Rick Steves' Europe Video

A moveable feast awaits travelers in Madrid where dinners become a tapas tango. When it comes to variety, Madrid is Spain's tapas capital. Munching, drinking, and socializing, hopping from one bar to the next is a time-honored tradition that maximizes fun, people and atmosphere. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stati...

Before the war, Warsaw's old town square was one of the most happening spots in central Europe. By 1945, nearly two-thirds of the Warsaw's pre-war population was dead and not a building was standing in the old town. Today, the thriving city of Warsaw has been painstakingly restored and is a living memorial to its two heroic uprisings during WWII. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV...

Lisbon's Alfama tumbles from the castle to the river and dates back over a thousand years to Moorish times. Surviving the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755, the tangled streets of the Alfama today present a cobbled playground of old-world color. Traditions survive in Fado, the passionate folk music of Lisbon's backstreets. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode...

The snug port of Villefranche, in spite of luxury yachts glistening in its bay, offers travelers an easy-going slice of small-town Mediterranean life just minutes from bustling Nice and jet-setting Monaco. Some of the Riviera's priciest real estate stretches from Villefranche to Monaco, and the coast is studded with the floating toys of millionaires. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe...

No painter before or since has captured the mystery of the spiritual world like the painter El Greco. His unique style of painting developed in Toledo, Spain. Join Rick on a visit to the Santa Cruz Museum, which houses many of El Greco's 16th century works. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel informatio...

The sunny Cotes du Rhone region of France has tempted travelers with its wines practically since it was settled in 600b.c. by the Greeks. Today, family-run wineries offer an enticing selection of wines that are delightful on your palate, yet easy on your pocketbook. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel i...

Many of London's top sights front the river Thames, which has become a transportation thoroughfare for tourists. Join Rick as he sails from Westminster, under Big Ben to the Tower of London. 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.

King Manuel built the Jeronimos monastery and church in Lisbon on the site of a humble sea-farers chapel as thanks for overseas discoveries. Richly ornate, with motifs from the sea, the style of the building reflects the wealth of the times and the many cultural influences of the age of discovery. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts,...

A few hours north of Dublin, Belfast straddles the Lagan River. Nicknamed "Old Smoke," Belfast was only a village in the 17th Century, but with the influx of Scottish and English settlers, particularly during the Industrial Revolution, the city boomed. The inviting public park at Queens University, named after Queen Victoria who granted Belfast with city status in 1888, hosts Ulster Museum, the ci...

This region's breath-taking coastline is traversed by three coastal routes: the low, middle, and high corniche. Sitting upon the Via Aurelia, the grand, or high, corniche caps the cliffs with staggering Mediterranean vistas. High above the sea, Eze, touristy yet magnificent, offers art and gastronomy in its medieval center. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including epis...

The route of the Pueblos Blancos, or white towns, is a charm bracelet of characteristic towns perched in the hills and mountains of Andalucía. The queen of the hill towns, Arcos de la Frontera, smothers its hilltop and tumbles down its back like the train of a wedding dress. Towns with "de la Frontera" in their names, like Arcos, were established on the frontier during the battle to reclaim Spain...

The House of Terror, housed in the former headquarters of both the Nazis and, later, the communist secret police, displays the dark underside of Hungary's 20th century story. Welcoming travelers with a Soviet tank and a towering wall covered with portraits of the victims of this building, this museum offers a disturbing look at the grim terror of both the far right, and the far left, inflicted on...

Through the ages, Mont St-Michel has been among the top pilgrimage sites in all Christendom. For over one thousand years, the silhouette of the island abbey has sent pilgrims' weary spirits soaring. Today, it does the same for tourists. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and...

The rebuilt center of Lisbon, known as the Baixa, is today a flat, inviting shopping area of grid-patterned streets. The main boulevard is a pedestrian only zone, lined by post-earthquake structures/architecture that allowed Lisbon to do a lot of rebuilding without a lot of money in the years following the earthquake. Today, trams, funiculars, and the city's famous 20th century elevator move touri...

600 years ago, Brussels was nothing more than a handy place to buy a waffle on the way to Bruges. Then, it was given free trade status and its economy took off. By 1830, it was the capital of an exuberant and newly independent country booming with the industrial age. Today, with over one million people, it is the headquarters of NATO and the capital of the European Union. For more information on t...

Portugal's south coast was once known as Europe's last undiscovered tourist frontier. Lagos, the major town on this stretch of Algarve coast, is now well discovered, the darling of tour brochures, and as enjoyable as a big city resort can be. Capital of the Algarve in the 13th and 14th centuries, Lagos was the starting off point for the first great Portuguese maritime expeditions. West of Lagos, t...

In 711, Muslim Moors swept in from Northern Africa and conquered the Iberian Peninsula, ruling Spain for five centuries and inspiring a Europe-wide crusade among Christians to re-conquer the land. Though Muslim rule stretched as far as France, bit by bit the Moors were pushed back, and eventually expelled from Western Europe in 1492, but not before leaving a distinct mark on Andalusian culture. A...

Belgium is right up there with Germany, England and the Czech Republic as one of the great beer countries. And, when it comes to variety, Belgium is number one. Join Rick for an entertaining and informative tour of a Belgian brewery. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel information on destinations and mo...

Immerse yourself in the high and vast plateau of central Spain. Visit the sunny, sandstone city of Salamanca and the finest square in spain - Plaza Mayor. Savor some of Europe's best people-watching and take in the centuries old troubador tradition of "Tuna Bands." For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel in...

Nîmes arena, which is still in use, is considered the best conserved from ancient Rome. It's another example of fine Roman engineering and propaganda. The arena still hosts colorful pageantry and macho-men still face dangerous beasts, a la Provencal style — meaning the bull dies of old age, not via the sword. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode description...

The Antrim Coast is one of the most popular and scenic drives in the whole of Ireland. Homesteads are pristine; visitors explore desolate trails, evocative castle ruins, and dramatic beaches. A popular vacation getaway from Belfast, the leading attraction along the coast is the Giant's Causeway, a 4-mile long stretch of shoreline famous for its bizarre rock columns. For more information on the Ric...

In the 13th century, the University of Paris was founded on the south bank of the Seine River. Soon after, the area became to be known as the Latin Quarter for the language passers-by would hear on the street. Today the Latin Quarter makes up the core of Paris' Left Bank, offering a variety of ethnic restaurants, tangled lanes, and the city's famous cafe scene. For more information on the Rick Ste...

The Prado Museum in Madrid houses paintings that give an eye-pleasing overview of Spain's rich history from its golden age to its slow fade. Highlights include multiple works by Titian, Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights, Velazquez's Las Meninas, and Goya's Second of May. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, tr...

Along the 75 miles of Atlantic coast you'll find countless memories of the largest military operation in history. It was on these beautiful beaches at the crack of dawn Jun 6, 1944 that the Allies finally gained a foot-hold in France and Nazi Europe began to crumble. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including episode descriptions, scripts, participating stations, travel...

On the rugged Southwestern tip of Portugal, Cape Sagres was the closest travelers could get to the edge of our flat Earth in the days before Columbus. Today, merchants sell their wares next to a lighthouse that marked what was referred to as the end of the world, while fishermen brave dizzying cliffs for the catch of the day. For more information on the Rick Steves' Europe TV series — including ep...