Category: Rick Steves’ Europe

More information about travel to England: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england

Warwick Castle has been turned into a virtual theme park.♥ Read the rest “Warwick, England: Medieval Castle – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”

Meet Andrea, the entertaining waiter at Vernazza’s Ristorante Belforte.♥ Read the rest “Café Gourmand with Andrea on the Cinque Terre”

I’m in Riomaggiore, enjoying a simple lunch of bruschetta and wine at Dau Cila with my local guide, Amy Inman.♥ Read the rest “Sexy Bruschetta in the Cinque Terre”

Visit https://store.ricksteves.com/shop/p/ravenna-hard-case-luggage for more info on Rick Steves Ravenna Rolling Case.♥ Read the rest “Rick Steves Ravenna Rolling Case”

I’ve come back to Europe every spring since the 1970s — and I love that here we are, in 2019, and the magic still survives.♥ Read the rest “Vernazza After Dark — Magic”

Buona sera from Lucca!♥ Read the rest “The Airbnb Amphitheater”

Buona sera from Siena.♥ Read the rest “The Land of a Thousand Bell Towers — Each the Most Beautiful of All”

While most Italian cities have a church on their main square, Siena’s Il Campo gathers around a symbol of an independent republic — its City Hall.♥ Read the rest ““Love Justice, You Who Rule the Earth”: Siena’s City Hall”

Join me now from a secret hideaway above Europe’s finest square — Siena’s Il Campo.♥ Read the rest “Perched Above Siena with a Porcupine and a Macchiato”

More information about travel to Portugal: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/portugal

Coimbra is the Oxford of Portugal — home to the country’s oldest and most venerable university.♥ Read the rest “Coimbra: Portugal’s Oxford – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”

I’m so happy that Florence’s Trattoria la Burrasca is still good.♥ Read the rest “Florence’s Rustic Gem: Trattoria la Burrasca”

Join me at the place I’ve called home for the last few days in Florence — Hotel Loggiato Dei Serviti — and check out my rooftop view of the Duomo, coming right in through the bathroom window.♥ Read the rest “My Florence Hotel: Location, Location, Location”

Tonight, after a beautiful dinner and a bit of wine, I was overcome by the historic beauty of Piazza S.S.♥ Read the rest “The Renaissance at Night — With Wine”

My friend Tommaso (who runs Hotel Davanzati with his family) and I have a tradition of spending an evening getting up-to-date on restaurants in Florence.♥ Read the rest “Dessert with Bobo”

I’m spending every evening this month researching restaurants for my guidebooks.♥ Read the rest “Buon Appetito at Trattoria da Tito”

More information about travel to Paris: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/paris

Paris dramatically changed during the Enlightenment and the French Revolution: The Panthéon was built, cemeteries were moved underground to the Paris catacombs, and churches were turned into “temples of reason.”

Visit http://www.ricksteves.com for more information about this destination and other destinations in Europe.♥ Read the rest “Paris, France: The Panthéon and the Paris Catacombs – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”

I want to make sure my Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany guidebook includes the most characteristic, fun, and affordable places to eat — so I’ve been spending my lunch and dinner hours here blitzing restaurants.♥ Read the rest “Casa del Vino with Gianni”

I just wrapped up a research trip through Rome and Venice — and now I’m in Florence, working on my Rick Steves Florence & Tuscany guidebook.♥ Read the rest “Hospital of the Innocents: The First Renaissance Building in Florence”

I’m in Venice, doing research for the next edition of my Rick Steves Venice guidebook — and I just spent a great evening updating restaurant listings with the help of two American expats, Maya and Adam Stonecastle of Venice Bites Food Tours.♥ Read the rest “Warning: This Video Will Stoke Your Appetite”

Any visit to Venice is filled with ornately painted masks.♥ Read the rest “A Glimpse at the History of Venetian Masks”

Buongiorno! I’m in the heart of Venice, at a beautiful viewing point on the Ponte dei Carmini.♥ Read the rest “Gondolas: A Timeless Venetian Tradition”

Rome may have lots of crowds, but only three essential sights are difficult to see without advance reservations: the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, and the Borghese Gallery.♥ Read the rest “The Baths of Caracalla: Ancient Rome Gets Naked 1600 at a Time”

In Rome, most tourists clamor to see the famed outdoor sights (the Colosseum, Forum, etc.) — often neglecting the indoor sights.♥ Read the rest “Dinner with Empress Livia?”

More information about travel to Sicily: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/sicily

In the 11th century, when the Muslim Arabs were tossed out by the Christian Normans, the Normans made Sicilian civilization grander yet — building monumental Norman churches.♥ Read the rest “Palermo, Sicily: Monreale Cathedral – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”

I’m in Rome, updating my Rick Steves Rome guidebook — and I’m lucky to have Roman guide Francesca Caruso at my side.♥ Read the rest “Great Empires Respect Their Vanquished Foes”

I’m in Rome, updating my Rick Steves Rome guidebook — an intense process.♥ Read the rest “Looking into the Marble Face of Rome”

I just wrapped up a demanding, rewarding, and poignant 18 days of filming in Guatemala and Ethiopia.♥ Read the rest “Pondering Hunger from the Terrace of the Sheraton Hotel”

I just wrapped up 16 days of filming in Guatemala and Ethiopia for an upcoming special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope,” airing this November on public television across the US.♥ Read the rest “Ethiopia: An Inspiring Visit Comes to a Close”

I just wrapped up a shoot for an upcoming special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope,” airing this November on public television across the US.♥ Read the rest “Health Post in the Middle of Nowhere?”

I just wrapped up a shoot in Ethiopia for an upcoming special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope,” airing on public television across the US this November.♥ Read the rest “Inside Ethiopia’s Growing Economy at the Hawassa Industrial Park”

Wherever you travel, it’s important to remember that sticking to the main road gives you road bias.♥ Read the rest “May You Have Bumpy Travels: Combating Road Bias”

Driving through Tigray in the north of Ethiopia, we encountered a long line of camels walking to Khartoum (in Sudan, about 400 miles away), where these beasts of burden will fetch a huge price at the market.♥ Read the rest “Ethiopian Camel Boys Take Their Herd to Market”

More information about travel to Ravenna: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/italy/ravenna

Ravenna is on the tourist map for one reason: its 1,500-year-old churches, decorated with best-in-the-West Byzantine mosaics.♥ Read the rest “Ravenna, Italy: Church of San Vitale – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show Glasgow, once an industrial powerhouse, offers a fun look at Scotland’s vibrantly gritty urban side — full of edgy street art, trendy dining, and the striking architecture of Charles Rennie Mackintosh.♥ Read the rest “Glasgow and Scottish Passions”

I just visited Ethiopia, on a mission to learn about smart development.♥ Read the rest “Climate-Smart Agriculture at an Ethiopian Farmers Training Center”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show We’ll begin on the tranquil Isle of Iona, where Christianity first reached the shores of Scotland.♥ Read the rest “Scotland’s Islands”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show The Highlands stoke kilted dreams of Scotland…where legends of Bonnie Prince Charlie swirl around lonely castles.♥ Read the rest “Scotland’s Highlands”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show Sicily serves up a full-bodied and tasty travel experience.♥ Read the rest “Sicilian Delights”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show This tour of Sicilian highlights starts in Palermo, where we’ll sing with the merchants in the markets, join locals in their passeggiata, drop in on a contessa, and marvel at the Romanesque cathedral of Monreale.♥ Read the rest “The Best of Sicily”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show In this second of two episodes on Europe’s greatest festivals, we’ll dance with Spaniards at Sevilla’s April Fair, celebrate Bastille Day in Paris, run with the bulls at Pamplona, and hoist a frothy stein at Munich’s Oktoberfest.♥ Read the rest “European Festivals II”

More information about travel to Paris: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/paris One month ago, another treasured Paris church — Saint-Sulpice — was touched by flames.♥ Read the rest “Paris, France: Saint-Sulpice Church – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show In this first of two episodes on Europe’s greatest festivals, we’ll cheer with the masses at Siena’s crazy Palio horse race, toss a caber at a Scottish Highland Games, don a mask for Carnevale in Venice, and celebrate Easter in Greece.♥ Read the rest “European Festivals I”

I’m in Ethiopia with my crew, filming an upcoming hour-long special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope” — and I’ve been grateful for the chance to be able to incorporate scenes I’ve always wanted to share.♥ Read the rest “A Ravine of Your Broken Dreams”

I’m in Ethiopia, filming an upcoming special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope” — and I’ve been learning a lot about smart development.♥ Read the rest “Ethiopian Coffee?”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show We’ll island-hop through the Aegean, sampling three classic Greek getaways — Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes — and basking in their dramatic beauty.♥ Read the rest “Greek Islands: Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes”

We’re halfway through our shoot for an upcoming new special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope” — and I’ve been thinking about something that people in the developing world have told me: “Globalism is a big train.♥ Read the rest “Mountains of Sugar”

I’m in Guatemala with my crew, filming an upcoming special called “Ethiopia, Guatemala, Hunger, and Hope” — and I’m learning a lot.♥ Read the rest “Think About This the Next Time You Put Sugar in Your Cereal”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show Setting sail on the Mediterranean, we’ll explore the ins and outs and pros and cons of cruising.♥ Read the rest “Travel Skills: Cruising”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show Portugal has an oversized history, fascinating culture, and boatloads of sardines.♥ Read the rest “Portugal’s Heartland”

More information about travel to England: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/england

Somerset House, a grand 18th-century civic palace, now houses several fine galleries and museums.♥ Read the rest “London, England: Jewels of Somerset House – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”

Check your local public television station for this Rick Steves’ Europe episode or watch it on https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show The heartland of England has sights that put the “Great” in Britain — its venerable universities, its royal heritage, and reminders of its industrial might.♥ Read the rest “The Heart of England”

We’re in Guatemala, filming an upcoming special about how modern development aid is helping 700 million people work their way out of extreme poverty — and we’re showing how non-governmental organizations and supportive governments are helping small farmers get into the production chain and join the global economy.♥ Read the rest “Drone Photography at the Goat Love Shack”

Watch Season 10 of Rick Steves’ Europe — now playing: https://www.youtube.com/user/RickSteves Twelve new episodes include Portugal (Lisbon and the country’s heartland), the heart of England, Greek islands, Sicily, and Scotland (Glasgow, Highlands, and islands).♥ Read the rest “Rick Steves’ Europe Season 10 Preview”

Living in such wild affluence as we do in the USA, it’s hard to imagine the world norms.♥ Read the rest “Guatemala: Development and Diversity”

What is travel as a political act?♥ Read the rest “Travel as a Political Act: Bolivia and Guatemala”

I’m kicking off my 2019 travels with the first of 100 posts from the road.♥ Read the rest “Kicking Off My 2019 Travels in Guatemala”

More information about travel to Paris: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/paris

Montmartre — a Parisian hill crowned by the dramatic neo-Byzantine Sacré-Cœur church — was famous for the ambience captured by the Impressionists.♥ Read the rest “Paris, France: Montmarte – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”

Need a smile?♥ Read the rest “Rick Steves’ Europe Season 10 Outtakes”

I spend four months of every year in Europe, notebook in hand, lovingly researching and updating my guidebooks.♥ Read the rest “Rick Steves Ireland: The Birth of a New Walking Tour”

More information about travel to Nice: https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/france/nice

Because so many great 20th-century artists chose to live and work here, the Riviera is studded with world-class modern art museums.♥ Read the rest “Nice, France: Matisse and Chagall Museums – Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide – Travel Bite”