About Nia
A life of travel, a love for Portugal.
My name is Ksenia, but my guests call me Nia.
I grew up in Saint Petersburg, surrounded by beautiful architecture, art and a natural curiosity for the world beyond it. From an early age, I knew I wanted to travel, speak languages and understand different cultures.
After living in Latvia, Spain, Italy and Mexico, I eventually arrived in Porto — and fell in love. With the city, with Portugal, and, most importantly, with a Portuguese man who became my husband. Eight years later, Porto is home.
Since then, I've travelled to more than 50 countries while building a career around connecting people, cultures and places. Today I'm a licensed private guide in Porto, and I bring all of this to private days: thoughtfully created experiences, from the stories hidden in Porto's streets and tiles to its food, wine, crafts and the people who bring them to life.
I'm naturally curious and very detail-oriented. I personally seek out the hotels, restaurants, makers and places I recommend, always looking for experiences that feel genuine rather than touristy.
My goal is simple: to help you experience Portugal not just as a visitor, but through a more personal lens.
What I'm like on a tour
Patient & cheerful
No lecturing, no rushing — I read the room and adjust.
Always a story
Stories, not dates — told with a sense of humour.
Detail-obsessed
I love the small things — and I adapt quickly when plans shift.
Credentials
For the record.
Before Porto: a master's degree, and twelve years in production — film festivals, the Olympics, world championships and television across four continents. Then a second, more formal education in the region I'd already fallen for.
- Licensed tourist guide, registered with SNATTI (see my profile) — the Portuguese national union for tourist guides, interpreters and translators, established in 1936. Membership no. 4919. Accredited for Northern Portugal.
- Regional Tourist Guide for Porto and Northern Portugal — awarded with distinction, SNATTI, 2025.
- Regional Tourist Guide (Guia Intérprete Regional), 600 hours — Escola de Hotelaria e Turismo do Porto, Turismo de Portugal, 2024.
- Tour Manager (Correio de Turismo), 360 hours — Escola de Hotelaria e Turismo do Porto, Turismo de Portugal, 2025.
- MA, Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts (GIOCA) — University of Bologna, Italy, 2024.
- Accredited Guide-Interpreter (Spanish), Saint Petersburg — city accreditation, 2015. Licensed for the State Hermitage Museum, Peterhof, Tsarskoye Selo, the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood and St Isaac's Cathedral.
- Working languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian.
Nia's Porto, unfiltered
Boavista & Canidelo
From the Palácio de Cristal gardens
Carne de porco à alentejana
Rosé
Art Nouveau
Aveiro