The BEST episodes of Rick Steves' Europe season 9
Every episode of Rick Steves' Europe season 9, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Rick Steves' Europe season 9!
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 - 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.
#2 - 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.
#3 - 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.
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#4 - 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.
#5 - 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.
#6 - 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.
#7 - 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.
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#8 - 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.
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#9 - 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.
#10 - 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.
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