Rick Steves' Europe Video

Switzerland's Lauterbrunnen Valley is a textbook example of a glacier-shaped valley. Towering high above are the icy Jungfrau, Mönch, and Eiger peaks. At the base of the peaks, Kleine Scheidegg has hearty food for hikers and rustic 19th-century hotels. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

Fado is the folk music of Lisbon's rustic neighborhoods. Since the mid-1800s, it's been the Portuguese blues — mournfully beautiful and haunting ballads about lost sailors, broken hearts, and bittersweet romance. For European travel information, visit https://www.ricksteves.com.

One of the world’s oldest mountain resorts, Chamonix has long made it easy for romantics to enjoy its alpine wonders—starting with a cogwheel train to the Mer de Glace glacier. Nowadays, visitors can stroll inside the “sea of ice” while noting poignant markers indicating how dramatically it’s shrinking. For European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

Teeming Cairo, straddling the Nile, is the capital of Egypt and one of the leading cities of the Muslim world. With 20 million people, greater Cairo pulses with energy. For European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

Mykonos is the epitome of a Greek island town — a seafront village crouched behind a sandy harbor, thickly layered with blinding white stucco, bright blue trim, and colorful bougainvillea. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

Part 5 of 5, this clip celebrates how, by traveling thoughtfully, we can connect with different cultures and end up building bridges rather than walls. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

When traveling, it's easier than you think to find authentic cultural experiences. Join Rick at a family-run hotel in the Austrian town of Hall in Tirol for an evening of traditional Tirolean culture, from tasty spaetzle to rousing folk music and dancing. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

In Glasgow's trendy West End, step into a pub for a traditional session — not a formal concert, but a casual gathering of musical friends. For the price of a beer, you'll get an evening of live music and good conversation. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

The colorful Pena Palace, located in the town of Sintra, is the Versailles of Portugal. In the mid-19th century, the flamboyant Prince Ferdinand built this fantasy, mixing Gothic towers, Renaissance domes, Moorish minarets, and Disney playfulness. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

In Switzerland's Berner Oberland region, a train takes visitors through mountain tunnels up to the highest railway station in Europe, the Jungfraujoch. At more than 11,000 feet, spectacular views of the Aletsch Glacier and majestic alpine peaks await, along with hiking paths, ice tunnels, and shops and restaurants. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

Part 4 of 5, this clip celebrates how on the road, like pilgrims, we can seek meaning, and how leaving home, we can learn more about ourselves. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

The Dolomites, Italy's dramatic rocky rooftop, offer some of the best mountain thrills in Europe. Here, the region's Austrian history survives in a warm, blue-aproned, felt-hat-with-feathers way. The Tirolean village of Kastelruth is a good home base for your exploration of the Alpe di Siusi, Europe's largest alpine meadow. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

Taking a multi-day Nile cruise gives you a firsthand look at some of the famous river's most scenic stretches, with timeless slices of natural beauty and seemingly ancient scenes interrupted only by other boats. Travelers have few options other than to sit back, relax, and live at the pace of the Nile. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

Of the hundred or so whisky distilleries in Scotland, about half lie near the valley of the River Spey — making the area practically a pilgrimage for Scotch whisky aficionados. Step inside a distillery for an up-close look at the whisky making process. For more European travel information, visit ricksteves.com.

The Greek island of Mykonos is known around the world for its picturesque beaches. There are a range of beaches you can visit, from trendy Paradise Beach — with its bars, rentable lounge chairs, and party atmosphere — to the more remote and tranquil Agios Sostis.

Part 3 of 5, this clip celebrates how travel can be our teacher and the road our school as we better appreciate art and culture.

Looming nearly two miles above the town of Chamonix is the Aiguille du Midi, part of the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. At 12,600 feet, it's also the highest mountain peak served by cable car. Take the ride up from Chamonix to immerse yourself in snow-capped peaks, a sea of glaciers, and unforgettable views of France and Italy. More info about travel to France: https://www.ricksteves.com/eu...

In the famous Berner Oberland, gondola lifts and funiculars take visitors high into the Alps, making for easy and jaw-droppingly beautiful hikes back down. Along the way, cliff-clinging villages like Mürren and Gimmelwald offer hikers the chance to rest their feet, experience traditional Swiss alpine culture, and toast their adventure with a refreshing beer before heading back down. More info abou...

If you want the natural surroundings of Innsbruck without the crowds, head to Hall in Tirol. Built as a salt-mining town when Innsbruck was just a humble bridge, Hall became an important trading city. Today, its well-preserved medieval town center features a rich bundle of pastel buildings and cobbled streets that feel refreshingly traditional. More info about travel to Austria: https://www.rickst...

The Pyramids of Giza are one of the most recognizable scenes in all of tourism. The grandest is known as the Great Pyramid; one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was designed to house the pharaoh Cheops' body — and help send his soul into the afterlife. Nearby, the Great Sphinx keeps watch over the rising sun.

(Part 2 of 5) In this clip from Rick's "Why We Travel" TV special, we learn how, through travel, we can deepen our understanding of history, gain context and perspective…and become wiser.

Vienna's historic center is encircled by a road called the Ringstrasse. In the 1860s, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria had Vienna's medieval walls torn down and replaced with this grand boulevard. Today, the three-mile loop is lined with many of Vienna's top sights; hop aboard one of the trams that traverse the Ringstrasse for a DIY, budget tour of the city. More info about travel to Austria: htt...

Lyon's Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourvière is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, who has been an important religious figure to the city for centuries. Amble down the main aisle to marvel at dazzling Neo-Byzantine art celebrating "Our Lady" and depicting French history, then take the dizzying climb up to the basilica's rooftop for a grand view of Lyon. More info about travel to France: https://www.ricks...

Zermatt is a small town of 6,000 that hosts nearly two million visitors each year. It has more hotel beds than residents, and nearly everyone earns a living from tourists, who flock here for a peek at the magnificent Matterhorn. You can still find pockets of traditional charm if you wander off the main path, including 200-year-old houses and impromptu folk music performances. More info about trave...

The Walderalm farm, perched high above the Austrian city of Innsbruck, offers travelers a peek at life on a traditional alpine farm. And for the many visitors enjoying the area's breathtaking hiking and biking trails, it also offers welcome respite and refreshment. More info about travel to Austria: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/austria