Travel with Rick Steves

Pulitzer Prize winner Beverly Gage explains how a road trip to the places where history happened can renew your faith in American progress, without ignoring an honest assessment of the nation's past. And the good folks from Atlas Obscura share some of their favorite quirky and unique American roadside attractions.

Hear from two Roman tour guides about what to expect on a first-time trip to Italy, and how to make it the adventure of a lifetime. Then get a taste of life in France's rural southwest as author David McAninch explains how spending the better part of a year in Gascony taught his American family to slow down and savor their time together.

A Belfast-based tour guide points out the places where native son Van Morrison found inspiration for his music and poetry. Then a Romani author tells us about the variety of communities within her culture, both on the continent and in the US. And an adventure traveler shares some of his favorite scenic hikes in Europe.

A master stonemason considers the great sites of Europe and shares what these enduring structures can teach us about permanence, craft, and human ambition. Then an Italian tour guide sheds light on the Dolomites, the spectacular setting where Italian, German, and Ladin traditions meet. Plus, an aficionado of American road trips tells us about efforts to revitalize historic Route 66 as a national heritage trail.

A chef and cookbook author takes a look at idioms that are shared across diverse languages. Then the head of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum updates us on what's happening this summer at Cleveland's top attraction. And the late historian David McCullough reflects on the Wright brothers and how their dream changed the world.

Hear how the US Civil Rights Trail, with 100 stops across 14 states, was organized to help all Americans get an up-close look at the movement to dismantle Jim Crow laws across the South. And listen in as ecologist Chris Morgan describes changes he's observed on Norway's Svalbard archipelago — halfway between the mainland and the North Pole — which indicate how our warming climate is a threat to life in the Arctic.

Three American-born tour guides who have settled in Europe tell us what it's like to make a new home in a foreign country. Then, a lifelong resident of Italy's Veneto region helps us explore the Venice Lagoon as an ever-changing ecosystem shaped by climate change, local history, and the distinct cultures of its islands.

Join us for a special hour with American author and environmental activist Terry Tempest Williams as she invites us to consider the interconnectedness of the natural world, and discusses what we gain from recognizing and engaging with all that's around us — including a heightened appreciation of the good in our world.

A pair of tour guides from Greece tell us how the island of Crete offers a natural experience unlike any other. Then travel writer Mark Adams describes his 3,000-mile voyage along the coasts of Alaska to follow what the Harriman Expedition saw in 1899. And a Dutch biologist explains how urban evolution is happening faster than we used to think all over the world.

New York Times reporter John Branch tells us how one family in southern Utah keeps a cowboy tradition alive at rodeos across the West. Then an award-winning travel journalist recommends itineraries for scenic road trips and sites to explore across California. And an environmental history scholar pays tribute to the American bald eagle, whose recovery from the brink of extinction is an environmental success story that can inspire ev...

An Athenian theater director discusses drama's role as a building block of civil society since ancient times, and recommends some Greek destinations that are especially fascinating for the theatrically inclined. Then a pair of tour guides offer their picks for lesser-known Greek islands that promise a break from the bustle and expense of tourist centers such as Mykonos and Santorini. And an outdoor enthusiast lets us in on the wisd...

On our Mother's Day edition, we hear what it was like to relocate a Midwestern family to the Croatian village their great-grandparents came from. An American who married a Frenchman tells us what it’s like raising a child in Paris. We go on a sentimental family trip to San Francisco, and hear how mamma is center stage in Sicily. Plus Rick pays tribute to his late mother, who influenced him to become a traveler.

The founder of a food-tour company tells us in delicious detail about some of his favorite eats to enjoy on the streets of Rome. Then a British tour guide shares how to take in London's historic core as well as its changing landscape on a visit to the boroughs of The City and Westminster. And a tour guide from Lisbon illuminates the contrasts between Portugal's bustling cities and the more traditional way of life that persists in t...

One of Rick's longtime cohorts shares her road-tested advice on what you need — and don't need — to put in your suitcase for a successful overseas trip. Then a brother-and-sister pair of Swedish tour guides share their picks for places to explore beyond Stockholm, from easy day trips to coastal wilderness adventures. Plus, listeners chat with Rick about what made their recent travels feel special.

We hear why the city of Potsdam — home to elegant Prussian palaces and parklands, all in quick reach of central Berlin — is worth a day's visit. Then we get a sense of what life was really like for the emperors of ancient Rome, with the help of classicist Mary Beard. And we travel back to 1978 with Rick and his longtime buddy Gene Openshaw as they retrace their post-college adventures along the infamous "Hippie Trail" f...

A tour guide from Orvieto explains why his Umbrian hill-town home is well worth a stop on your Italy itinerary. Then a rail enthusiast looks at train travel in Europe and beyond and considers how — and why — the US set off upon a different track. And a British journalist takes us along as she rides the rails on a lively journey across India.