Barcelona and Catalunya

Rick Steves Europe

The creative spirit of Spain’s Catalunya—the land of Picasso, Gaudi, and Salvador Dali—is on a roll. Come along with the host, writer and producer of the popular public television series, Rick Steves’ Europe, as Rick gets caught up in the festivity of Barcelona, enjoying the vibrant street scenes, tasty tapas, and pedestrian-friendly Gothic Quarter. Then we’ll take a scenic side trip to mountaintop Montserrat, and finish with an artist’s pilgrimage along the Costa Brava to Salvador Dali country. In seaside Cadaques, we’ll visit Dali’s home, and in nearby Figures, we’ll experience his playfully surreal mausoleum/museum. (30 minutes)

Athens and Side Trips

Rick Steves Europe

The thriving capital of Greece sprawls out from the foot of its magnificent Acropolis. Become a “temporary local” and discover the hidden treasures of Athens with best-selling author and travel expert, Rick Steves. We’ll tour the must-sees of ancient Athens: the Parthenon, Agora, and amazing National Archaeological Museum. We’ll take the fast-paced pulse of the modern city, but waste no time getting to Rick’s favorite side-trip destinations: the ruins of the mystical oracle at Delphi and a fast boat to the romantic, traffic-free Isle of Hydra. (30 minutes)

Stockholm

Rick Steves Europe

Sweden’s capital, confident and self-assured, glitters with souvenirs from the day when it ruled as a superpower. Explore Stockholm with the host, writer and producer of the popular public television series, Rick Steves’ Europe. From pondering gilded royal staterooms to sampling gourmet reindeer and sipping vodka in an ice bar, join Rick as we experience the city’s cultural highlights. Then sail the archipelago for the prettiest island-hopping in northern Europe. (30 minutes)

Helsinki and Tallinn—Baltic Sisters

Rick Steves Europe

The fascinating capitals of Finland and Estonia offer a chance to sample each country’s history, art, and distinct love of life. Become a “temporary local” and discover the hidden treasures of the Baltic with best-selling author and travel expert, Rick Steves. We’ll start in Helsinki with its Neoclassical old town, modern flair for design, and steamy saunas. Then it’s just a two-hour boat ride to Tallinn—with its medieval charms and new-found prosperity—celebrating its freedom and thriving in its post-Soviet renaissance. (30 minutes)

The Best of Sicily

Rick Steves Europe

Come along with European travel expert, Rick Steves, to discover this storied Mediterranean island. After going fishing for anchovies off Cefalu, we land in rough-and-tumble Palermo. Marveling at the eerie skeletons in a Cappuccin crypt, airy mosaics of Monreale, enchanting ruins of Segesta, and the fiery rim of Mount Etna, we enjoy the best of Sicily. (30 minutes)

Dublin and Mystical Sidetrips

Rick Steves Europe

Dublin’s story is of feast and famine: from its 18th-century Golden Age to its 20th-century struggles for independence to its boomtime today. Join European travel expert and best-selling author, Rick Steves, as we explore the town’s foreboding castle, patriotic jail, and Trinity College with its illuminated Book of Kells—a bright light from the Dark Ages. At night we party in Temple Bar, awash with Celtic music and frothy pints of Guinness. We sidetrip to the prehistoric necropolis of Newgrange and the medieval monastery at Glendalough, tucked in the scenic Wicklow Mountains. (30 minutes)

Berlin—Resilient, Reunited, and Reborn

Rick Steves Europe

Berlin is back, resuming its place as a great European capital. Take a special guided tour away from tourist-trampled routes with European travel expert, TV host, and best-selling author, Rick Steves. We climb the Reichstag’s new glass dome, sway at a modern-day cabaret, and pop a few chocolates in the now thriving eastern sector. Along with Germany’s finest art, complicated Berlin also has hidden remnants of its fascist and communist past. In a city that’s rebounding and rebuilding, we crane our necks at Europe’s newest Times Square—Potsdamer Platz. (30 minutes)

London—Mod and Trad

Rick Steves Europe

London is quintessentially English…yet cosmopolitan. Come along with European travel expert, Rick Steves, as we check out the new—the Millennium Bridge and the British Museum’s Great Court, and admire the old—well-wrapped mummies and a rare Leonardo. After bantering with Beefeaters at the Tower of London, we do some riverside beach-combing. Strolling the trendy South Bank of the Thames takes us from the Tate Modern to the dizzying London Eye. (30 minutes)

Highlights of Paris—Eiffel and Monet to Crème Brulée

Rick Steves Europe

Join the host, writer and producer of the popular public television series, Rick Steves’ Europe, as Rick packs the best of Paris into one episode. We scale the Eiffel Tower, then savor classic treats—from steak tartare to crème brulée. We marvel at Monet, Manet and company in the stunning Orsay Gallery. Tracing the sad steps of Marie Antoinette, we relive French history from its bloody revolution to its extravagant belle epoch. (30 minutes)

French Riviera—Uniquely Chic

Rick Steves Europe

A longtime favorite escape of Europe’s elite, the Riviera coastline still sparkles with yachts. Come along with European travel expert, Rick Steves, as we follow in the footsteps of 19th-century aristocrats along Monaco’s harbor and Nice’s promenade des Anglais. Then we visit the picturesque, artist hangouts of Chagall, Matisse and Picasso. (30 minutes)

Lisbon and the Algarve

Rick Steves Europe

Experiencing the best of Portugal, join European travel expert and best-selling author, Rick Steves, as we start in Lisbon, a ramshackle mix of glorious old and fun-loving new. Salty sailors’ quarters and wistful Fado singers mix with ornate architecture to recall the glory days when Vasco da Gama and Magellan made Portugal a world power. Then we head for the south coast of your travel dreams—the Algarve. We explore the Land’s End of Europe—windy and historic Cape Sagres before savoring pristine beaches and arm-wrestling octopi in the sleepy fishing village of Salema. (30 minutes)

Sevilla

Rick Steves Europe

Sevilla is the flamboyant city of Carmen and Don Juan. It’s where bullfighting is still politically correct and where little girls dream of growing up to become flamenco dancers. Become a “temporary local” and discover the hidden treasures of this Spanish gem with best-selling author and travel expert, Rick Steves. Sevilla has soul—and we feel it in its lacy Moorish palace, massive cathedral, lavish royal tombs, labyrinthine Jewish quarter, and its people-filled streets. After munching tasty tapas, we head south for Andalusia’s ultimate whitewashed hilltown, Arcos de la Frontera. (30 minutes)

Vienna

Rick Steves Europe

Come along with travel expert, Rick Steves, to Europe’s classiest capital, Vienna. We’ll tiptoe through the palace of Maria Theresa and be dazzled by the Hapsburg crown jewels. Then we’ll picnic on the Danube, nibble strudel in an old world cafe, blush at slinky Art Nouveau, and waltz to the three-four beat of Johann Strauss. (30 minutes)

Copenhagen

Rick Steves Europe

Denmark’s capital is the most fun-loving in Scandinavia. As we get to know Copenhagen with the host, writer and producer of the popular public television series, Rick Steves’ Europe, we’ll discover reminders of its Viking history and see reflections today of its proudly independent ways. We’ll stroll down Europe’s first great pedestrian boulevard with Rick, ogle crown jewels in the palace treasury, and take a bike ride through an inspirational hippie squatter community, finishing at Copenhagen’s full-time carnival, Tivoli Gardens. (30 minutes)

Iran's Historic Capitals

American Public Television (APT)

Iran's rich history goes back millennia, to the days when Persepolis was home to "the king of kings." In this episode, Rick Steves explores three historic capitals of Iran: Persepolis, with its splendid monuments; Shiraz, with the tombs of Iran's most beloved poets; and Esfahan, with its extraordinary mosques and endearing people.

Rome: Ancient Glory

American Public Television (APT)

Part one of three on the Eternal City, this episode resurrects the rubble and brings back to life the capital of the ancient world. Focusing on the grandeur of classical Rome, we marvel at the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the empire's exquisite art. Then we go offbeat by bicycle to see the Appian Way and marvels of Roman engineering.

Florence: Heart of the Renaissance

American Public Television (APT)

Fifteenth century Florence was the home of the Renaissance and the birthplace of our modern world. In this first of two episodes, we gaze into the self-assured eyes of Michelangelo's David, enjoy Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, delve into the 3D wonders of Ghiberti’s Gates of Paradise, appreciate Fra Angelico’s serene beauty, and climb the dome that kicked off the Renaissance. Then we cross the Arno to where Florentine artisans live, work, and eat very well.

Paris: Regal and Intimate

American Public Television (APT)

In Paris, amidst all of its grandeur, the little joys of life are still embraced. In this first of two episodes on Paris, we cruise the Seine River, visit Napoleon’s tomb, and take in the Louvre. Then we feel the pulse of Paris by shopping in village-like neighborhoods, attending church in a grand pipe organ loft, and celebrating the mother of all revolutions with a big, patriotic Bastille Day bang.

Paris: Embracing Life and Art

American Public Television (APT)

In this second of two episodes on Europe’s “City of Light,” we ride a unicorn into the Middle Ages at the Cluny Museum, take a midnight Paris joyride in a classic car, get an extremely close-up look at heavenly stained glass in Sainte-Chapelle, go on a tombstone pilgrimage at Père Lachaise Cemetery, and savor the Parisian café scene. Few cites are so confident in their expertise in good living and as travelers, we get to share in that uniquely Parisian joie de vivre.

Paris Side-Trips

American Public Television (APT)

Side-tripping from Paris into the Ile-de-France, we indulge in the world of royal and aristocratic extravagance in the pre-Revolutionary playground of France's elite. We explore Versailles, Europe's palace of palaces: exquisite Vaux le Vicomte, and extravagant Fontainebleau, home to centuries of French rulers. We'll also marvel at the glass and statuary of Chartres cathedral and dine like kings.