It's the beginning of Rick's 3,000-mile grand tour of Europe. In the midst of seeing all of Holland's freedom, Rick advises wearing a money belt to keep your valuables close by.
Rick tours Germany's famed Rhine and Mosel river valleys on train. It's the perfect way to discuss travel strategies and Eurail Passes.
Timelessness is the word to describe Germany's Romantic Road. Rick passes along Prince Bishop's Palace in Wurzburg, among other places. Walking tours of the Romantic Road also provide a backdrop for self-defense.
Diversity is the dictum as Rick spans from a beer hall to a haunting World War II memorial. He provides lessons on traveling with children and alternate forms of lodging.
Rick delves into the formation of Venice. His advice to tourists: It's okay to get pleasantly lost. Just remember to plan an itinerary.
Tuscany and Umbria represents small town Italy. Rick tells all to pack light to really enjoy these and other locales.
Rick concentrates on the lesser-known landmarks in Rome, particularly inexpensive hotels and restaurants. His back-door approach includes a stop at Mussolini's old neighborhood.
Rick battles fatigue in Florence with cappucino and gelati stops in his selective sightseeing. He also gives advice on interpreting the city's telephone system.
Pisa, Lucca, and Portofino are first up Rick scouts the villages on the Italian Riviera. He advises how to stay clean and healthy abroad.
Swiss Alps are the order of the day. Rick recommends using gondolas, funiculars and trains to see the Berner Alps and close contact with Nature. He also discusses wise use of credit cards, travelers' cheques, and money exchanges.
Rick devotes this program to renting and driving cars in Europe. That will direct us to the remote villages of French Switzerland. Part of the journey is an appreciation of modern art, specifically Paul Klee.
Rick tackles the sometimes-difficult task of using public transportation in this tour of Paris. He includes a history lesson on Napoleon and the fascinating world of Rodin.
Rick Steves begins another 3,000-mile tour at Ireland's West Coast. He tells viewers to slow down when visiting Ireland.
Both the capitals of Ireland and Northern Ireland are rooted in a bitter struggle for independence. Rick shows some of the passion evident in Irish city citizens.
Rich enters Wales via ferry. Once on land, he scours through castles and cuisine, talking about driving on the left side of the road. He also gets to hear a bit of the Welsh language.
It's Festival time in Edinburgh, and Rick commutes through the city at its busiest time. Planning ahead is the key, both to an organized city like Edinburgh and its tourists.
Rick concludes his U.K. stretch of the tour in rhe Cotswold traditions. He walks through Chipping Campden to Bath to Avebury.
Both Normandy and Brittany have seen its historic battles. Rick mentions several struggles in both regions, to be sure, but he also has tips on local French cuisine.
Brugge in Belgium is fast becoming a tourist mecca while retaining its old charm. Rick visits the locales common to medieval citizens: an almshouse, a lace-making school, a refuge for war widows. Brussels is but a whistle-stop en route to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, storied in fortresses and battles. Today Luxembourg is the model country for a unifying Europe.
Thoughts of Burgundy lead to the top of the French wine list and other elegant images. Rick turns for guidance to Steve Smith, a savvy Francophile. Rick reminds viewers how best to use the metric system, and shows alternate means of overnight stay.
The TGV whisks Rick to the popular Loire Valley, starting in Amboise. Rick tells of the hard-fought history in the region. Then it's off to the Mediterranean splendor of Provence. Rick advises all to be polite when visiting France.
""Holy Toledo"" is a daytime mecca for tours from Madrid. Rick tackles both regions, discussing the Moorish ways of Spain.
Rick avoids the traffic jams of Costa del Sol (at least until the fourth season). His goal is for Andalusia's interior villages. Spain offers Zahara, Grazalema and Arcos de la Frontera. And of course, there is Seville, as Rick labors into Spain's Moorish past.
There are still parts of the Algarve Coast that are not well-known, such as the village of Salema. Within the resort town of Lagos and ancient Cape Sagres, Rick shares safety tips for traveling alone as well as using the metric system in markets.
This 70-minute pledge special rounds up some of Rick's favorite scenes from the first two seasons.
The second 3,000-mile tour ends in Lisbon. Rick retells Portugal's glorious past. He reminds us how to find inexpensive and comfortable lodgings in expensive parts of Europe.
Rick starts the third season in country and city reunified just a half-decade before. He relates some of Berlin's stormy history and visions of a more prosperous future.
Stroll among the Left Bank's cafes and bookstores and take in the nightlife of Montmartre. Admire the splendor of Sainte-Chapelle, and the magnificent art collections at the Rodin museum and Musee D'Orsay. Then, relive the glory of imperial France at the Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte in the Musee Militaire. Travel from the scene of the D-Day invasion to Rouen, where Joan of Arc faced the trial of her life. See the famed Bayeux Tapestry; amble through pastoral landscapes; then sample some regional favorites like crepes, apple brandy and Camembert cheese. In Brittany, visit Fougeres Castle, a symbol of celtic struggle against France.
Ply Burgundy's romantic canals, past chateaus, medieval abbeys and idyllic hillside villages. Prepare to be dazzled by the Renaissance grandeur of the Chambord and Chenonceau castles in the Loire Valley. See the Roman Ruins at Arles and the Palace of the Popes at Avignon.
Prague is in the Czech Republic now, still splendid in 14th-century elegance. Rick spots the corner where Mozart put the finishing touches on Don Giovianni. Rick delves into the 1,000-year Magyar history while in Budapest. Rick's travel tip concentrates on keeping a good eye on not getting ripped off.
Vienna is old, and Rick presents its artistic landmarks. He gives tips on buying concert tickets and traveling on the Danube.
Step back in time to feudal France in the historic Dordogne region with its wonderful examples of medieval and Renaissance architecture. Hop a train to heady and exotic destinations on the Cote d'Azur: Cannes, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, Antibes, and Monaco.
Salzburg seems to be rooted in Mozart's music. But Austria also has a spectacular medieval fort, the Salzkammergut Lakes District, Augustiner monks, and an ancient salt mine. Rick tips off where and how to find free music concerts.
Share some of Rick's savviest advice for travelers - from day-planning and changing currency to using public transportation and getting around language barriers. Rick's recommendations cover basic security, packing light, and the pros and cons of traveling independently or with a tour group. His suggestions will help any traveler plan their trip wisely, while preparing them to take the unexpected in stride.
Take an exciting walking tour along the Champs-Elysees. See the Arc De Triomphe - then visit that "must-see" Parisian Landmark, the Eiffel Tower.
Castles, markets, and art await along the Dordogne River. Rick advises how to get the most out of budget shuttle service and hotel accommodations.
The Mediterranean's Cote d'Azur, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, and Cannes can be a hectic place. Rick tells us how to avoid the crowds and interpret information at train stations.
Every January, the townsfolk of Limoux host an annual celebration tasing the region's wine. Join the costumed revelers dancing their cares away at this annual carnival.
Another day-trip sweeps you to the very heights of opulence at Versailles, with its art-filled palace, lush, green gardens and Grand Canal.
Rick introduces the powerhouse Italy of the 1990s while detailing its past unification struggles, some of which took place in and around Milan.
Naples is everything the viewer expects. Rick begins in this birthplace of pizza, settling for the night with 20 miles of Sorrento. He observes Roman ruins and Greek temples on his way to the Amalfi Coast.
Ruins are just part of Rick's first venture into Greece. He advises us on car and taxi travel.
Rick hops around from the island bus tour of Santorini to Lipsi for some out-of-the-way places.
Rick advises all on how to stay healthy as he journeys along the Meander River.
From the cliffs and caves in Cappadocia to the modern capital of Ankara, Rick continues to peruse inexpensively through Turkey. He gives a historical perspective on Ataturk, praised as father of the Turks.
Istanbul resides in two continents. Rick enters from the European side of Turkey and begins that tantalizing path into the next continent (and the following season).
The new and the old Israel become a thrillingly different start to Rick's fourth seasopn. He talks extensively of Israel's religious sites. The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and the Dome of the Rock and Christians at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre are tops. But Rick also steps into Tel Aviv and the present-day Mediterranean beach.
Rick transports down Egypt's less-traveled roads. Inevitably he rides the camel, stops at a bazaar, and cruises down the Nile.
Delightful Copenhagen is first on Rick's journey through Denmark, and the locals are a friendly bunch. After visiting the carnival at Tivoli Gardens Amusement Park, Rick treks to Aero Island for visions of the Old World ways.
In Stockholm, Rick combs through centuries of Swedish life, both fortunate and unfrotunate events. An overnight cruise leads to through the Baltic Archipelago to Helsinki, Finland.
Rick finds that boat across the Oslo harbor for ocean adventure. Historically, this city has ties to the Vikings, Thor Heyerdahl, and Nazi Resistance. ""Norway in a Nutshell"" leads Rick to Bergen.
Rick brings his family along as he shares tips on traveling with children. On their itinerary: Ironbridge Gorge, Blackpool, the Cumbrian Lake District, and the Norman cathedral at Durham.
Rick pays his respects to Winston Churchill in London's Cabinet War Room. Along with stops at the Globe Theatre, Rick and family attend Stratford, Warwick Castle, Cambridge, and York. The new tunnel under the English Channel awaits.
Rick presentst his avorites: a familiar restaurant and a neighborhood market. The old familiar sights in Paris get a once-over before Rick jaunts to the palace of Versailles. He also salutes the Impressionists' artistic revolution.
Rick rents a car for his sight-seeing tour of Alsace's route du vin, full of vineyards, villages, and fortresses. Alsatian village-hopping precedes a trek into Verdun and Reims Cathedral. Epernay, birthplace of champagne, comes at the end.
Back to the Alps for Rick, who visits Chamonix, the original French Alpine resort. He takes a balloon ride over Mount Blanc before his train trek to Appenzell, Switzerland. This gives Rick the chance for more rail travel tips.
Rick begins at the border of Germany and Austria and shoots down to Innsbruck. A lesson on Austrian cuisine preceds a trek into Italy's Reifenstein Castle and the Italian Dolomites.
Barcelona is a Catalonian cornucopia, as Rick spots the art of Gaudi and Picasso. In the heart of Spain, Rick contrasts the 15th-Century palace of El Escorial with rhe 20th-Century Valley of the Fallen. Finally, there's Segovia.
Southern Spain offers the greatest Moorish feel. Rick finally shows off the fabulous Costa del Sol beach. After Gibraltar, Rick floats across the Mediterranean to Tangier, Morocco.
Selected scenes from Seasons 3 and 4 are highlighted as Rick revisits the Mediterranean countries in this 80-minute pledge special.