Rick Steves' Europe

Culture Series / 11 Seasons

Catch Rick Steves' latest one-hour special on Iceland. Explore Reykjavík, with endearing sights and thermal pools, plus a side-trip to the Golden Circle's gorges, geysers, and waterfalls.

26m 47s / TV-G

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Burgundy: Profoundly French

S5 E501 / 25m 4s / TV-G

Burgundy is a calm and cultivated corner of France, where fine living is intimately tied to nature and traditions run strong . We’ll travel on a canal barge, visit a medieval hospice and a modern monastery, build a barrel, appreciate fine Burgundy wine, slurp escargot, and eat very, very well. If you’re looking for quintessential French culture, you’ll find it in Burgundy.

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France's Dordogne

S5 E502 / 25m 4s / TV-G

The Dordogne River Valley--with its dramatic castles, evocative cave paintings, and prized cuisine -- is an unforgettable blend of man-made and natural beauty. We’ll take an idyllic canoe ride, and then visit a goose farm and savor the foie gras. We’ll also wander through a lamp-lit castle, enjoy a country market, and visit the Sistine Chapel of the prehistoric world.

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Barcelona and Catalunya

S5 E503 / 25m 4s / TV-G

The creative spirit of Spain’s Catalunya--the land of Picasso, Gaudi, and Salvador Dali--is on a roll. We’ll get caught up in the festivity of Barcelona, enjoying the vibrant street scenes, tasty tapas, and pedestrian-friendly Gothic Quarter. Then we’ll take a scenic side trip to mountaintop Montserrat, and finish with an artist’s pilgrimage along the Costa Brava to Salvador Dali country.

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Little Europe: Five Micro-Countries

S5 E504 / 25m 4s / TV-G

Don’t blink as we blitz through Europe’s tiniest countries: Vatican City, the world's smallest country, comes with the planet's biggest church. The fairytale princedom of Monaco lures visitors with its fancy casino and glamorous views. Italy’s last independent hill town of San Marino still looks formidable, as does the castle-guarded principality of Liechtenstein.

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Switzerland's Great Cities

S5 E505 / 25m 4s / TV-G

In this episode, we’ll focus on an often-overlooked side of Switzerland -- Luzern, Bern, Zurich, and Lausanne. Enjoying the country's urban charms, we'll get some exercise, from ringing a very big bell to doing a little river rafting—without the raft. We’ll also enjoy a variety of eye-opening art, from Chagall and Klee to pieces created by inmates of an asylum.

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Vienna and the Danube

S5 E506 / 25m 4s / TV-G

For centuries, Vienna was the crown jewel of the rich and powerful Habsburg Empire. A century after that empire’s fall, the Viennese appreciate their imperial legacy as a cultural wellspring--and an excuse to live in style. We’ll take in the city’s wealth of elegant gardens, great art and fine music. Then we’ll explore the city’s surroundings, with a trip along the romantic Danube Rive.

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The Czech Republic Beyond Prague

S5 E507 / 25m 4s / TV-G

Few travelers venture beyond Prague to experience the Czech Republic’s many cultural riches and offbeat delights. We’ll get you started with a whirlwind of Art Nouveau, local pub music, stinky cheese-tasting, river-rafting, and peat-bathing in places like Olomouc, Moravsky Krumlov, Trebon, and Konopiste. We’ll also tour a remarkable memorial to the Holocaust in Terezen.

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Athens and Side Trips

S5 E508 / 25m 3s / TV-G

The thriving capital of Greece sprawls out from the foot of its magnificent Acropolis. We’ll tour the must-sees of ancient Athens: the Parthenon, Agora, and amazing National Archaeological Museum. We’ll take the pulse of the modern city, but waste no time getting to my favorite side-trip destinations: the ruins of the oracle at Delphi and a fast boat to the romantic, traffic-free Isle of Hydra.

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Greece's Peloponnese

S5 E509 / 25m 4s / TV-G

Island getaways are fun, but the real heart of Greece is found in the Peloponnese Peninsula. After enjoying the charming old port town of Nafplio, we’ll time-trip through the ruins of Olympia, take center stage at the remarkably preserved theater at Epidauros, and explore the ancient capital of Mycenae. Then we’ll wander off the beaten path along the rustic, rough-and-tumble Mani Peninsula.

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Copenhagen

S5 E510 / 25m 4s / TV-G

Denmark’s capital is the most fun-loving in Scandinavia. As we get to know Copenhagen, we’ll discover reminders of its Viking history and see reflections today of its proudly independent ways. We’ll stroll down Europe’s first great pedestrian boulevard, ogle crown jewels in the palace treasury, and take a bike ride through a hippie squatter community, finishing at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens.

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Denmark Beyond Copenhagen

S5 E511 / 25m 4s / TV-G

Using Copenhagen as a springboard, we’ll visit the best of Denmark. Aarhus welcomes us with its affluence, open-air museum, and preserved ancient bog man. Roskilde impresses visitors with its royal burial church and the best Viking ship museum anywhere. And the quaint Isle of Aerø comes with half-timbered cottages, ships in bottles, and cobbled alleyways that remind us of Hans Christian Andersen.

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Istanbul

S5 E512 / 25m 4s / TV-G

Where Europe comes face to face with Asia, we’ll explore the fascinating city of Istanbul. We’ll lose our way in the Grand Bazaar, munch our way through the famously fragrant Spice Market. We’ll follow the fall of the ancient capital of Byzantium and the rise of Islam at the city’s ancient wall, and wander among the treasures of the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque, and Topkapi Palace.

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Iran: Tehran and Side Trips

S5 E513 / 25m 51s / TV-G

As he’s done with previous programs on Israel, Egypt, and Eastern Turkey, Rick takes us beyond Europe to a place that’s rich with historyand mystery. In this first of two half-hour shows on Iran, Rick dodges traffic in Tehran, enjoys the tranquility of a nearby village, and encounters both anti-American propaganda and a warm welcome from everyday Iranians.

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Iran: Historic Capitals

S5 E514 / 25m 51s / TV-G

Iran's rich history goes back millennia, to the days when Persepolis was home to "the king of kings." In this episode, Rick Steves explores three historic capitals of Iran: Persepolis, with its splendid monuments; Shiraz, with the tombs of Iran's most beloved poets; and Esfahan, with its extraordinary mosques and endearing people.

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