Travel with Rick Steves

Hear how Croatia's capital city Zagreb is a hidden gem of Central Europe, a respite from the tourist crowds of other more-famous cities. Listen in as author Richard Grant tells us why Natchez is called the quirkiest town in Mississippi. Plus, find out from TV reporter Conor Knighton about visiting each one of the U.S. National Parks in a year. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Italian food expert Fred Plotkin describes some of the unusual varieties of pasta that you can find in Italy — and the reason behind their different shapes. Historian Jeff Biggers explores the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, where sites dating back to the Bronze Age are found across the island. And tour guides from Tuscany and Sicily bring us the scoop on how to find the best gelato in Italy. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Author Bill Bryson describes how buying an old house in England has made him appreciate how dramatically domestic life has changed in just a few generations. Then writer Pico Iyer explains why visiting difficult destinations can shed light on where — or what — "paradise" might be. And urban planner Jeff Speck celebrates some of the North American cities that are catching up with their European cousins in designing pedestrian-friendly streetscapes. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Join us as we travel back in time to Roman England to consider what remains today from 400 years of Roman rule in Britain. Then hear about the most spectacular sites in Turkey to revel in the rich 600-year history of the Ottoman Empire. And listen in as a Palestinian raised in Jerusalem shares his hard-earned lessons for getting past polarization within one's own divided society. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get tips for discovering the delightful bits of Americana that await along the scenic inland back roads of California and the Pacific Northwest. Then listen in on a special in-studio concert with folk musicians Jim and Susie Malcolm as they explore the musical traditions of Scotland. And hear about some of the quirkier festivals you can visit in England. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear about the "personalities" that differentiate the biggest of the San Juan Islands, which cluster in the northwest corner of Washington State. Then listen in as actor Martin Sheen describes how his experiences filming overseas have come to influence his political activism. And get a professional intercontinental pilot's perspective on travel and lifelong wanderlust. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear about the natural beauty and rich culture that await visitors in the Republic of Georgia, where Europe meets Asia. Then get an update on the travel scene in Amsterdam, where recent regulations attempt to minimize the impact of "nuisance tourists," and a renovated riverfront has become a pleasant place to escape the often crowded city center. And learn how early Polynesian navigators managed to populate the most far-flung islands on earth. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Actors Martin Sheen and his son Emilio Estevez relive their experience filming a movie about walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, and describe how a pilgrimage hike with strangers can be an effective antidote to years of pandemic isolation. Plus ecologist and filmmaker Chris Morgan tells us about recent successes in reintroducing certain wildlife species to wilderness areas in Europe. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear what kind of cross-cultural issues emerge when Europeans marry Americans, then listen in as we discuss the allure of a road trip around America's Great Plains, where unobstructed views make the sky seem closer. And get tips on the best places to visit in Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic for a sense of life behind the Iron Curtain, now a generation in the past. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Journalist Zach Saint George describes the slow-motion migration of several North American tree species seeking to evade environmental threats. Then Wired founder Kevin Kelly lets us in on a massive photography project to document traditions disappearing across a quickly modernizing Asia. And writer Seth Kantner explains what he loves about living off the land near the Arctic Circle, in the wide-open spaces of northwest Alaska. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear about the importance of extended family in Greece, where the honor of being named a godmother comes with real responsibilities, and learn about some of Athens' most interesting neighborhoods — many of which are enjoying an exciting new vitality. Then listen in as an Arab-American Peace Corps veteran describes what he's come to admire about the Islamic religion of many of his friends. And consider the meaning of Tibetan prayer flags, and hear how to properly display them. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get to know some of the most notable of Italy's many patron saints, and why they remain important to so many. Then hear what journalist Tim Egan spent his time contemplating on his walk along the medieval Via Francigena — the pilgrimage path from Canterbury to Rome. And learn about the role of relics in many religious traditions, and why, for centuries, millions of faithful have journeyed for a first-hand encounter with them. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Learn about the thoughtful design behind America's elegant city parks of the 19th century, which continue to provide green space for millions of urban dwellers, then get some tips for exploring Europe on one of its long-distance hiking trails. And hear about the massive archaeology museum, built to display a vast collection of ancient Egyptian riches, that's set to open in Giza later this year. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We'll take an up-close look at some of Paris' most beautiful bridges as well as its most intriguing specialty museums and galleries, where you can escape the crowds — and are sure to discover something new in this always-surprising city. Then we'll head south to savor the relaxingly rural, yet assuredly sophisticated charms of Burgundy. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear about how a locally operated tour can add depth and conviviality to your next trip to the Emerald Isle, then learn about the sophisticated ways ancient Celts mapped out their pre-Roman world. And get tips for exploring scenic West Cork — an untamed alternative to the tourist-trodden Ring of Kerry — and other highlights of Ireland's south coast. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

English actor Martin Clunes recommends some of his favorite smaller British isles among the many he visited while filming a travel documentary. Then Rick checks in with Italian-food expert Fred Plotkin to celebrate the completion of their new guide to Italy's regional cuisine. And a Florence-based tour guide lets us in on her favorite food and wine shops for showing off her city's culinary delights. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We'll take an audio stroll along the Danube waterfront in elegant, Old World Budapest, then contemplate the prehistoric stones that stand amid the stark beauty of Scotland's remote Orkney Islands. And listeners share their most memorable instances of a stranger's kindness changing an overseas trip for the better. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We look at the top sites where you can experience firsthand the groundbreaking contributions of Spain's greatest artists. Then tour guides from Wales and Bosnia share the facets of their nationalities that mean most to them — such as the Welsh fortitude for enduring the blustery climate that produces such beautiful landscapes, and Bosnians' knack for using humor to defuse the thornier aspects of life in the Balkans. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear how ancient pagan traditions spice up carnival season in the Basque Country and the Balkans — two regions that celebrate the days preceding Ash Wednesday with raucous festivals. Then get two Sicilians' take on what sets Sicily's island culture apart from the rest of Italy. And consider your next armchair journey as Harvard professor David Damrosch recommends authors whose works can transport you to China, Japan, Iran, Brazil, and sub-Saharan Africa. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Historian Laurence Bergreen takes us to 18th-century Venice — the time of Casanova, when this "Most Serene Republic" had become the Sin City of Europe. And the head of the Young China Group think tank lets us in on what he wishes Americans knew about today's China and what he expects to see as it emerges from the pandemic, and explains the key challenges it's facing in our changing world. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Author Mark Adams reveals four possible Mediterranean locations where the legendary lost city of Atlantis could have been. The former U-S Ambassador to Switzerland tells us what it's like representing American interests in a country known for its neutrality. Plus, a longtime resident of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula describes what to look for when you venture out beyond Cancun. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Explore two of Europe's less-crowded scenic peninsulas! Rick visits with local tour guides from Pula, on Croatia's Istrian Peninsula, and from Ireland's Cooley Peninsula, an hour north of Dublin in County Louth. Plus marine conservationist Jonathan White explains what he's discovered about the power of the tides around the world — and how they affect you, even if you don't live near the shore. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Soak in the history and the splendor of Bath, where Georgian architecture and mineral waters make it one of England's most attractive cities. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what happens when a travel writer researches guidebooks. And hear how Peter Wortsman's Jewish heritage forces him to grapple with some powerful ghosts from the past in Berlin. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear how the US Civil Rights Trail, with 100 stops across 14 states, was organized to help all Americans get an up-close look at the movement to dismantle Jim Crow laws across the South. And listen in as ecologist Chris Morgan describes changes he's observed on Norway's Svalbard archipelago — halfway between the mainland and the North Pole — which indicate how our warming climate is a threat to life in the Arctic. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

A tour guide from Mexico City describes some of the most pleasant surprises he enjoys sharing about his adopted home. Then the author of the "Thousand Places to See Before You Die" series explains why culture shock can be the highlight of your next overseas vacation. And a young orchestra conductor describes some of his favorite European venues for enjoying a classical-music concert. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Consider new ideas for greeting the new year by learning about some of the unusual traditions — and a few superstitions — with which Swedes, Croats, Scots, and the Welsh celebrate this time of year. Then hear about the multicultural food and music that enliven the streets of New Orleans' neighborhoods. And join us as we remember the late historian David McCullough with a look back at his examination of how the Wright Brothers changed the way we see the world. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We'll hear how the traditional Christmas markets of Germanic Europe set the mood for the season. And we'll learn about Christmastime events that bring everybody out on the streets of Madrid and Dingle, and cozy holiday celebrations in homes on Sicily and Scotland's Hebrides. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

In the first of two holiday-themed shows, Rick's guests recall their childhood Christmases in the Netherlands, Italy, and New Mexico. Then more friends join us to describe what you're likely to find this time of year in Austria, Australia, Japan...and Antarctica. Plus, we'll hear about how the English tradition of "wassailing" developed as a way to guarantee a good apple harvest — or at least an occasion to enjoy a warm drink with neighbors. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Author Susan Cahill recommends some of the most magnificent religious architecture to explore in Paris, then an American who married a Frenchman describes her experiences raising three young children in a small town outside Paris. And writer Frances Mayes, who lives in both Tuscany and North Carolina, discusses just what makes a place feel like home. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We look at the must-see paintings, sculptures and historic edifices across Europe. University of Florida professor Jack E. Davis notes the many roles the Gulf of Mexico has played over the years, and why it's important to understand its ecology. And we'll look at the role of guidebooks, and what can make one worth reading, a hundred years after it's been published. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

A native-born Belgian shares what delights him most about his small, but justifiably proud country. Then author Catie Marron recommends some of her favorite gardens around the world — plus the most enticing ones she's yet to visit. And author Seth Kantner, who was raised way off the grid in northwest Alaska, alerts us to the increasing threats to the people and wildlife of the Alaskan Arctic. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Listeners tell us what makes their hometowns feel special, then the host of the TV show Lidia's Italy describes the remarkable diversity among the regional cuisines of Italy — and how each naturally features whatever's particularly delicious from a given area. Then a Madrid-based wine expert shares tips for food pairings and fully enjoying what you're drinking. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get expert advice for planning a trip to the majestic Scottish Highlands. Then hear about some of Spain's most influential artists, from El Greco to the modern day. And discover what's making Alabama an increasingly popular destination for international visitors. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get tips for how to "do as the Romans do" in Rome's modern-day neighborhoods. Hear about the travel writer Will Hide's latest crazy rides, from cycling across the hills of Rwanda to driving what might be the world's "most dangerous road" up from Delhi into the Himalayas. Plus listen in as guides from Slovenia and Bosnia take listener calls to help plan fun trips to the countries of the former Yugoslavia. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Uncover the truth behind Count Dracula in Romania. Find out where the most haunted house is located in New Orleans, and what's behind local customs such as voodoo and jazz funerals. Plus, hear how the cities of India surprised author Mary Morris when she traveled there to view tigers in the wild. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Pico Iyer explains why autumn is the perfect season for understanding the soul of Japan. Robert Reid recommends how to amp up your next vacation, by traveling like a travel writer does. And guides from Sweden tell us how to keep expenses in check, to enjoy Scandinavia the way the locals do. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get a taste of Austria beyond the usual tourist sites in Vienna and Salzburg, where farmstays and festivals can make you want to wear lederhosen for a day. Rick's right-hand man on all things Ireland shares what he's liked most about researching guidebooks and leading tours in the Emerald Isle for the last 20 years. And Rick's TV producer shares tales from behind the scenes on their two-year-long filming project on the greatest art in Europe. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Learn to see Rome — the way the ancient Romans did — as the opulent and innovative city that gave Europe a common culture. Look closer at the even more-ancient worlds of the Greeks and Egyptians, and what their antiquities can tell us about their lives. And find out what's being done to protect important cultural sites today from the ravages of the world's changing climate. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Find out why Germany's "second city," the industrial northern port of Hamburg, is a favorite getaway among Germans. Then get the inside scoop on Rick's new TV series, which explores the backstories of Europe's greatest artworks. And consider what drives some death-defying athletes to go all-in for "extreme sports." For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

The co-author of Rick's Eastern Europe guidebook and a Ljubljana-based tour guide discuss the laid-back charms of Slovenia's capital. Then a tour guide from Munich shares tips for becoming a temporary Bavarian at Oktoberfest — which is back on after a two-year pandemic hiatus. And an adventure traveler explains why even the creepiest critters deserve a little respect. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Diplomat and former ambassador Eric Rubin gives us a look at how the foreign service works on behalf of American interests in Bulgaria. Then "Senior Nomads" Michael and Debbie Campbell update us on their pandemic-era global travels. And artist and author Sylvia Verange reflects on her hiking journey across the Himalaya Mountains and how it's affected her life in the decades since. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Humorist Maeve Higgins recommends places to visit in her home turf of Ireland's County Cork. Then tour guides from southwest England share their expert advice on where best to enjoy the coastal beauty of Cornwall and Devon — and the tourist traps to avoid. And guides from Scotland describe what makes Glasgow such a cool city to explore. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Travel writer Chris Baker returns with more ideas for fun day trips from LA and San Francisco, including his home base of Palm Springs. Then historian Laurence Cotton joins us to celebrate the 200th birthday of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, whose parks and civic projects have given so many American cities a lasting natural legacy. And a Rick Steves guidebook co-author describes the colorful variety travelers can enjoy among the countries of central and eastern Europe. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

British travel writer Dan Richards describes his hike to the remote post in Washington's North Cascades where Jack Kerouac spent two months as a fire lookout. Then author and naturalist Terry Tempest Williams describes how the processes of erosion define the Utah desert landscape she calls home, and how understanding them can provide a helpful perspective on our civic and social territory, as well as our physical. And photographer and guidebook writer Becky Lomax shares more of her favorite experiences in America's national parks. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Tour guides from New Orleans examine the historical, musical, and culinary elements that make their city one of the most exceptional places anywhere in North America. They also share their top recommendations for exploring the city and discuss the merits of a pay-what-you-like model for city walking tours. And an associate conductor with the Seattle Symphony gives us a view from the conductor's podium while describing some of his favorite US venues for reveling in live classical-music performances. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Actress Joanna Lumley details her 4,000-mile trek up the Nile River to the river's fabled source in Rwanda. Joanna shares what she learned from people she met while filming a documentary about the trip, and describes her ride to the pyramids on one very fine camel. And TV host Samantha Brown tells Rick how she keeps herself from stressing out over what could go wrong in her frequent travels. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Rick checks in with Dylan Thuras from Atlas Obscura to discuss a few of their favorite small, sometimes eccentric museums around the world. Then author Peter Fiennes describes some of the real sites where Greek myths were set, and how they can speak to us today. And two historian tour guides share some of their top reasons to visit the Peloponnese, the giant peninsula just an hour's drive south of Athens. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

English tour guides share their enthusiasm for enjoying the riot of color and inspiration you'll find in England's best country gardens. Then author Catie Marron explains how she designed and planted a garden as a way to feel a sense of belonging in her new home. And physicist Alan Lightman explains why it's healthy to give yourself a little unstructured time every day just for goofing off. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Author Mark Adams shares what he learned about Incan history while trekking to Machu Picchu. Then author Sarah Vowell explains how Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette helped unify Americans after the contentious presidential election of 1824. And Rick checks in with tour guides from Edinburgh to get tips on visiting Scotland's whisky distilleries. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Enjoy some of the best-ever writing on life in far-away places with a recommended reading list from a Harvard professor of comparative literature. Then get tips on the historic towns and royal retreats that are easily enjoyed as day trips from Berlin. And hear about daily life in Mexico City in 2022 from an American expat — and why he considers his new home the "capital of the 21st century." For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.