Travel With Rick Steves

Rick checks in with European tour guides on researching family history in Ireland, and listeners tell us of their own discoveries meeting relatives in Sweden and Lithuania. We'll get highlights of the Low Countries of Belgium and the Netherlands where a cozy medieval city or a bike ride to the sea is just a short ride from the major cities. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

The experts from The People's Guide to Mexico offer tips for enjoying an independent road trip to explore Mexico on your own. Hear about the frustrations many women face in Italy when they try to break some very old gender stereotypes. Also Rick checks in with listeners responding to past topics and guests. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Your travels can open up your taste buds to entirely new adventures. Guides from Paris and the Basque Country in Spain introduce us to their local food traditions. Fred Plotkin serves up another helping of appreciation for the cuisines of Italy, and how to make every bite a celebration, Italian style. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear how Terry Tempest Williams found beauty in a broken world in Italy and where you'd least expect it, in Rwanda. Phil Borges tells us what he's learned from photographing indigenous people around the world. Also, Peter Wortsman returns with insights into why he loves the ever-evolving nature of Germany's capital city, Berlin. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get better acquainted with Southeast Asia and Ireland through the eyes of its artists. We'll explore how understanding the stories behind paintings, and knowing the role of important architectural sites, can help frame your appreciation for anyplace you visit. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

The waters of Rome can provide you with a refreshing way to explore the ancient capitol of the world. Hear how sailing the dangerous waters around Canada's Vancouver Island sets the scene for the first of the Dugger mystery novels from Ferenc Máté. Also, we explore getting some serious fresh air and exercise, in the great outdoors of France. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Hear how two travelers immersed themselves in Croatia and its neighbors. Plus, guides from Italy share the highlights of northern Italy, from Milan to Lake Como, and they recommend less-crowded small towns and lakes, where German and Swiss influences add a distinctive texture from the rest of Italy. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Celebrated author, Pico Iyer, shares how going it alone can actually clue you in to the global village that already surrounds you. Travel writer Will Hide tells us why Cape Town, South Africa is one of his favorite getaways — where a pleasant climate, easy access to outdoor adventures, and friendly people are just an overnight flight from London. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Expert guides from southern England chat with Rick and take listener calls about their favorite parts of rural Britain. They'll recommend where to enjoy off-the-beaten-path pastoral landscapes, complete with thatched roof cottages, abbeys and castles, coastal lookouts, and even wild ponies. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Explore sites that pay homage to some of the icons of rock and roll. Get a heartfelt taste of music traditions in Ireland where a homecoming theme invites visitors this year. Also, explore how the Great Plains can get you in touch with Native American and pioneer history, the natural world, and a few curiosities along the way. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

See how attending a performance at one of Europe's great concert venues can add to your enjoyment of classical music. A guide from Portugal introduces us to some of the high points away from Lisbon. Also, travel writer Don George shares stories of life-changing food adventures around the world. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

France offers visitors a great deal of variety including the vineyards and elegant castles and mansions in the Loire Valley. Hear how the pre-historic stone formations on the hillsides of Brittany provide a link to unknown peoples from long ago. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Rick examines today's political scene in Germany and takes a deeper look at the historical ghosts you can stumble on in Berlin. A political organizer and tour guide from the Rhine region tells us what the average German thinks of their role in the economic bail-out of other countries in the European Union. Also, playwright Peter Wortsman explains how his Jewish heritage has drawn him to make Berlin his second home. In addition, get tips for meeting the locals in the small towns of Scotland. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Barbecue, chili, clam chowder, fresh oysters, and even buckwheat pancakes are a few of Jane and Michael Stern's discoveries that can turn your next American road trip into a comfort food pilgrammage. Also, travel writer Crai S. Bower joins Rick to share some of their favorite natural getaways in coastal British Columbia, Canada. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Guides from Sorrento explain how their cliffside city is an easy hop to historical and scenic adventures, and also a great place to relax with a chilled glass of homemade limoncello. We'll also get a commercial pilot's perspective on the airline industry with tips for enjoying your next flight. Finally, Rick checks in with listeners "of a certain age" who have fun travel reports to share. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

We'll explore the historical riches of Potsdam, Germany, and we'll hear how Athens, Greece has grown into a visitor-friendly destination, complete with a new Acropolis museum. We'll also get a dispatch from adventure cyclist Willie Weir from his favorite square in Madrid, and we'll open the phones for your nominations for a favorite city to explore. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Get inspired to take a classic American road trip along the Lincoln Trail, from Springfield, Illinois to Gettysburg and the Potomac. We'll also hear about the special travel guide that African-Americans relied on in the mid-20th century to find a welcome on the road. Plus, TV travel host Samantha Brown shares how to enjoy your next long flight overseas. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Rick interviews a guide to the street markets of Paris, where souvenir shopping can be a destination in itself. Hear how the beer in Belgium is so good, it's worth a special trip. Also, learn about the mysteries and history you can find in the caves of Slovenia. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz joins us to describe what it meant to zoom in on places and objects from the icons of American culture from Walden Pond to Niagara Falls and from Ghost Ranch to Graceland. Listeners also give ideas for planning extraordinary travels. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.

Guides specializing in Eastern Europe highlight the charms of Krakow, Poznan, Warsaw and Gdansk, where the prices can be as friendly as the people. Also, Fred Plotkin explains how this is a really big anniversary year for opera. He recommends performances celebrating the birthdays of Wagner, Verdi, and Benjamin Britten. For more information on Travel with Rick Steves - including episode descriptions, program archives and related details - visit www.ricksteves.com.