Explore Europe with Rick Steves, best-selling travel author and host of public television’s “Rick Steves’ Europe” and public radio’s “Travel with Rick Steves.”
From Rick Steves’ Europe. The Hill of Tara was the most important center of political and religious power in pre-Christian Ireland. It was seat of the High Kings of Celtic Ireland. St. Patrick came to the Hill of Tara to ask the pagan King’s permission to spread Christianity. He explained Christianity to the king using…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Watch the full episode: https://youtu.be/QLh1tnvDCdw In this one-hour special, join Rick Steves on an alpine adventure, with scenic train rides, breathtaking lifts, majestic glaciers, and unforgettable hikes. We conquer the Dolomites in Italy and the Zugspitze in Austria. In Switzerland, we savor the beauty of the Matterhorn, the Jungfrau, and Appenzell.…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Salvador Dalí, the master of surrealism, spent his most creative years in Cadaqués, near Barcelona. The Salvador Dalí Museum in Figueres displays the unconventional artist’s mind-bending work. Dalí personally designed, decorated, and painted the museum to showcase his life’s work. He was buried in the floor of the museum in 1989,…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. In the 15th century, the Romanian prince Vlad Țepeș, ruthlessly fought the Turkish Ottomans. Much later, he became better known as the inspiration for Dracula. Vlad had two nicknames: “Vlad the Impaler” and “Dracula” — that means “son of the devil.” Vlad the Impaler was brutal in his defense of his…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Peleș Castle, the summer residence of Romania’s first king, Carol, ranks among Europe’s finest Romantic Age palaces. Today, more than a century later, tourists from around the world still marvel at King Carol’s castle. Visit http://www.ricksteves.com for more information about this destination and other destinations in Europe. *Check out more Rick…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide © 2024 | This one-hour special begins in Reykjavík, with endearing sights and thermal pools, plus a side-trip to the Golden Circle’s gorges, geysers, and waterfalls. Then, after fording rivers in a desolate valley and spotting puffins on volcano-shaped islands, we drive the 800-mile Ring Road…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. The Cotswolds are dotted with elegant, Downton Abbey–type mansions. Today, with the high cost of maintenance and heavy taxes, some noble families have opened their homes to the public to help pay the bills. The Earl of Wemyss opens his manor house to the public two days a week. For commoners,…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Appenzell, in Switzerland’s northeast corner, has some of Europe’s most bucolic landscapes and the best cow culture in the Alps. With just one percent of Switzerland’s territory and one percent of its population, the little canton of Appenzell stubbornly celebrates its way of life. They say you should set your watch…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Nine years before Christ, Emperor Augustus of Rome led a procession of priests up the newly built “Altar of Peace.” Sacrificing an animal on the altar, they thanked the gods. The last serious Barbarian resistance had been quelled and now there could be peace. The empire was established and this marked…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Rick’s new book — “On the Hippie Trail: Istanbul to Kathmandu and the Making of a Travel Writer” — is now available for preorder! In 1978, Rick traveled from Istanbul to Kathmandu with his best friend on the ultimate trip for any backpacker — the so-called Hippie Trail. During the trip,…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. The Pantheon is the best-preserved building from ancient Rome, giving us a feel for the magnificence and the splendor of Rome at its zenith. It’s a great example of Roman engineering and aesthetics. The portico with its stately pediment shows their Greek-inspired sophistication. The columns are one single piece of granite,…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. The massive Colosseum is a textbook example of Roman engineering, setting the standard for stadiums today. It was begun in AD 72 during the reign of Emperor Vespasian when the Empire was nearing its peak. Constructed with concrete, brick, and round arches, it seated 50,000, who came to see battles between…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. As home to Vatican City, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, Rome is rich with sacred Christmas traditions. Manger scenes, called presepi, originated just a little north of Rome in Assisi some 800 years ago, when St. Francis taught the story of Jesus’ birth with props. For a bit of…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Visit http://www.ricksteves.com for more information about this destination and other destinations in Europe. *Check out more Rick Steves’ Europe travel resources:* • “Rick Steves’ Europe” public television series: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show • “Travel with Rick Steves” public radio program: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/radio • European tours: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours • Guidebooks: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/guidebooks • Travel gear: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/ • Travel…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Visit http://www.ricksteves.com for more information about this destination and other destinations in Europe. *Check out more Rick Steves’ Europe travel resources:* • “Rick Steves’ Europe” public television series: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show • “Travel with Rick Steves” public radio program: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/audio/radio • European tours: https://www.ricksteves.com/tours • Guidebooks: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/guidebooks • Travel gear: https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/ • Travel…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Throughout Scandinavia, a highlight of the season is December 13th, the feast day of Santa Lucia. The Scandinavian legend is that a young woman — dressed in a white gown and wearing a crown of lingonberry twigs and blazing candles — traveled from one farm to the next in the early…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. While Santa Claus comes from America, and St. Nicholas comes from Germany, the Julenisse comes from the Norwegian forest–just behind the family barn. The Julenisse is jolly and happy, but can be temperamental. Stay on his good side by leaving a plate of cookies, Christmas porridge, or lefse. Many farms would…
From Rick Steves’ Europe. Depending on where you are in Europe, it’s possible to bump into St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Père Noël, Samichlaus, Sinterklaas, and others. All are brothers of sorts, tracing their lineage back either to an early Christian saint or a pagan deity. The origin of these multicultural gift-givers is a tangle of…