Glastonbury, England is considered the birthplace of Christianity in England and the burial site of the legendary King Arthur. A variety of travelers and seekers come to visit the Glastonbury Tor, Chalice Well, and Abbey. 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.
Tuscany's Chianti wine region, with its rugged hills and farmland, charms visitors with a slower, more rustic lifestyle. South of Chianti is a region called the Crete Senesi, a quintessential Tuscan landscape featuring clay hills and iconic lanes of cypress trees. 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.
Dresden's Historic Green Vault (in the Royal Palace) contains a glittering Baroque treasure collection that's a must-see. The adjacent Royal Armory fills a long room with centuries-old armor. 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.
Plovdiv's atmospheric Old Town is a showcase of delightful buildings from the 1800s during the Bulgarian National Revival. Nearby is a museum celebrating the work of the Bulgarian artist Zlatyu Boyadzhiev. 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.
One of the joys of visiting Amsterdam is simply being in the swirl of healthy, busy, biking Dutch. Don't forget to look up past the bikers to observe Amsterdam's beautiful homes decorated with ornate gables. 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 cultural heritage of Romania is many-faceted, and appreciating the diversity of the 20 million people who make up this country enriches your experience. The faces — as varied and beautiful as the land itself — tell the story. 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 countryside around Wells, England, is great for growing apples and you can visit farms that brew the authentic hard cider — known around here as "scrumpy." And at Land's End Cider Farm, Roger Wilkins is as old-school as it comes. 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 Italian ritual of the early evening stroll is called the "passeggiata." After cruising through the stony streets with friends and family, enjoy an "aperitivo" cocktail and snacks during the Italian version of happy hour. 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.
Château de Villandry is home to Rick's favorite gardens in France's Loire. The grounds are arranged in elaborate geometric patterns and immaculately maintained. 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.
While the remains of WWII-era bunkers serve as wartime reminders in Hamburg, Germany, the remnants are incorporated into today’s contemporary scene. Modern Hamburg is full of energetic and trendy neighborhoods — like the Schanze quarter and Reeperbahn — that offer a breath of fresh cultural air. 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.
One of England's most popular national parks, Dartmoor is one of the few truly wild places left in this densely populated country. A visit to Dartmoor brings sights of the iconic ponies running wild and Neolithic ruins dotting the landscape. 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.
Brighton is south England's Coney Island, and Brighton Pier is the place to go for a fix of junk food and dizzying rides. Just a couple blocks down is Brighton's Royal Pavilion, with its eccentric exterior that recalls the city's flamboyant heyday as a vacation spot for King George IV. 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 wonderfully preserved city of Wells, England, is dominated by its glorious Gothic cathedral. The city's charming center is surrounded by medieval architecture. 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.
Siena, Italy's great central piazza is Il Campo. The historic junction of Siena's various neighborhoods, or "contrade," it fans out from City Hall as if to create an amphitheater. 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 Tuscan hill town of Montepulciano, Italy, is a wine-producing capital with an independent spirit. In Montepulciano, you can enjoy medieval architecture, taste wine from the barrel, and dine on a juicy steak surrounded by local Italians. 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.
At the fringe of Romania, tucked next to the Ukrainian border, is the country's most isolated region: Maramureș. Maramureș is a fiercely traditional place where centuries-old ways endure. 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.
Because of Bulgaria's strategic position, Sofia sits on layers of history. From ancient Greeks and Romans to fearsome Slavic warriors, from Ottoman pashas to Cold War communists, each left its mark. 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.
Cosmopolitan Frankfurt — nicknamed "Bankfurt" — is a trading hub of a united Europe, home to the European Central Bank, and a center for global commerce. Though it may be low on Old World charm, it offers a great look at no-nonsense, modern Germany. 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.
In February of 1945, after the city was bombed in the last months of World War II, Dresden's beloved Frauenkirche ("Church of Our Lady") collapsed. Then, Dresdeners decided to rebuild it completely and painstakingly, and it finally reopened to the public in 2005. 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.
Martin Luther went to law school in Erfurt, Germany, and today, this half-timbered medieval town remains an charming destination that Luther himself would recognize. This is the land of fairy tales and the Brothers Grimm, fine woodcarvers, and fanciful puppets. 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.
Once a Benedictine monastery, St. Michael's Mount was later a fortified castle, and eventually a stately home. Nearby is Penzance — a blue-collar transportation hub and Rick's favorite home base in the area. 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! The far southwest of England is a world unto itself, with a persistent Cornish culture. We'll explore a world of flowers springing from towering hedges, a tin-mining heritage going back to biblical times, salty pirates' towns and fishing villages, and the Land's End of England. Then, side-tripping deep into the vast and mysterious Dartmoor National Park, we’ll hike to forgotten stone circles and chase wild ponie...
The White Cliffs of Dover overlook the English Channel. Sitting atop those cliffs is the impressive Dover Castle — the site of England's primary defensive stronghold from ancient Roman until modern times. 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! Arcing along the southeast coast of England, we’ll travel from Canterbury (with its famous cathedral) to Dover (stoutly fortified from Roman times to the Battle of Britain). Then we’ll hike the trails that top the towering chalk cliffs of the South Downs, wander into the beachy resort of Brighton (England’s Coney Island), and push on to Portsmouth, whose naval heritage has left it with the best collection of his...
As with many fairy-tale regions in Europe, the present-day beauty of England's Cotswolds was the result of an economic disaster — in this case, the collapse of the wool industry. The fine Cotswold towns fell into a time warp, creating a rustic charm that is the basis of today's new prosperity from tourism. 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! The quintessence of charming England is the “West Country”: quaint Cotswold villages with their fine churches, manor homes, and gastropubs; Wells, England’s smallest cathedral town; and the New Age capital of Glastonbury, with its legends of the Holy Grail and King Arthur. We'll finish by pondering the dramatic prehistoric stone circles of Stonehenge and Avebury. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-s...
Each July and August, the entire city of Siena, Italy, readies itself for its big Palio horse race. During the race, life stops for the frantic three laps…just 90 seconds. 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! Siena, once a proud and independent city-state, retains its confidence and unique traditions. We’ll enjoy a front-row seat at its wild horse race — the venerable Palio — and marvel at cultural treasures from the days when it rivaled Florence for leadership of Tuscany. Then we’ll head into wine country for a little dolce vita under the Tuscan sun. At http://www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips...
Italy's Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi rises where St. Francis was buried in 1230. For eight centuries it's been one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in all of Christendom. 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! In the Italian countryside, we'll connect with rustic, traditional culture: enjoying an agriturismo (farmhouse inn), seeing how prosciutto and pecorino cheese are made, and hiking to the bottom of deep and ancient wine cellars. We'll end in Assisi — the hometown of St. Francis — which retains its spiritual aura to this day. Like pilgrims, we’ll explore its stony center before trekking to its awe-inspiring basili...
