The BEST episodes of Rick Steves' Europe
Every episode of Rick Steves' Europe ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Rick Steves' Europe!
Rick Steves has been the "travel guinea pig" for American Public Television since Travels in Europe with Rick Steves debuted in April of 1991. In his program, Rick shows some out-of-the-way places the average traveler misses, offers countless travel tips, and always enjoys being immersed in the adventure.
#1 - England's Cornwall
Season 9 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/10/2016
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 ponies.
#2 - Little Europe: Five Microcountries
Season 5 - Episode 4 - Aired 11/1/2008
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. And tiny Andorra entertains shoppers and hikers alike, surrounded by the rugged beauty of the Pyrenees.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#3 - Helsinki and Tallinn: Baltic Sisters
Season 6 - Episode 10 - Aired 12/5/2010
We roam through Helsinki, Finland's Neoclassical old town, with its flair for design and steamy saunas. Then it's just a two hour boat ride to the medieval charms, independent pride and post-Soviet prosperity of Tallinn, Estonia.
#4 - Dubrovnik and Balkan Side-Trips
Season 6 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/16/2010
Starting in the medieval fortress city of Dubrovnik, we venture to less-touristed corners of the former Yugoslavia. in Bosnia, we visit once war-torn Mostar. In Montenegro, we sail the Bat of Kotor and explore the mountainous interior.
#5 - Oslo
Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/14/2010
From once-fearsome Viking ships to a sleek new Opera House, and from tales of World War II heroism to Vigeland's statues and Monch's scream, we see how Norway's proud spirit permeates Oslo. Local friends take us sailing too.
#6 - Burgundy: Profoundly French
Season 5 - Episode 1 - Aired 3/8/2008
Burgundy is a calm and cultivated corner of France, where fine living is intimately tied to nature and traditions run strong. We'll slow down to enjoy the region's edible, drinkable, scenic, and floatable delights. 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.
#7 - Barcelona and Catalunya
Season 5 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/18/2008
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. In seaside Cadaques, we'll visit Dali's home, and in nearby Figures, we'll experience his playfully surreal mausoleum/museum.
#8 - Highlights of Paris: Eiffel and Monet to Crème Brûlée
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/9/2004
Packing the best of Paris into one episode, we scale the Eiffel Tower, then savor classic treats - from steak tartare to crème brulée. We marvel at Monet, Manet and company in the stunning Orsay Gallery. Tracing the sad steps of Marie Antoinette, we relive French history from its bloody revolution to its extravagant belle epoche.
#9 - London: Mod and Trad
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/2/2004
London is quintessentially English, yet cosmopolitan. We check out the new — the Millennium Bridge and the British Museum's Great Court, and admire the old — well-wrapped mummies and a rare Leonardo. After bantering with Beefeaters at the Tower of London, we do some riverside beach-combing. Strolling the trendy South Bank of the Thames takes us from the Tate Modern to the dizzying London Eye.
#10 - Munich and the Foothills of the Alps
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 11/30/2002
In Munich, where locals specialize in good living, we visit boisterous markets and go-for-Baroque palaces. while office workers surf in the Isar River. Heading into the foothills of the Alps, we tour the fairy-tale castles of "Mad" King Ludwig, and climb to the highest point in Germany atop the Zugspitz. Then we cross into the Tirol to conquer a desolate ruined castle.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#11 - Germany's Romantic Rhine and Rothenburg
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/23/2002
Cruising the Rhine River, we dodge riverboat traffic and the legendary Lorelei. After climbing castles and descending into dungeons, we relax with Rhine wine. We tour Burg Eltz-a lived-in castle where the noble lady still puts out fresh flowers. Then we enter the walled town of Rothenburg for Germany's best wood carving, a vivid dose of medieval punishment, and a tour with the night watchman of the town's lamp-lit ramparts.
#12 - Berlin: Resilient, Reunited, and Reborn
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/16/2002
Berlin is back, resuming its place as a great European capital. We climb the Reichstag's glass dome, sway at a modern-day cabaret, and pop a few chocolates in the now thriving eastern sector. Along with Germany's finest art, complicated Berlin also has hidden remnants of its fascist and communist past. In a city that's rebounding and rebuilding, we crane our necks at Potsdamer Platz, Europe's newest Times Square.
#13 - Amsterdam and Dutch Side-Trips
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/12/2002
Amsterdam stimulates all the senses, with Rembrandt's and stately architecture from its Golden Age, hidden churches and Holocaust memorials from its troubled times, and Van Gogh's and titillating street life from its modern age. Then, side-tripping into the countryside (and below sea-level), we hike dikes, climb windmills, tour the world's biggest flower market, and see how in Holland, "everything's just so Dutch!"
#14 - Germany's Black Forest and Cologne
Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/8/2000
Rick teams up with his wife and kids to enjoy the good life, dipping into a classy mineral spa, trying our luck at a fancy casino, devouring chocolate-cherry cake, and exploring Germany's most romantic forest.
Watch Now:Apple TV
#15 - Germany's Hamburg and the Luther Trail
Season 9 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/8/2016
Join host Rick Steves as he explores Hamburg, the largest port in Germany both historically and today. Then he travels south through central Germany, exploring the history and culture of the region that created Martin Luther and changed the world.
#16 - The Best of Sicily
Season 10 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/24/2018
This tour of Sicilian highlights starts in Palermo, where we'll sing with the merchants in the markets, join locals in their passeggiata, drop in on a contessa, and marvel at the Romanesque cathedral of Monreale. Then we'll sip wine on the slopes of Mount Etna, munch cannoli, ponder Greek temples at Agrigento, admire Roman mosaics at the Villa of Casale, and marvel at the view from the Greek theater in Taormina.
#17 - Germany's Dresden and Leipzig
Season 9 - Episode 2 - Aired 10/15/2016
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.
#18 - Germany’s Frankfurt and Nürnberg
Season 9 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/22/2016
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.
#19 - Bulgaria
Season 9 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/29/2016
Bulgaria is a fascinating, rapidly changing corner of Europe, where shiny BMWs compete for lane space with horse-drawn carts. This nation’s European dream is still taking shape from its roots in a custom-blend of Ottoman, Orthodox, and Soviet soil. Explore Bulgaria’s modern capital of Sofia, and its trendy second city of Plovdiv, then stroll through rustic mountain villages with the tang of wood smoke in the air. Relax in valleys of vineyards and sleek seaside resorts. Be pleasantly surprised by the rich local cuisine — an offbeat blend of Slavic and Mediterranean — and taste wines that are the toast of the Balkans. Throughout, marvel at Bulgaria’s ancient Tracian tombs, impressive Roman ruins, mystical medieval monasteries, and traditional mosques — nowhere in Europe will you see such colorful, perfectly preserved treasures of iconic religious art.
#20 - Romania
Season 9 - Episode 5 - Aired 11/5/2016
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 an open-air folk museum.
#21 - Assisi and Italian Country Charm
Season 9 - Episode 6 - Aired 11/12/2016
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 basilica, built on the tomb of the beloved saint.
#22 - Siena and Tuscany's Wine Country
Season 9 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/19/2016
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.
#23 - West England
Season 9 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/26/2016
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.
#24 - Southeast England
Season 9 - Episode 9 - Aired 12/3/2016
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 historic sailing ships anywhere.
#25 - The Heart of England
Season 10 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/6/2018
The heartland of England has sights that put the "Great" in Britain — its venerable universities, its royal heritage, and reminders of its industrial might. At Oxford and Cambridge, we’ll see where kings and prime ministers studied. At Blenheim Palace — Winston Churchill’s birthplace — we’ll connect with English aristocracy. At Ironbridge Gorge, we fire up memories of the Industrial Revolution. And all along the way, we’ll be driving on the left and polishing our pub etiquette.