Those who want to get down and really meet the locals rather than just sweatily bumping into them in metro carriages and late night clubs should check out the ambitious new tourist guide service offered by Sputnik. It’s a simple scheme whereby local volunteers take visitors into the best parts of their daily life; whether it be hidden Soviet-era cafes, roof top vistas, communal apartments, flea markets, artist studios, student dorms or quirky courtyards, every tour is unique, insightful and enlightening. Envisaged as a cross-cultural project they aim to give tourists a slice of real life and show them their favourite parts of the city which tourists might never get to see, whilst also giving their foreign guests the chance to meet and get to know real citizens of St. Petersburg.