Take advantage of the unique flavor St. Petersburg has to offer. CEA offers a variety of local immersion activities to match your interests. Whether you enjoy music concerts, clubs, sports, cooking classes, language exchanges or something entirely different, our resident staff can help you get involved in the local culture. Here are just some examples.
Russian Banya
The banya, or Russian steam bath, has been an integral part of Russian culture since the Middle Ages. A trip to the banya is an unforgettable experience, beginning with a dry sauna heated to between 100° and 120° C. This is followed by a small break to cool down before moving on to the steam room (parilka), where hot water is ladled onto the hot rocks and the room immediately fills with steam. Upon returning to the dressing room, students can have a drink and eat Kolbasa (Russian Sausage) while socializing. After about 20 minutes, it’s back to the banya and the process is repeated two or three times. After the final session, the tradition is to go outside and swim in a lake or river, or, if it is the winter time, to roll around in the snow. A feeling of relaxation and exhilaration should follow a trip to the banya!
Dine with a Russian Family
CEA offers students this very special opportunity to meet and interact with a local Russian family in the intimacy of their own home. This is a wonderful way to get acquainted with daily life in a Russian family and experience Russian culture first-hand. Students can sample typical Russian dishes such as borsch (beet soup) schi (cabbage soup), bliny (pancakes) or golubtsy (stuffed cabbage rolls). Students should bring a small gift and once inside the apartment, remember to remove their shoes and put on some house slippers “tapochki” which will be supplied by the family. This activity is perfect for students who would like to communicate and make friends with locals and see what Russian life is truly like.
Company Visit to the Baltika Brewery
The Baltika brewery was established in the last days of the former USSR. As communism faded, the brewery became a joint venture between its employees and foreign investors. This state-of-the-art brewery in the industrial district just north of St. Petersburg surpasses most US plants in terms of sophistication and volume. Baltika is the undisputed leader of the Russian brewing industry with a 25% share of the market. While vodka remains the national drink of choice, younger Russians are more likely to socialize over a beer. Today, Baltika is the most successful domestic brewery in Russia with nine different types of beer frequently found on tap in Russia's restaurants and bars. First students will meet with Baltika business managers who will explain the business side of how the brewery operates, followed by a question and answer session. Later students will learn how beer is brewed, how the malt is produced and visit and talk with brewery workers. There will also be an opportunity to sample some of the beer produced and visit places like the "mash floor" and the "malt store".
Rivers and canals of St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg was built on the delta of the River Neva and is spread out over numerous islands of varying sizes. Over the years, more than 500 bridges were built to connect these islands across the various tributaries of the River Neva and the city's many canals. During the summer, the bridges across the Neva open at night to allow ships to pass up and down the river. Students should make sure not to get caught on the wrong side of the river after 2:00 AM! A guided boat tour will take students through the historical part of town as well as to areas of the city that cannot be easily reached on foot. This provides a different perspective of the city from water level and allows students to discover many of St. Petersburg’s hidden secrets as they travel along small rivers and canals with a local guide.
Russian Museum
Founded in 1898, this is the largest and most complete museum of Russian art, housed in the Mikhailovsky Palace, which was built by famous Russian architect Carl Rossi from 1819-1825. It houses works by great Russian artists including renowned painters Pavel Fedotov, Isaac Levitan, Orest Kiprensky, Ilya Repin and many others.
Ethnographic Museum
This museum houses an exhibit featuring the culture and life of the more than 150 peoples of Russia including various adornments, cut objects, embroidery, folk costumes, furs and weapons.
The Hermitage Museum
A world-class museum founded in 1764, the Hermitage Museum occupies several buildings including the Winter Palace, Small, Old and New Hermitages. The museum boasts more than 3 million works including applied art, archaeological finds, coins, graphic art, paintings and sculptures. The museum recently acquired Soviet painter Kazimir Malevich's famous black square painting for $1 million.
Alexander Pushkin Memorial Museum
This museum honoring the great Russian writer and poet opened in 1949 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Pushkin's birth and is the oldest literary museum in Russia. It includes a display of all of Pushkin's belongings.
St. Isaak’s Cathedral
The lavish interior of this grandiose cathedral was completed in 1858 and designed by French architect Ricard de Montferrand. Its Golden Dome is one of the main attractions of St. Petersburg.
Peter and Paul Fortress
This is the oldest building in St. Petersburg. Students will visit the Baroque interior of the Peter & Paul cathedral with its landmark golden needle spire. Many Russian Tsars including Peter the Great are buried here. The grounds outside the fortress are a major venue for several city festivals held throughout the year.
Yusupov Palace
Yusupov Palace is a marvel of 18th and 19th century architecture and home to one of the wealthiest and powerful pre-Revolutionary Russian families. The palace is also famous for being the site at which Gregory Rasputin was murdered in 1916. The palace offers guided tours and is a venue for regular concerts and other cultural programs.
Summer Garden, Cabin of Peter I
This cabin houses a permanent collection of Peter the Great's personal belongings from the 18th century including a bed, clothes, mirror and furniture. The palace was built between the years of 1710-1712 and was designed by the famous architect D. Trezinni.
Mariinsky Theatre
The world-famous Mariinsky Opera and Ballet opened in 1783 by Empress Catherine II. The Mariinsky was designed by the architect Caves, and was named after Maria, the wife of Tsar Alexander II.
Mikhailovsky Castle
A branch of the Russian Museum, Mikhailovsky Castle regularly hosts a variety of art exhibitions. It also has a permanent exhibition of portraits of members of the Romanov dynasty and the Russian aristocracy.
Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkammer)
Founded by Peter the Great, the Museum opened to the public in 1714. Its purpose was to collect and examine natural and human curiosities and rarities. The museum’s collections are among the most complete and interesting in the world. These collections contain over one million artifacts and reflect the diversity of traditional cultures in the Old and New World.
