Romania's capital, Bucharest — with about two million people — is a sprawling tangle of buildings. First-time visitors are struck by its eclectic mix of architecture and recently rejuvenated Old Town. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on many European destinations.
Check your local public television station for this new Rick Steves’ Europe episode! We'll tour Romania's vibrant capital, Bucharest, with its "Little Paris of the East" architecture and lingering reminders of a brutal communist dictator. Then we'll head into Transylvania, where we’ll visit fortified churches, cobbled merchant towns like Sighișoara, and castles made famous by an imported German king and the real-life Dracula. Finally we’ll explore Maramureș, where everyday life still feels like ...
Founded in the 10th century, Rila Monastery was a stronghold for Bulgarian faith, language, and culture during nearly 500 years of Ottoman rule. And today, it remains the country's revered national treasure. 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.
Check your local public television station for this new Rick Steves’ Europe episode! Bulgaria, so mysterious to most Americans, has a vivid identity as a crossroads of the Balkans. We’ll trace the country's complex history, from ancient Thracian tombs to medieval Orthodox Christian monasteries to Soviet monuments. And we’ll enjoy an intimate taste of contemporary culture: the yellow brick road of Sofia; the gregarious craftspeople of the medieval capital, Veliko Tarnovo; and the thriving pedestr...
Check your local public television station for this new Rick Steves’ Europe episode! Skyscraper-studded Frankfurt — with so much commerce it’s nicknamed “Bankfurt” — has a delightful-to-explore old center. We'll also visit Nürnberg, a capital for both the First Reich (the Holy Roman Empire) and the Third. From its towering castle and playful fountains to its Nazi Documentation Center and maze of underground bomb shelters, Nürnberg is a fascinating study in contrasts. At http://www.ricksteves.com...
The city of Nürnberg, Germany, was a favorite of Adolf Hitler's. A short tram ride from the center is a collection of important Nazi sites, including Zeppelin Field, Nazi Congress Hall and Nazi Documentation 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 destination.
WWII bombs destroyed much of Leipzig and the Communists followed that with four decades of neglect. But in the generation since 1989, the people of Leipzig have dramatically remade their city. 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.
Check your local public television station for this new Rick Steves’ Europe episode! Saxony, part of the former East Germany, remains a secret to most travelers. We’ll visit the two great cities of the region — the capital city of Dresden, with the opulent palaces and art treasures of the Wettin dynasty, and Leipzig, with its Bach heritage, a massive monument to the day Europe beat Napoleon, and museums remembering its communist heritage. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving tr...
Hamburg's re-energized HafenCity district seems a city in itself, mixing its maritime heritage with striking modern architecture. Hamburg has created a healthy mix of business, culture, and leisure — convenient for the modern citizen without a car. 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.
Check your local public television station for this new Rick Steves’ Europe episode! Hamburg, Germany’s mighty port city, has risen from the ashes of World War II with a gleaming new skyline and a brisk creative energy. From there, we visit the great historic sights of Martin Luther and the Reformation (Erfurt, Wittenberg, and Wartburg Castle) before finishing in the capital of Franconia: wine-loving Würzburg. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours,...
The Capitoline Museums in Rome, Italy, help you imagine life before the fall of Rome. The museum's collection of great art from antiquity includes Michelangelo's statue of Emperor Marcus Aurelius and the Drunken Faun. 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 ancient fortress in Masada, Israel served as a refuge of last resort back when the Jews were the rebellious subjects of Roman occupation. Masada’s rebels methodically took their own lives, and today, that mass suicide is the symbol of Israel’s staunch “they’ll never take us alive” commitment to freedom. 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.
Prague's Strahov Monastery is most noted for its large library — a Baroque center of learning, with ornate reading rooms and old-fashioned science exhibits. It’s hard to overestimate the importance of these books before the Information Age swept through Europe. 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 Zelve Open-Air Museum in Cappadocia, Turkey, serves as a great example of how ancient Turks used whatever natured offered them to create thriving communities. Caves served as ancient condominiums with holes dug out as cooking pits. 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.
Just strolling through Berlin, Germany's delightful parks and neighborhoods gives a fun glimpse into today's good times. Life here, especially in what was dreary East Berlin, is a poignant — even jarring — mix of tragic history, hedonism, and a now thriving economy. 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.
Nicknamed “the brain of the Veneto,” the Università degli Studi di Padova was founded in 1222, one of the first in Europe. At the university is Europe's oldest surviving anatomy theater, where students watched professors dissect human cadavers.
With its huge scale and prickly silhouette, Château de Chambord is the most “must-see” of all of France's Loire Valley châteaux. If you hate crowds, you’ll like Chambord. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
Spain's Seville Cathedral is the third-largest church in Europe (after St. Peter’s in the Vatican, and St. Paul’s in London) and the largest Gothic church anywhere. When they ripped down the mosque that stood on this site in 1401, the Reconquista Christians bragged, “We’ll build a cathedral so huge that anyone who sees it will take us for madmen.” At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this desti...
Because half of the Netherlands is below sea level, the Dutch must battle the North Sea by creating and maintaining dikes. But at the sea-side resort Scheveningen, the Dutch play in the sea, rather than fight it. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
St. Stephen's Green in Dublin, Ireland, is a lush city park and cheery lunchtime spot. Nearby, you can visit the museum at Number 29 Lower Fitzwilliam Street for a step back into Dublin's Georgian era. At 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 tradition of carpet weaving is integral to Turkish culture. While shopping in the big carpet stores throughout Turkey, remember that bargaining is expected and prices often build in a 20% commission for the guide who brought you in. At 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 Spanish Steps and Campo de' Fiori in Rome, Italy, are two popular gathering places for locals and travelers alike. The Spanish Steps offer a place for romantics to savor the joy of being in Rome, while the Campo de' Fiori bustles in the morning with a vibrant market. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
Copenhagen's Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek is one of Scandinavia's top art galleries. From the delightful Wintergarden at the museum's entrance, you can go off to explore the museum's fortes: ancient Mediterranean art and 19th and 20th century French and Danish art. At 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 best place to both remember and learn about the Holocaust is Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, Israel. This sprawling and beautifully landscaped memorial and museum is dedicated to chronicling, remembering, and learning from the slaughter of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
Rick Steves and his co-author Steve Smith dine like kings at Château de Pray near Amboise, France. The pair discusses why a fine French meal is a lifetime memory. At 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 powerful Rhine has long been treacherous to navigate. The most dangerous bend in the river swings around a rocky bluff called the Loreley. Just downriver from the Loreley is the pleasant town of St. Goar, founded in the sixth century by a monk famous for his hospitality. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
Two things Scotland is known for are its convivial pubs and its great literature. To enliven its literary history, take the Edinburgh Literary Pub Tour. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
Prague has long been a mecca for musicians — Mozart's opera, Don Giovanni, debuted here, and Dvořák lived and composed here. Box offices around town give you all the options, and tickets are about half what you'd pay in Vienna. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
At the flower auction in Aalsmeer, Netherlands, it’s clear: flowers are big business in Holland. Visitors are welcome to witness millions of dollars in the trafficking of flowers. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
A freak rainstorm and flash floods hit Italy's Cinque Terre in October 2011, but the townsfolk have rebuilt and Vernazza has recovered. Traditions survive in Vernazza, even today. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.
