If you plan to visit Russia, and are looking for a custom-tailored and privately arranged experience, there are some apps that provide a list of English-speaking locals that can be your guides and show you all the sights you won’t find in travel guides. Beyond that you can find different supplementary options, such as hosting, or a transfer with the local’s vehicle.
All the apps work similar: choose the city you’d like to visit, go through the list of guides and pick the one you are interested in according to your preferences and budget. Make a payment through the system (in different apps you can pay for a day or for one-two hours) and exchange contacts with your future local guide.
1. Tours By Locals
Let’s start with the most popular app which provides local tours in most-visited Russian cities like Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Sochi, Kazan plus some cities close to Lake Baikal, in Russia’s Far East. The company also offers river cruises with local guides. Aside from this, you can also visit their blog where both guides and travelers share their travel experiences and industry insights.
2. Guruwalk
The app is available in Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk and Tomsk. They offer a free walk with the locals and a guided tour. The concept is based on a pay-whatever-you-feel scheme , which means you can tip whatever amount you feel corresponds to the quality of the service provided. Moreover, that kind of tours is more flexible, which allows one to easily reschedule or cancel it and not care much.
3. Showaround
This app covers a number of cities across Russia, from Kaliningrad to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky. It also has a blog where you can find some travel tips, a selection of their toplocal guides in different countries, and inspiring video-tours around the most fascinating places in the world!
For iOS: download here
For android: download here
4. Airbnb Experience
That’s a new option from the good old Airbnb. Now you can not only find a place to stay but also take part in unforgettable adventures! The option to hire local guides here is available for even on the most remote destinations, but mostly focuses on central Russia. There you can find a tour to suit every budget and desire – whether it be Murmansk, to watch northern lights, experiencing the banya (Russian bathhouse) with locals, or learning to cook pelmeni with a hospitable Russian family in Saint-Petersburg.
For iOS: download here
For android: download here
5. Localie
The app provides local tours in three Russian cities - Moscow, Saint-Petersburg and Sochi. By the way, it was created by Russians living abroad.The price is fixed – about 97,5$ for half a day, and 141$ for the whole day. Moreover, the client can book accommodation using the app, and plan the rest of the trip individually with the guide - or even go to the city's outskirts using a guide’s car.