Rick Steves' Europe Video

London's greatest collection of European paintings is in the National Gallery. From medieval to Renaissance to Impressionist, you can tour the sweeping story of European art without ever crossing the Channel. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves...

While most visitors to Greece's Peloponnese enjoy the same tourist stops, a three-hour drive takes you off the beaten path to the timless and rustic south coast. Its southernmost point, the Mani Peninsula, still harbors remote corners where centuries-old art is tucked away, and where the curious traveler can be alone with a bit of bygone culture. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV...

Portrush is North Ireland's favorite resort, filled with family-oriented amusements, fun eateries and cheap and cheery B and Bs.

Claude Monet, the father of the Impressionist movement, spent his last 40 years in Giverny finding inspiration in these gardens. He diverted a stream, made a pond, filled it with water lilies and built a footbridge which eventually became overgrown with wisteria. Today, museums all over the world bloom with these garden paintings. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — includi...

The Residenz was the palace of the Wittelsbach family, who ruled Bavaria for more than 700 years. The Wittelsbachs were always trying to keep up with the Habsburgs — their Austrian imperial rivals — and this extravagant, rococo palace was designed for maximum "show off." For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, tra...

Oban, the "Gateway to the Isles," is a busy little ferry terminal. The wind, boats, gulls, layers of islands, and the promise of a wide-open Atlantic beyond give a shiver-and-bustle vitality to this classic Scottish port town. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — vi...

Our storybook image of the Ottomans — sultans, harems, eunuchs — is best experienced here, in the Topkapı Palace. Built in the late 15th century, this was the power center of the Ottoman Empire for almost four hundred years. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visi...

Mürren is a good starting point for mountain biking, popular here in the Alps. Small service roads and well-marked intersections make biking easy. Follow Rick on his loop trip down into the valley floor where he passes through Lauterbrunnen, Trümmelbach Falls, a cozy campground, and takes a funicular ride back up the mountain. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including e...

Cortona has a history that goes back 2500 years to Etruscan times. It grew to its present size between the 13th and 15th centuries, when it was a colorful and crowded city. And while an extremely popular travel destination for Americans today, Cortona's rustic and gritty personality survives. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, parti...

Shimmering above its breathtaking bay, elegant and prosperous San Sebastián — or Donostia as locals call their town — is your best home base for exploring Basque country. It boasts one of Europe's loveliest stretches of sand, an elegant promenade, and a fascinating culture. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations,...

Santiago, the final destination of an ancient pilgrimage route, has long had a powerful and mysterious draw on travelers. Strolling across its squares and under its grand churches, you can imagine a time when the city was a religious and cultural powerhouse. But, apart from all the pilgrim action and its venerable architecture, Santiago is a work-a-day town. For more information on the Rick Steves...

Tallinn is a mix of east and west. Its Nordic Lutheran culture and language connect it with Scandinavia's Stockholm and Helsinki. But two centuries of Tsarist Russian rule and nearly 50 years as part of the Soviet Union have blended in a distinctly Russian flavor. Tallinn has modernized at an astounding rate since the fall of the Soviet Union, while also remaining one of the best-preserved medieva...

Djurgården is Stockholm's lush island fun center and has several of the city's top museums, including the Vasa Museum. This is where the Vasa is housed, a 1628 war ship that sank to the bottom of the harbor just minutes into its maiden voyage. Rescued after 300 years under the sea, it's now the best-preserved ship of its kind. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including e...

Glaciers spent eons carving up western Norway as they worked their way to the sea. Slowly, they gouged u-shaped valleys that later filled with water, creating the defining feature of Norway's landscape — fjords. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.rickste...

For the people of Oslo, their fjord is a natural wonderland. And it's a beautiful backdrop for Rick to discuss Norway's social system with his Norwegian cousin. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.

The Rock of Gibraltar stands like a fortress at the gateway to the Mediterranean. With its strategic setting, Gibraltar has an illustrious military history and remnants of its martial past are everywhere. But within a generation the economy has gone from one dominated by the military to one based on tourism. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions...

Nearly every country from Europe's drizzly north tucks an expatriate community somewhere along the Costa del Sol. Rick's favorite stop is the resort town of Nerja, which has kept some of its charm despite capitalizing on its vacation culture. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinatio...

Being the midpoint bewteen the Slavic, Germanic and Italian worlds gives Ljubljana a special spice. This tiny town has only about a quarter-million people, but it's by far the country's largest city, cultural capital, and a charming place to kick off any Slovenian trip. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, trav...

One of Europe's newest and smallest countries, Montenegro is about the size of Connecticut, with well under a million people. It's a country of contrasts: an intriguing combination of rugged landscapes, communist-era decrepitude, and an emerging Mediterranean hotspot that's quite popular with the cruising crowd. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descript...

Handy boat connections make the island of Hvar a popular stop off the Dalmatian coast. Activities are low energy. Expertly enjoying this town, seemingly made for relaxing, yachters stern tie into the good life. Visitors nurse drinks on the main square, or stroll the back lanes. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating statio...

Bilbao has recently been transformed from a gritty steel town to a happening cultural center like no other Spanish city. A modern light rail line conveniently laces the old town with points along the river and to the sight which spearheaded Bilbao's urban renaissance: the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descripti...

For nine days each July, throngs of visitors come to run with the bulls, and a whole lot more, at Pamplona's Festival of San Fermin. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and more — visit www.ricksteves.com.

Helsinki's most important sight is Suomenlinna, an island guarding Helsinki's harbor that served as a strategic fortress for three countries: Sweden, Russia, and then Finland. It's now a popular park, most appreciated by locals for its scenic strolls. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on d...

Stockholm's vast archipelago is an amazing playground of literally thousands of islands stretching 80 miles from the city. Catch a ferry with the locals and grab a perch on the breezy sundeck with the Swedes as they enjoy their island wonderland. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destin...

Norway's Jotunheim, or, "home of the giants," is a high plateau that feels like the top of the world. These are northern Europe's highest mountains, steeped in Norse legends and folk lore, and home to Europe's biggest surviving glacier, Jostedal. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destin...