Living in St Petersburg as a language student: a practical guide

Practical guide to student life in St Petersburg: accommodation, metro, food, SIM cards, money and weather - what to sort out in your first days.

Saint Petersburg is where your course happens - but also where you buy groceries, catch the metro and explain to a pharmacist what hurts. Here is the practical side, in the order you will actually need it.

Where you will live

Through the school you can book accommodation: a host family room - 240 EUR per week with breakfast or 295 EUR with half-board - or a private apartment from 295 EUR per week. Families live either in the historic centre (about 25 minutes to school by metro) or within walking distance of the school on Vasilievsky Island. A host family means Russian at breakfast and dinner; an apartment means quiet and independence. Both work - choose by how you prefer to live day to day. Airport transfer can be arranged for 50 EUR.

Money - read this before you fly

Most international bank cards do not work in Russia. Do not discover this at the airport. Before travel, ask us about current payment options for your situation; course fees can be paid online before arrival, and daily life is manageable with cash exchanged locally. Plan this once, properly, and it stops being a problem.

Getting around

The metro is fast, cheap by European standards and genuinely beautiful - several central stations are tourist attractions in themselves. It runs from early morning until around midnight. For taxis use the Yandex Go app: you type the address, so no language barrier, and the price is fixed before the car arrives. The historic centre is compact - many students end up walking most days, and walking doubles as reading practice: street signs, shop windows, the metro map.

Phone and internet

Buy a local SIM in your first days - bring your passport, it is required by law. Our managers will help you choose an operator and plan. Wi-Fi is common in cafes and available at the school.

Food

Supermarket chains - Пятёрочка, Перекрёсток, Магнит, Лента - are everywhere and inexpensive. The classic student move is the weekday "бизнес-ланч": a fixed-price set lunch that most cafes serve until mid-afternoon. Start with five words: борщ, пельмени, блины, пирожки, чай. Add ten more and waiters stop switching to English.

Weather, honestly

Winter is cold and dark and has its own beauty; pack real boots and layers. Spring is muddy, then suddenly wonderful. From late May to mid-July the White Nights keep the sky bright almost all night - the best season for evening walks and the worst for going to bed on time. Autumn is quiet and good for study. Whichever season you pick, bring waterproof shoes and layers.

A few local codes

Take your shoes off in apartments. Bring an odd number of flowers (even numbers are for funerals). Do not expect strangers to smile - it is not rudeness, just a different default. Hospitality shows differently here, usually as a third helping at dinner.

The first-days checklist

Transfer or route from the airport sorted; SIM card with data; cash plan confirmed; metro route to school tested once; school phone number saved. Sort these out in the first two days, and the rest of the stay is simply daily life in Russian.