Rick Steves' Europe Video

Córdoba's narrow, flower-bedecked lanes invite exploration. And here, as throughout Andalucía, festivals fill the calendar. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Italian towns like Volterra were truly city-states — they were fiercely independent and relatively democratic. Visiting as a traveler today, there's so much to see and learn…if you know where to look. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

The Aran Islands are a Gaeltacht — an area of Ireland that speaks Gaelic and maintains Ireland's traditional culture. Kilronan (the only real town on the Aran Islands) has an abundance of folk traditions and music. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

The Albayzín in Granada is Spain's best old Moorish quarter, with its labyrinthine back lanes and inviting neighborhood squares. The Alcaicería, or silk market, is a tourist trap housed in a modern reconstruction of the original market – but it's fun to explore. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, an...

Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters, a series of chalk cliffs, are a stretch of the South Downs Way public walking trail in southeast England. The nearby hamlets of Birling Gap and East Dean provide great information and a place to rest. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Opulent as a German Versailles, the prince-bishop's Residenz is the main attraction of Würzburg. The palace features several grand frescoes by the Venetian master Tiepolo, and a grand baroque hall of mirrors. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Dingle is so traditionally Irish because it's a Gaeltacht, a region where the Irish culture survives, subsidized by the government. While English is always there, the signs, menus, and songs often come in Irish, or "Gaelic" first. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Back when Britain ruled the waves, it did so with its mighty navy, based in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard. This sprawling museum highlights England's storied maritime heritage — both very old and relatively new. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Augustus the Strong's royal festival complex, called the Zwinger, is an example of how the king's extravagance made Dresden a European capital of culture. The Parade of Nobles mural celebrates Dresden's Saxon heritage and its Wettin family dynasty. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this...

The story of Great Blasket Island's tiny community — just a ghost town today — gives an insight to the soul of Ireland. Taking a boat ride there is a highlight for anyone interested in traditional Irish culture. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

To enjoy any small French town at its vibrant best, it's worth visiting on its market day. And the townscape of Beaune, lassoed within its medieval walls, is as French as you'll find anywhere. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

With its graceful arc and golden sand, the beach at Porthcurno seems to have been imported from some far-away tropical paradise. For some history and culture, travelers can visit the Porthcurno Telegraph Museum and open-air Minack Theatre. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destinat...

Heavy damage in World War II devastated the commercial center of Hamburg, Germany. But it's been enthusiastically rebuilt, and, since the reunification of Germany just a generation ago, it's gaining back its former status as a leading trade center. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this...

Nürnberg's Germanic National Museum is dedicated to sharing the cultural history of the German-speaking world. Across the river, the Albrecht Dürer House is a fine museum about the life of perhaps Germany's greatest painter. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

In 1209, St. Francis established the Franciscan Order in Assisi, Italy. His legacy survives to this day and can be found in chapels and monasteries in and around his hill town home. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Cotswold village churches welcome walkers to pop in and enjoy a thoughtful break. Inside Stanton's Church of St. Michael, you get a sense that this church has comforted this community in good times and bad. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Cornwall was part of a "Celtic crescent" that nearly circles England. The Cornish people spoke their own language, which thrived for centuries. Cornwall is a county of England, but many native-born locals consider themselves Cornish first, British second. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more...

In rural Tuscany, you feel an enthusiasm for tradition. The Zanda family raises a rare breed of pigs brought back from the edge of extinction by people who care about traditional agriculture. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Because of its former wealth, Venice is a city of palaces, and the most lavish face the Grand Canal. Enjoying the views from a vaporetto is the best way to really appreciate the front doors of this historic chorus line of mansions, most from the 14th and 15th centuries. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podc...

Veliko Tarnovo is Bulgaria's medieval capital. The ruins of its fortress are a reminder of the city's importance 800 years ago, and its craft street reveals a thriving folk culture. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Palazzo Vecchio is Florence's City Hall. While the exterior is medieval, Michelangelo's "David" (this one's a replica) seems to welcome you into the Renaissance world — and the dawn of our Modern Age. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Prickly with over-the-top spires, Romania's Peleș Castle ranks among Europe's finest Romantic Age palaces. It boasts one of the most dazzling late-19th-century interiors anywhere. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet made Verona, Italy, a popular destination, but a visit to the “House of Juliet” has nothing to do with the fictional star-crossed lovers; all this commotion was started by a clever tour guide back in the '70s as a way to attract visitors to Verona. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio progr...

The Thracian Plain, defined by Bulgaria's two major mountain ranges, was a busy funnel of trade throughout ancient times. This region is also called the "Valley of the Roses," and the rose harvest yields the blooms needed to create Bulgarian rose oil. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on t...

Siena's 13th-century Gothic cathedral, with its striped tower, is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and covered with art. A highlight is the church's Piccolomini Library: Brilliantly frescoed, it captures the exuberance and optimistic spirit of the 1400s, an age of humanism when the Renaissance was born. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks,...