg greatly

contributed to both my linguistic skills and my understanding of Russian culture. I found my hosts always alert and sympathetic to the difficulties a foreign visitor may experience in their city. And they helped in any way they could, whether I wanted to buy theatre tickets, organize a day trip, find the best bath house in the area, or, more prosaic, clean my shirts… they offered a home away from home". Caspar Meyer, Oxford

Hotels

Most of our students prefer to stay with families, but if for any reason this does not suit you, we will book a suitable hotel.

A variety of hotels from *** to ***** are now available in St. Petersburg.

Transfer

We arrange a personal meeting by car. It is included in the course fee. A courier will meet you on arrival at the airport and take you directly to your homestay or hotel. So, even if your Russian is not very good, you will have no problems reaching your accommodation.